Split Guard Keeps Cattle From Going Down

Split Guard Keeps Cattle From Going Down LIVESTOCK Dairy (17) 10-6-34 You can keep cows from doing the splits on slippery, barn floors with new "Split Guard", a quick-attach safety hobble strap that holds the rear legs together so the cow doesn't collapse when other animals mount during heat. The idea took shape on Bill and Pat Oswalt's dairy farm near Vicksburg, Mich. "We used to use chains and ropes or whatever we could find," says Pat, whose new Split Guard straps, made from a woven nylon, fasten quickly with a Velcro fastener. The strap has a pre-determined length of spread that fits any size cow. It lets the animal move and lie down freely while wearing it. Strap has a tensile strength of 2,500 lbs. Pat Oswalt says the strap should be placed on the cow shortly before she goes into heat and left on for a couple weeks. Farmers, she notes, don't put them on until the animal has already been damaged. Once an animal has gone down the straps can still prevent severe nerve damage by keeping them from going down again. Split Guard sells for $12.50. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Oxland Enterprises Inc., 415 W. Prairie St., Vicksburg, Mich. 49097 (ph 616 649-0706).

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