How long can a cow stay in a headgate?

[boondocks]

We AI'd 3 weeks ago and had one heifer come into heat today. We called the AI tech, who was in the area and said he'd be over in about 30 minutes. Anticipating a rodeo, we started to try to get the heifer corralled and in the chute. For a change, it went faster than we thought, and she was in the headgate before the tech got here. She stayed fairly calm, it was a very cool day, and I knew he would be there any minute, so I wasn't too worried. But in general, how long is it okay to have a cow in the squeeze chute and headgate? I assume the chances of them going down, getting stressed, hurt etc increase over time. Any general advice?

Hopefully the second time will be the charm, AI-wise!

 

[greybeard]

Interesting question, and apt to get a lot of different answers, but the short answer is --no longer than absolutely necessary to do the work she/he needs done. I'll put 'em in the chute leading up to the gate, but leave them there till I'm ready most of the time, even if it means I have to drop some cubes in the alleyway for them to munch on--eating will calm 'em most of the time.

Longer answer is going to include some variables--depends on the animal, the headgate, how much the animal "fights" the gate, maturity, it's general health and how the operator works it.

 

[boondocks]

Thanks for the thoughts, greybeard. I figured if the tech hadn't come soon, we'd have to let her go and then re-catch her. She fought the headgate just a little, but mostly was calm and we were petting her head. She also had a steer buddy just in front of her (just the other side of the headgate) calmly munching hay, for company. I think with a sick cow, we wouldn't have started to try to get her in until we saw the tech rolling up...

So much to learn, but enjoying the learning! well, mostly! ;-)

 

[cross_7]

Crawl in there and put your head in there and see how long you can stand it till you pass out

Edit that came out harsher than I meant it, but the point being it's cruel and unnecessary

 

[greybeard]

Crawl in there and put your head in there and see how long you can stand it till you pass out

Depending which end of me they wuz gonna work on, I'd probably hope I passed out right off the bat............

 

[cross_7]

Crawl in there and put your head in there and see how long you can stand it till you pass out

Depending which end of me they wuz gonna work on, I'd probably hope I passed out right off the bat............

Before I crawl in there I'm making dang sure inyati13 ain't no where around

 

[greybeard]

Exactly what I was thinking.............
what happens in Inyati's headgate stays in the headgate

 

[boondocks]

Crawl in there and put your head in there and see how long you can stand it till you pass out

Edit that came out harsher than I meant it, but the point being it's cruel and unnecessary

We weren't actually trying to get her in yet, just corralled. She went ahead on in of her own accord, so one of the guys went ahead and caught her in the squeeze chute and headgate. She was in there maybe 5 minutes before the tech came. He got right to work and she was back out a few minutes later, tops.
I'm new to this but do have enough common sense not to keep an animal in there for an extended period. Waiting literally a very few minutes for the tech seemed like a reasonable choice, rather than let her out and stress her by having to round her up again...

 

[dun]

A lot depends on the cow. Some are happy to just stand there for long periods of time and others seem to have a mental clock that goes off after some interval. Nervous cows can get spun up in just a couple of minutes while others are contented to stand there for an hour. There re times that just standing in the alley seems to stir them up more then being caught. It all boils down to variables, and sometimes the variables change from one time to the next.
The correct answer is as was previously posted, the shortest amount of time required.

 

[greybeard]

Yes, it's kinda strange. Never seems to be the same ones--maybe they draw straws out in the holding pen to see.
"Ok short straw--you lose---it's your turn to be Crazy Cow" this time.

 

[Dega Moo]

Yes, it's kinda strange. Never seems to be the same ones--maybe they draw straws out in the holding pen to see.
"Ok short straw--you lose---it's your turn to be Crazy Cow" this time.

My crew swears the last 5% through the chute are always the same ones and they are crazy cow no matter how quietly things have gone before. We record everything on a paper notebook so we generally have the order cows have gone in over the last couple of years. I keep putting it off but one of these days I'm going to go back over that paper work and see if the same cows are always last through.

 

[dun]

Yes, it's kinda strange. Never seems to be the same ones--maybe they draw straws out in the holding pen to see.
"Ok short straw--you lose---it's your turn to be Crazy Cow" this time.

My crew swears the last 5% through the chute are always the same ones and they are crazy cow no matter how quietly things have gone before. We record everything on a paper notebook so we generally have the order cows have gone in over the last couple of years. I keep putting it off but one of these days I'm going to go back over that paper work and see if the same cows are always last through.

They usually will be. They're the ones that are hardest to work into the alleys because their spookier or smarter then the rest

 

[ChrisB]

While I agree with the "as short of time as possible" answer; I wouldn't think it would be that much different than a dairy cow standing in a stanchion. As long as the animal is comfortable and not fighting it, a few hours shouldn't be a problem.

 

[greybeard]

While I agree with the "as short of time as possible" answer; I wouldn't think it would be that much different than a dairy cow standing in a stanchion. As long as the animal is comfortable and not fighting it, a few hours shouldn't be a problem.

Been a long time since I was around a dairy but to me, what goes on in a squeeze and headgate is a lot different than a Jersey standing there eating and getting her loaded udder emptied. Maybe if beef cattle went thru a chute every day it would be different, but they don't. For me, calves and yearlings are the worst--almost all of them want to fight it..

 

[glacierridge]

I know it's a fitting chute and not a squeeze chute, but I've seen my share of show calves spend hours in them (none of mine, I never owned one)

 

[dun]

Both dairy and showing they are trained/acclimated to it. When the only time they run into the squeeze is to get a shot or have someone run their arm up their butt it would take longer for them to be as comfortable with the situation

 

[glacierridge]

Both dairy and showing they are trained/acclimated to it. When the only time they run into the squeeze is to get a shot or have someone run their arm up their butt it would take longer for them to be as comfortable with the situation

I know they are used to it. I just feel bad when some showmen only have them in there as long as necessary and I've seen other showmen leave them in there half the doggone day while they sit in chairs and goof off.

It just annoys me when people leave them in there just to leave them in there for such long periods of time.
Glad that most showmen don't leave a chute to babysit their calves.

 

[snake67]

Slightly different stayle gate but our dairy cows stayed in them for six months of winter

If they have some room behind them you can leave them a long time and not get too worried

Bez

 

[inyati13]

Exactly what I was thinking.............
what happens in Inyati's headgate stays in the headgate

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[regolith]

Most headbails I've worked with around two minutes is the longest I'll turn round and leave them unsupervised... long enough to fetch something. If she collapses for any reason she may start choking against the lower bar.
Actual time in the headbail isn't that important if the cow isn't stressed or getting hungry. I've left calving cows standing in the chute (not locked in the headbail) for as long as two hours waiting for a vet. Of course, if I'd known the vet was going to take two hours to get there I might not have done.

Bez, the first dairy I worked in the cows had a neck chain in their stalls, the chain was left on overnight in winter. That used to be just normal. I've helped out on other farms that have their cows 24/7 chained in their stalls.
Any cow really close to calving, instead of connecting up the chain we tied it with a light piece of string. I don't think we ever had a broken string while I was there, the cows could lie down and turn their heads back with the chains on anyway.
If anyone suggested I do that to the free-range cows I have today I'd be horrified... and so would they.