Cattle, Cattle Yards
Timber cattle yards enhanced with steel
Written by Aimee Johnston
If you need new cattle yards, you may be investigating the differences between timber and steel options. Your old timber yards have done the job but maybe steel would be better? Why not choose both?! Introducing Te Pari’s Hybrid Yards - a steel forcing pen and curved race with timber outer pens.
Perhaps you have timber on hand from trees you milled? Or do you have access to a skilled fencer who can dedicate time to building the pens? You might be able to cut costs by constructing the wooden pens yourself.
Te Pari Hybrid Steel Yard Systems seamlessly blend the core components of a curved steel race, forcing pen, and crush area with wooden post and rail handling pens. This solution is great for those who have the resources to build wooden pens and a desire to maximize their budget. Te Pari offers a selection of tried-and-true yard design plans in their Hybrid Range, and their expert team can also create customized plans to suit your precise needs.
Why is a curved race and forcing pen important?
When constructing new cattle yards, the most challenging parts to build in timber are a curved race and a forcing pen. These areas are often referred to as the "high traffic" zone, given their extensive use and huge effect on yard flow.
A curved race is proven to be more efficient, as cattle will flow through it better than they would through a straight race. This is because, in a straight race, the cattle can see the crush or loading ramp from the back of the race and are more likely to get spooked by whatever is happening in these areas. However, building a curved race out of timber is more challenging than building a straight race.
The forcing pen of a cattle yard can be a very dangerous place for operators. Cattle will crowd into the corners and operators need to get within a dangerous kick zone to move them up into the race. A well-designed curved forcing pen removes the corners for cattle to hide in, they will follow the sides of the pen and curve around and into the race more naturally.
Te Pari’s C-Force Circular Forcing Gate makes a circular forcing pen even more safe and efficient. The Steel Gate swings 360 degrees and is half sheeted with plywood so that the operator can stand behind the gate and move the gate around to slowly reduce the size of the forcing pen and encourage the cattle into the race. The gate locks into bars on the outside of the circular pen every 0.5m so the gate cannot be pushed back by cattle and the operator is kept safe. This system means there is no need to get into the forcing pen with the cattle.
Customer Testimonial
Jeremy Culwick is a farmer in Waipukurau, see below to learn why he chose Te Pari Hybrid Cattle Yards and what he likes about them.
“I’d seen them (Te Pari Yards) advertised a lot and I liked the look of the features of the C-force pen and curved race and thought that that would work really well. Some friends had a set of Te Pari yards that worked well, so that helped make the decision for us. Our old cattle yards were in a poor state, so we needed to get them replaced.
Working cattle in them is a breeze, their sturdy construction makes handling cattle really easy and safe. The circular pens and race help make the cattle flow really well. I really like the cattle-free zone as well, the safety aspect of this is brilliant. Leon was great and the installation team was very efficient. I’m very happy with the stepped concrete load out ramp, a builder came and installed that, and it works very well.” Said Jeremy.
Why did Jeremy choose a Hybrid Yard and not full steel?
“We have our own post driver and enough time that we could do the outer pens ourselves and it just worked out a bit more economical to do it that way.” Said Jeremy.
So, if you’re wondering whether timber or steel is best for your new cattle yard then consider a Hybrid Cattle Yard from Te Pari. A Timber Cattle Yard that’s enhanced with steel gives you a convenient and economical cattle handling solution with the extra strength of steel in the high traffic areas for a lower maintenance set of cattle yards that will last the test of time.
