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Yorktown, TX | A head gate will work fine as long as you have a reasonable chute. There is no way you can ever justify buying a squeeze chute for 5 cows/steers. Buy one that is self catch (with "doors" and not slides like a priefert) and try to find one with straight pipes that go against the cow's neck. If you get the curved ones you are fine, but if the cow gets down, they can choke themselves easily. I would do as others said and look for them at a farm auction, but with that few of cows, I would not consider buying a squeeze chute. We have squeeze chutes and still give shots in the regular chute with a pipe behind the cow. I would also have a post about 5-6 ft behind the headgate (if you have pipe pens, you can have multiple slots) for sliding a pipe behind the animal to prevent them from charging the headgate and possibly hurting a shoulder or something. Our vets down here only have headgates and they put pipes behind the animals as well. They do everything this way......dehorning, shots, palpation, branding, tags.....you name it, they do it.
Good luck with the new endeavor,
JKneese | |
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head gate
