Chutes For Vaccinating Sows Outside

Chutes for vaccinating sows outside HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Hog Equipment & Ideas (351) 17-1-7 "My rope-controlled chutes work great for vaccinating sows and gilts that are kept outside," says Carl Haese, Hastings, Minn., who built five chutes in a row along the end of a farrowing barn. Sows and gilts are moved from an adjacent outdoor holding pen into the chutes about 10 days before they're due to far-row. The chutes are positioned on a raised concrete runway with a steel fence along the open side made out of 1-in. dia. pipe and channel iron. Each chute has a ply-wood gate that rides inside an angle iron frame. The gate is opened or closed by a rope that runs through a pulley at the top of the frame. All of the ropes are secured at one central location so Haese can open or close more than one gate at a time. "It works much better than trying to vaccinate sows in a holding pen because it keeps the sows still," says Haese. "It also doesn't stress them as much because it eliminates crowding and keeps sows from jumping on top of each other which can cause abortion or injury. After the sows are vaccinated they go into farrowing crates inside the barn." Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Carl Haese,135651dell Ave., Hastings, Minn. 55033.

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