Corral designs for sorting calves off cows

[snap]

I knew it was futile to post this in the Beef forum.... really they should just give up and have 1 forum, since that's all anybody posts on. Anyways...

Please inform me of the best Corral designs to sort cows... or to sort calves off cows. Pictures or diagrams or drone images preferred. I would prefer to see what actually works, rather than fantasy designs

[Blaithin]

The corrals with a gate the calves can go under while the cows go out seem to work pretty slick.

https://youtu.be/P4FUE-OrXRw

I’ve also heard of good luck with removing the bottom wire/rail on a fence and feeding calves in that pen. In a few days, a week, they’ll be in the routine of going in for food and you can capture them.

Guess it all kind of depends if you’re building from scratch or modifying an existing corral. Can always just have a wide alley with a person on a gate and a person sorting to send groups of cows or calves to the gate person to let in or by.

[bucket]

Google cattle corral designs....

[burnt]

My method works only if the herd is near buildings or yard like ours are for feeding this time of year.

What works for me is to have a creep gate and feed pen where the calves are accustomed to going thru to get their creep ration.

Feed them, shut the door behind them.

Done, no noise, no fuss, little or no sorting. At least, no noise until they discover that they've been tricked...

[farmaholic]

There is usually always that one cow in the herd that is hard to dupe. And can ruin plans. Alot of times her calf is as sketchy/skittish as she is.

[woodland]

There is usually always that one cow in the herd that is hard to dupe. And can ruin plans. Alot of times her calf is as sketchy/skittish as she is.

There’s a permanent solution for those “problems”...........😉

Life’s too short for **** like that

[woodland]

I knew it was futile to post this in the Beef forum.... really they should just give up and have 1 forum, since that's all anybody posts on. Anyways...

Please inform me of the best Corral designs to sort cows... or to sort calves off cows. Pictures or diagrams or drone images preferred. I would prefer to see what actually works, rather than fantasy designs

Look on YouTube as well. There’s plenty of different layouts and they usually show critters moving through them. Just checked out a neighbour’s setup today and he has a round pen about 30’ across with 5 gates about 12’ long around the outside going to different pens so he can sort 4 different ways. Ours is a rectangle pen about 30’x50’ and has three gates at a corner and it works good.

Lots of different ways to do it depending on budget and numbers. I would only recommend to use portable panels and that way it can be modified if something doesn’t work right or the herd size changes. We started building a permanent pipe setup and outgrew it before we completed it. 😉

Freestanding panels are the greatest thing ever. 😎

[WiltonRanch]

Cows return from where you push them to. Don’t need anything fancy just keep that in mind.

[the big wheel]

There is usually always that one cow in the herd that is hard to dupe. And can ruin plans. Alot of times her calf is as sketchy/skittish as she is.

When we had cows that was always true but some how when you sold the trouble maker another one felt like it needed to assume the roll. Lol

[snap]

Lots of great ideas here... thanks! I have tried the creep panel, but calves tend to come back out before I get it closed off.

Any ideas for how to make any of these ideas work when there is just 1 person?

[Blaithin]

Don’t leave them free feed, start feeding times so they come in when you’re there, feeding. Might have to catch them in batches.

Probably end up with one in the herd that never comes in and ends up being a grandfathered in replacement just because you can’t get it out. Ever.

If they like the food enough and it’s not a giant pasture it shouldn’t take them more than a week to realize your arrival means food.

[burnt]

Lots of great ideas here... thanks! I have tried the creep panel, but calves tend to come back out before I get it closed off.

Any ideas for how to make any of these ideas work when there is just 1 person?

Then you've likely discovered that once they are onto your plan, they get kinda skittish PDQ.

Not nice watching a smash of calves all trying to jam thru the creep gate at once. Been there done that.

Only thing that might work for the creep gate idea is like Blaithin said - limit feed and then try to sneak up and drop the main gate. Depending on your setup, that may not be an option.

Works good here since the creep gate is in the barn and I can get around behind the barn wall to swing the outer gate shut.

[Blaithin]

How wild is your herd? Mine are like sloths so I don’t have an issue with wild calves. If your herd is still in pasture mode and not dopey winter mode then whenever you go feed them, take 5-10 minutes and walk around and through them.

Can help erase suspicious minds and make shutting gates easier. If your cows don’t care about you, the calves quickly won’t.