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Handling Equipment
| The system of animal "flow" from entry to exit(s) is important. Click below to learn more about individual parts. Download Handling Diagram This diagram is offered in a Portable Document Format (.pdf). To view this file, you'll need to download Adobe Reader.  |
For years we were told: "Your equipment is great but the cost is high!"
We agreed. But for years we had no options. Now we do. We can supply similar products for much less $$. Our prices are often low enough that we can ship them (if you order enough product) to you for the same price that you would pay at a show for painted equipment--and you won't have to carry it home.
Why all producers need a sheep and goat handling system…
It never ceases to amaze us that so few US sheep and goat producers have serious handling setups--and fewer still have a good one. Visit any sheep operation in England, Australia or New Zealand and you can find such setups--be it mobile or fixed. But not in North America.
Here are just a few of the benefits…
- Treat more animals in less time.
- Treat, sort, deworm and/or tag with little risk of injury.
- Requires much less strength, effort and frustration to treat animals.
- Less stress on animals, you and your family. Because you control the animals (instead of the other way around), working them is more satisfying.
- eeps more animals alive and thriving. Why? Because deworming, vaccinations, foot treatments, sorting, etc. can all be done when the animals need it. No need to wait until the entire "on-farm" wrestling team is available.
How do handling systems work?
Good handling systems work with animal instincts to make animals make the choices that you/we want.Livestock, because they are "prey animals," try to keep their distance from threats. So they prefer to:
- Move from smaller to larger spaces.
- Avoid people and dogs (threats!).
- Follow each other when threatened--even if they can't see where the "lead" animal is going.
These basic points dictate the gate choices:
- Open bar or welded wire panels allow animals to see each other. So animals feel safe and move readily into pens with "open walls".
- Conversely, solid panels block vision. So animals feel less safe and move toward openings. That's why chutes have solid panels--to encourage forward movement to daylight.
