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NE Ohio | If you are working cattle yourself it is best to set up your system so it is adjacent to an area where you feed. This allows you to get the group into a contained area just by calling/leading them. Where they would normally enter and exit can be a narrow rectangular sorting pen which you can work yourself. For calves it’s handy to have a creep sorting gate so they naturally separate themselves from the cows (see the example in the video linked below). These areas can lead to the bud box and alleyway. The key is keeping the cattle going where you want them to go without feeling threatened.
For cow/calf it is great if your barn is centrally located with your pastures. If not don’t rule out creating a working pen between pastures where you can setup your chute and corral (even temporarily for activities such as artificial breeding). Bringing cattle through this pen on to better pasture even a couple times of year will make them eager to come in the next time you need to work the group. Cows have great memory when it comes to getting fed.
There are hundreds of designs you can find for handling systems. The key to almost all of them is not to overload the working areas. In general the lower the cow numbers in an area the more they want to leave to get back with the larger group. When they are packed tight in a confined area they don’t want to move away from the group. Planning an area large enough for multiple pens (but not too wide to corral & sort) will give you flexibility in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HbJX-maJ5sE
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Bud Box
