5 things to consider when designing Cattle Yards

1. Operator Safety

Handling cattle in yards can be dangerous, especially if animals are stressed because of unfamiliar surroundings, the feeling of being trapped or loud noises such as banging gates or shouting people. Te Pari Cattle Yards harness natural cattle behaviour for better safety and feature curved pens and races that help improve cattle flow.

Cattle-free Working area

Many Te Pari Cattle Yard designs include a ‘cattle-free’ working area which provides the operator a safe and secure area to work and store supplies. Personnel access gates are included in many designs and are vital to allow the operator to exit a pen quickly and easily without the need to climb over fences.

A safer way to load the race

A circular forcing pen such as the Te Pari Super C-Force Gate System is a revolving steel gate which reduces the size of a circular force pen as the cattle enter the race. The gate locks quietly into the special gates of the circular pen every 0.5m, moving the cattle up to the race. The forcing gate is in between the cattle and the operator so this system is much safer than being in a traditional square pen pushing the animals up into a race.

2. Cattle Yard Flow

Cattle have a natural tendency to circle their handler, so yards with circular pens and race allow cattle to flow much better. Research shows circular yards can be up to 30% more efficient than square or rectangular yards thus allowing a much higher throughput of cattle.

Prevent calves from turning in the race

If you’re handling a lot of young stock you might have trouble with animals trying to turn in the race. This can cause serious hold-ups in processing animals if you have to get in the race to turn the animal back around. One way to prevent this is the Te Pari Calf Reducer System. This system allows the user to narrow the width of the race 300mm by moving the side race panels in. It is quick and easy to adjust and prevents calves from turning around in the race. Click here to see a short video about our Calf Reducer system 

Curved race and forcing pen

Curved narrow races encourage animals to move to the front of the yard, and a circular forcing gate lets you reduce the size of the forcing pen as cattle enter, eliminating the need to climb into the pen which is a huge safety benefit.

3. Loading Out Ramp

Loading ramps for moving cattle onto stock trucks and trailers is an important part of any cattle yard system. It is important to make sure trucks have plenty of room to easily back up and drive away from the loading area. Generally cattle flow better if they are moved directly from the forcing pen to the loading ramp, or drafted off from early in the drenching race to the loading area.

Stepped loading ramps

Having steps instead of a sloped surface drastically reduces slipping when the ramp is wet or mucky. The sides of your loading ramp should be fully sheeted for animal safety and a catwalk with handrail ensures operator safety. With a stepped ramp the cattle will actually stop and start moving easily. 

A level section at the top of the ramp about 1.5 metres long will give cattle more confidence to move onto the different flooring material in the truck.

Loading banks for cattle yards

A loading bank is a good option if the site lends itself to this design. It is more cost effective than a raised ramp and extremely good to use, as cattle walk on at ground level directly into the cattle truck. Most Te Pari Loading Banks include an access gate so that the operator can easily enter the truck and shut off any remaining cattle in the race. 

4. Drafting Options

Drafting through old cattle yard drafting gates can be very time consuming and stressful. There are a wide range of options available today that make drafting quicker, safer and easier such as:

• Cattle crush offside drafting gates
• Manual or wire rope controlled drafting modules
• Central drafting compound
• Pneumatic or hydraulic auto drafting systems

Cattle crush drafting gates

Some cattle crushes come with side drafting gates. The crush pictured below shows an offside drafting gate in use. It is operated by a handle at the rear of the crush on the opposite side to the drafting gate. This is a very safe and easy system to use as the crush operator is safe and out of the way of the flight zone. This means you’re working from the rear of the animal, which naturally encourages the animal to move forwards or away from the operator and out of the cattle crush. 

Click here to see our range of Cattle Crushes >

Drafting modules for cattle yards

Drafting modules can be built into cattle yard designs or purchased separately. Some are operated by lever handles, wire rope controls or a hydraulic system. The drafting module pictured below is on the front of a crush and offers 3 way drafting.

If you’re looking at a wire rope controlled drafting system make sure the wire ropes are stainless steel and run on marine grade stainless steel fittings to ensure long lasting and smooth operation. The most efficient method of drafting is an ‘inline’ system, where the animal is weighed and released straight out of the weighing crush and directed through drafting gates in front of the weighing zone. This system is very efficient and allows large throughput of cattle due to a faster sequence time.

For more information on a wire rope controlled drafting module watch this video >

Cattle yard drafting pound

A central drafting compound is used in some large cattle yards. It is a circular pen in the middle of a cattle yards with multiple gates opening into outer pens. The “drafting pound” as it is often called is great for separating animals into different mobs, the drafting pound has access to all of the yard pens. It is ideal if the gates in a drafting pound are quiet and easy to use so they do not frighten animals or waste time trying to hook up gate chains or deal with hard to use gate latches. Te Pari Cattle Yards feature nylon sleeved slam latches that are super quiet and safer as animals are kept calm and stress free. The gate latches automatically from either side.

Auto drafting systems

If you’re after a system capable of handling large numbers of cattle quickly then you should consider an Auto Drafting System. Te Pari Auto Drafting Systems such as the Taurus HD3 can automatically draft cattle into groups by weight or any other identifying feature you have recorded to the animals EID tag.

The Taurus HD3 can be operated by remote from the back of the race so that the operator is able to load the race while still having control of the machine to stop it if required. It can be set up to draft out of the crush or by utilising the drafting gates in front of the crush. Find out more about the Taurus HD3 Auto Drafter here >

5. Ease of use

A well-designed Cattle Yard should be easy to use with minimal staff required. Te Pari Cattle Yards are designed to be operated with just 1 person. They are designed to promote good cattle flow and feature quick access through easy to use gates. Your yard work will be quicker and easier and you'll save time and money by investing in a well designed cattle yards.

A catwalk along the side of a race provides easy access to the top of cattle in the race for drenching, TB testing and administering medication. Ideally a catwalk should be approximately 1.0m wide, providing plenty of room for several people to work on the catwalk simultaneously. A handrail can offer extra operator safety when cattle are regularly held in the area next to the catwalk.

Man gates between areas in your cattle yards can improve access to animals and also allow for quicker and safer movement of staff around the yards.

Curved narrow races encourage animals to move to the front of the yard and a circular forcing gate lets you reduce the size of the forcing pen as cattle enter, eliminating the need to climb into the pen – a huge safety benefit.

The Te Pari design advantage

All livestock enterprises have unique requirements, because of this the best  cattle yard design is the one that is tailored to suit your operation. We use our range of standard designs as a benchmark for working capacity which are then fine-tuned to meet the individual needs of our clients. In some cases we design from scratch, drawing on our extensive design experience to create a facility specific to your needs.

Te Pari will measure your site to record existing fence lines, laneways, sheds, trees and other infrastructure which need to be incorporated in your new facility. For green field sites we discuss, and review your site selection to ensure it will meet your needs including best access for stock, operators and trucks. We then present you with a 3D render of the proposed design for review and then quoting.

Once the design is confirmed the Te Pari team manufacture the cattle yards in their New Zealand factory and then can organise site works, concrete, delivery and installation for your new yards.