# Home made head gate/stanchion



## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

I am planning on bettering my facilities for handling my cattle (all 4 of them), don't have a lot of money to spend, but really need to add a maintenance alley for them, so I can do any work on them (worming, etc). I am looking for a used head gate, but know I have seen on here before home made ones. The shoot will not be for milking, just need a way to keep the cattle still while I do what ever I need to. Can anyone provide pics/diagrams on how to build one? Or where I can find one online for a good price ($1000 is to high)? I have thought of making just a closed end shoot, but am afraid they would not stand still enough if I need to give them a shot. What affordable idea's do you all have?

Thanks.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Google "Medina Hinge." It might be something you can put together.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Seddon you beat me to it......just make sure the post are deep in the ground


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Hee Hee.....preferably with concrete?


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

What I like about it is if you were a good carpenter and had small cattle you could make this out of wood,,,,ruff cut saw mill lumber seasoned and used more like 4 hindges on the gates like 3 x 6 ...I do not think store bought 2 x 4 would work if the post were in the ground good


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

this design would NOT WORK IF buying cheap farm gates to use as the squeese...or cheap cattle panels you will need them stronger then even the crowding gates most store sale...just wanted to warn you......cows even gentLE get up set and want out when they get Enclosed and most weight 700 to 800 pounds PLUS THEY HAVE 4 WHEEL DRIVE


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

That I can do, do you think there would be an issue if one side was solid, and one gate would squeeze against that solid wall?


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

It might be harder to get the cows into the corner if they can not see a way out of that one side...they MIGHT FEEL TRAPED before they get into the place you can squeeze the gate on them...you want them to walk with there heads to were the HINGES are on gates and if it was solid they might see it blocked and turn to face you


keep in mind why a squeeze chute works a cow thinks she is only as wide as her EYES IF THEY CAN GO THOUGH SO CAN THE REST OF HER BODY THOUGH


but if your solid wall is a barn wall you could make a kind NARROW alley to get them directed into the gate set up with there heads facing the hinges


but you only have 4


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

Ok, so picture this, if the right side was solid (2x6's close together), a gate on the right side, and on a hinge side (front), a solid wall about 36 to 40" with an opening so they could put their head through? Do you think that would work?


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

NO the cow would keep trying to jump thought that hole she has her head stick though..and you have no way to keep her from jumping forward and jerking back.hurting herself or you ....look at the pictures of the "Medina Hinge." ..

..what your wanting to do would seems to me would work better if wall on barn was 30 foot long put gate at the 20 foot mark..and have a space were the hinge part would be sticking out 32 inches from the wall so the cow could walk down the side of wall and run into the 32 inch space at end then you could shut the gate over catching her......but they will learn your going to catch them in there and it would be hard to get them in position to shut gate


with the pictures design he runs them to end of alley cow will be looking for a way out thought the gate and you can walk up shutting 2 nd gate over against cow that is 32 inches from the first gate...if cow saw the solid wall she would know she could not get out and face a opening were you are standing


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

one other thing if it was me building AND USEING something like this the COW WOULD ALWAYS BE NEEDED TO BE DOCTORED ON THE SOLIDS WALL SIDE


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

What should the distance be between the 2 hinges?


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Distance between hinges on one gate up and down or distance between hinges on the 2 gates


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

distance between the 2 gates hinges.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

I have no idea what SIZE OF COWS YOU HAVE....dexters or 2000 lb cows..... but it will be small for my herd it would be 32 inches or smaller...and the second gate needs to be able to touch the OTHER GATE OR WALL...to make a V


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

Holsteins steers from bottle to butcher.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

if you had somebody to hold the small ones when they need working on up to 300 lbs...... I would go with the 30 to 32 inches ...making sure the gates touch and make the V making the gates LONGER will help on it fitting the larger calfs..

.also you do realize that if you use the solid wall you will need something really strong to tie the second gate to at the end of first gate or your wall ...... II to V


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

Thanks myersfarm for answering all my questions.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

would like to see pictures when you get it set up and how it works


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I've put hundreds of cattle through cattle chutes, wild ones and calm ones. They save farmer's lives and prevent serious injury to people and cattle. I've seen cattle jump on top of farm gates and either mash them or get a leg hooked through as they lay across the top. Sometimes, I'm amazed the steel chutes can take the strain that a cow can put on them.
Steel is steel and wood is wood. Home built cannot compare to years of engineering.

At the very least, buy a used headgate and sink some 6 by 6 posts into concrete, create an enclosure, top and sides that cannot be broken. design a place for a butt bar that prevents cattle from backing up. Learn how to use it safely. 

For some things, a Medina Hinge might work. But because they can still go forward and back, it would be hard to do some injections (TB comes to mind). But if the gates also had bars that ran from top to bottom, you could put in a butt bar once their head was against the front wall. That way they'd have no place to go. I'd also cover the top. i've seen cattle try to jump out the top.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

myersfarm said:


> What I like about it is if you were a good carpenter and had small cattle you could make this out of wood,,,,ruff cut saw mill lumber seasoned and used more like 4 hindges on the gates like 3 x 6 ...I do not think store bought 2 x 4 would work if the post were in the ground good





myersfarm said:


> this design would NOT WORK IF buying cheap farm gates to use as the squeese...or cheap cattle panels you will need them stronger then even the crowding gates most store sale...just wanted to warn you......cows even gentLE get up set and want out when they get Enclosed and most weight 700 to 800 pounds PLUS THEY HAVE 4 WHEEL DRIVE


made of wood as I said rough cut 3 x 6 seasoned and small catte...I have seen several sale barns that used this in the old days back in the day


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Here is my friend's set up. Mine is similar. I will take a picture of ours and send it. We are moving ours out to the milk parlor. Ours has worked with a couple of stinker cows.  The picture in the link below has the 2 long 2 X 4's for the head gate. They have had a couple of ornery cows snap them. 

Headgate/Stanchion


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Here is ours. It is very cobbled, but it works. We use a flat back feeder with the hooks on the back. I put the log under it just to give it more stability. It is attached to the wall on the one side and wired to a t-post driven into the ground on the other. Very crude, but cheap and it works and has worked for years. 

Our Headgate


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Mrs. H, I'm cannot seehow secure your headgate is and wonder if a determined or frightened animal could just keep walking forward, taking the headgate and all with it. Is there anything holding it in the ground, other than a t-post?

When all is said and done, there's no substitute for a good solid chute and headgate assembly and calm cattle. No matter what the setup is, it will help to run the cattle through it several times BEFORE they need to be so they get used to it. Feed them in there, feed them after they go through, and do this on a regular basis. Even then, if the vet or someone different is around, it can be another story.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

haypoint said:


> I've put hundreds of cattle through cattle chutes, wild ones and calm ones. They save farmer's lives and prevent serious injury to people and cattle. I've seen cattle jump on top of farm gates and either mash them or get a leg hooked through as they lay across the top. Sometimes, I'm amazed the steel chutes can take the strain that a cow can put on them.
> Steel is steel and wood is wood. Home built cannot compare to years of engineering.
> 
> At the very least, buy a used headgate and sink some 6 by 6 posts into concrete, create an enclosure, top and sides that cannot be broken. design a place for a butt bar that prevents cattle from backing up. Learn how to use it safely.
> ...


+1

Years ago, before I actually bought a real squeeze chute, I had a set up with just a headgate. You can buy a new headgate for less than $600 new and a lot less at a farm sale.

I used posts in the ground to mount the head gate to. Then I put posts on each side. I can't remember how far apart. I think there was a total of three posts on each side, including the ones the head gate was mounted to. 

On the inside of the chute, I nailed 2x6's up the side with about 18 inches below the lowest ones and about 24 inches between them on up. I also had a couple 2x6's I used to put across the butt. This worked for me for several years. I vaccinated, dehorned, castrated, doctored... everything from Hereford calves, cows, and bulls, to Texas Longhorn cows in this chute.

The main thing is to make sure that the chute is narrow enough that it touches an adult cow/bull on both sides. The biggest mistake people make is making it too wide.


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

G. Seddon said:


> Mrs. H, I'm cannot seehow secure your headgate is and wonder if a determined or frightened animal could just keep walking forward, taking the headgate and all with it. Is there anything holding it in the ground, other than a t-post?


It is also bolted to the wall. We are anchoring it into concrete when we move it, which hopefully will be this weekend. We have had 2 really fiesty ornery cows that pitched fits. It held for them.


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## coolrunnin (Aug 28, 2010)

Here are some plans from the University of Arkansas that may give you some ideas.

Detailed Farm Plans


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)




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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Haypoint you know I was the first to post that picture....still makes me laugh


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

myersfarm said:


> Haypoint you know I was the first to post that picture....still makes me laugh


....and I liked it enough to save it and post it!

I bought a portable chute and spent quite a bit on it. It is a two wheeled trailer that lets down to sit on the ground. When ever someone talks of a wooden cattle chute, I think of the beating that my chute has taken and I know wood wouldn't take it.

I also have a shoeing stock for shoing horses. It is oak 4 by 4s and 2 inch planks, heavy chains and lag bolts and steel cross braces. It'll contain a draft horse, but you want those belly chains tight, butt chains tight and over the back chains tight. I doubt it would contain cattle.

Lacking a head gate, sometimes you can wedge them between two gates if it is for a quick vacination. I'm not going to try drawing blood on a squeezed between a gate cow.


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