Homemade Cage Makes Handling Calves Easy

Homemade Cage Makes Handling Calves Easy IRRIGATION Maintenance Mark Bauman often faced problems with tagging handling and moving newborn calves to shelter in poor weather To compensate he built a metal cage from scratch that he could transport with his tracked skid loader The cage measured 8 by 8 ft square and 5 ft in height Bauman used 1/8-in thick 1 1/4-in square tubing with six bars around the perimeter He welded a matching skid loader plate with a quick-attach mount to one side of the cage for easy hook-up and transport “We call it the shark cage ” Bauman laughs “If a cow is unruly I can set it right over the calf and step out of the loader through a gate I hung at the mount I do my thing get back in the loader lift it up and carry on ” He built an expanded metal box complete with a sled inside the cage to carry a weak calf “If the calf can’t walk we put it in the sled and carry the whole cage calf and box together ” he says “The cow can see her baby through the expanded metal which helps encourage her to follow along ” Bauman says he added extra bracing in the mounting area because it protrudes but other than this building the cage was straightforward He estimates the total cost between $1 200 and $1 400 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Mark Bauman 58840 881 Rd Ponca Neb 68770 littlebo2ooo@yahoo com

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