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Clipex was launching its range of fencing materials and cattle-handling facilities into the European market at the Ploughing Championships last week.
Already well established in Australia, the company has a range of products on offer.
One of its more impressive products on show was the HD Cattle Work Area System. The system is designed to handle large numbers of stock quickly and safely, with the entire unit capable of being run from a remote control.
The handling unit
The handling unit is comprised of a semi-circular lead-in yard where cattle move through and into a circular forcing pen. From here, cattle can be directed one of two ways. The first will guide cattle to an elevated permanent loading ramp, generally used to get cattle on to trucks. Otherwise, cattle will be guided towards an adjustable curved chute which will lead to the automatic crush. From the crush, cattle can be drafted one of three ways through the drafting gate.
The entire system is controlled pneumatically with compressed air moving all the gates, including the forcing gates in the circular forcing pen. It also controls the sliding guillotine gates, the sides of the adjustable curved chute and all parts of the automatic crush and drafting unit.
The system can be controlled from fixed control points situated at intervals along the unit. However, it can also be controlled by a handheld remote control. An elevated walking area runs alongside the semi-circular lead-in yard and the circular forcing pen eliminating the need to herd cattle into the forcing pen from behind. The entire handling unit is galvanised through hot dipping.
Circular pen
The circular forcing pen shown here is 3m in diameter but there is also the option to get a smaller 2.5m diameter pen. Notches are in place around the perimeter of the pen to ensure that gates cannot be forced backwards by stock. There are two forcing gates which can rotate 360° on a centre post.
One of the key advantages of the unit is that it is all bolted to the ground, eliminating the need to bed any part of the unit in concrete. This ensures a quick installation. All panels are bolted to the posts as they are designed to be removed quickly if required.
Loading
From the forcing pen, cattle can be drafted to either the elevated permanent loading ramp or the adjustable curved chute. This chute is 800mm at its widest, which would be suitable for cows and factory-fit animals. It can also be narrowed to suit younger stock, which will prevent them from turning in the chute. When narrowed, it can also aid in slowing larger stock coming through.
The loading ramp is 6m long and comes with a walkway alongside. A guillotine gate is in place at the top of the ramp and the two outer doors with the rubber flaps are both adjustable. The steps on the ramp are reinforced precast concrete.
Crush
Cattle will then move from the curved chute through an adjustable V-straight race before they enter the crush itself. This again will help to slow down stock before they enter the crush. As the whole handling unit is lined with panels, this is the first point that cattle will see movement in front of them, which may startle them. The V-straight race will prevent cattle from turning as they do not have sufficient leg space to do so.
The automatic crush, known as the HD2000, makes handling of stock much safer with a number of different features to help the farmer.
The sides of the crush can move in and out to gently squeeze the animal; this will help relax animals and make injecting easier for the farmer. The sides of the crush can open up in three different sections depending on what area of the animal the farmer needs to access. One option is to include a weighing scales and monitor on the crush. Combined with the drafting unit in front of the crush, this allows farmers the potential of drafting cattle by weight. Both the front and back gate of the crush are controlled pneumatically as is the squeeze function and the drafting unit, from a control panel attached to the crush.
Cost
As quoted at the Ploughing last week the entire system, excluding the permanent loading ramp, comes to a total of €49,000 + VAT. The automatic crush itself costs €17,500 + VAT, including the weighing system and the Truetest monitor which is used to control the crush. Additionally, for the system to operate, a battery and an air compressor are required, which are not included in the costings above.
The entire handling unit is currently under the process of gaining grant approval for TAMS II.
The increased safety that a handling unit like this provides cannot be ignored.
Due to the pneumatic operating system a farmer never needs to set foot inside of the handling unit ensuring that they can observe all stock safely from an elevated walkway while also maintaining an efficient flow of cattle through the crush.
While this system will not be a realistic option for many farmers it does highlight what is out there for farmers who may be dealing with large numbers of stock.
It also showcases the design of handling units that farmers should aim for.
The elimination of sharp edges that cattle can potentially get caught in and the ease with which cattle flow through the unit can both be incorporated into simpler designs.
Similarly being able to take the farmer out of the same pen as the cattle is a vital step towards reducing the number of accidents that farmers have while handling cattle.
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