Stocker Cattle Facilities

Bob L. Larson, DVM, PhD, ACT

Pen Design

            Pens should have good drainage and be able to minimize the amount of mud that accumulates. Amount of area required for calves varies because of annual rainfall and amount of drainage. In the western high plains, many lots can utilize only 200-300 sq. ft. per head. While a typical lot in Missouri should probably plan for at least 300-400 sq. ft. per head depending on drainage. Mud greatly increases the net energy for maintenance for cattle and increases their level of stress. Well-maintained mounds that provide 20-25 sq. ft. per head (400 to 800 lbs.) or 30-35 sq. ft. per head (800 to 1200 lbs.) will provide the calves with an escape from deep mud. Evidence suggests that cattle standing in mud up to their dewclaws have 5% poorer feed conversion than cattle in a mud-free lot on the same ration. If the mud gets as deep as to their hocks, feed conversion is 25% poorer.

In new pens, complete the mound shaping before building fences, pouring concrete or installing water lines. In most cases, you can use soil from the pen itself or from soil removed to make debris basins or holding ponds. On sites with less than 2% slope away from bunks, you might need to haul soil in to provide adequate mounds. In existing pens, clay is the best mound-building material. Pack the mounds in 8- to 12- inch layers as they are built. Build mounds large enough to permit the use of heavy equipment for snow-removal and maintenance. Good drainage with minimum soil erosion requires steep slopes on the mounds with less slope in the valleys. Avoid using bedding as it absorbs and holds moisture, defeating the purpose of the mound. For soils other than clay, or soil and manure mixtures, incorporate 2 inches of agricultural limestone into the surface of the mound to increase runoff. Start the access to the mounds at the bunk apron. If the pen surface slopes directly away from the bunk, build the mound perpendicular to the apron. If the pen is built on side slopes, mounds should join the bunk apron diagonally, with the valley on the high side of the mound having good drainage the full length of the lot. Where the pen surface slopes in the range of 3% to 6% away from the bunk, raise the crest of the mound 4 to 8 feet higher than the water trough apron and continue it at about this level to about ¾ of the length of the pen. Where pen slopes are less than 3%, mounds need more build up.

Feed Bunks

            Calves are not usually very competitive at the feed bunk, so in a limit-fed situation 22” to 26” per head for grain or supplement diets is required. When feeding hay or silage that is available at all times, 4-6” is needed per head. If feeding a total mixed ration that is always available, 12-18” is required per head. For bale rings, allow 4-6” of space per head if hay is always available and 18-24” per head for limited feeding. Although hay rings usually have around 18 spaces, maximum usage is at about 2/3 capacity (personal observation).

Water Delivery

Potable water must be available in sufficient quantity so cattle have ready access without competition. Insufficient space for animals to drink, low flow rates, low storage capacity, high mineral content, or unfamiliar taste can all discourage water consumption to the point that feed intake is reduced. Adequate trough size and flow rate are both important to ensure a proper water supply (Tables 8 & 9). Two feet of water tank perimeter should be provided for every 25 head if cattle drink throughout the day; however, if the entire herd drinks at once, two feet of tank perimeter is necessary per head. For pasture or range systems, use water tanks with a capacity that can provide at least a 1-day supply. Because range cattle usually all drink within a short period of time one or two times per day, the watering system (pump, pipe diameter, reservoir, etc.) should be able to supply the entire day’s supply within four hours. Feedlot watering systems require tanks with at least 50% of a 1-day supply available, and the system should be able to provide the day’s supply within eight hours.

Table 8. Approximate Total Daily Water Intake of Beef Cattle

Table 9. Capacity in gallons of water tanks

Water sources that are not accessible due to mud or erosion will also result in reduced feed intake. To prevent this problem, tanks and waterers should be placed on concrete slabs that extend at least 10 feet in each direction. Ponds should be well maintained to allow adequate access or they should be fenced off and serve as a reservoir for a float-controlled automatic water source with a concrete slab or rock base.

Working Chute Design

            Working facility design is based on knowledge of cattle behavior. Cattle should be able to be moved from the pens to the treatment area and through the treatment chute with a minimum of stress to both the cattle and producer. The treatment area should be easy to clean and provide non-slip flooring in the crowd pens, alleys, chutes, and the exit from chute.

            Because cattle are motivated by fear, don’t let cattle get agitated in the first place. Cattle are herd animals and tend to become fearful when left alone. Strategies to minimize fear include moving cattle slowly and quietly and always moving cattle in small groups. Do not use dogs to move cattle in confinement, and minimize the use of electric cattle prods. Because cattle balk at moving or flapping objects, the crowding pens, single-file alley, and loading ramp should be constructed with solid sides so that cattle cannot see outside the working facility. Once the cattle approach the working facility, don’t over-crowd cattle. Never fill the crowd pen all the way full, rather only one-half to three-quarters of capacity, and then do not “crush” the calves with the crowd gate to force them into the single-file alley (also called a snake). The crowd gate is used to follow the cattle, not to shove up against them. Cattle should have room to move around in the crowd pen with the only visible route of escape being the alley. If a lone animal refuses to move, release it and bring it back with another group. An animal left alone in a crowding pen will become agitated and may attempt to jump the fence to rejoin its herd mates.

            Single-file working alleys should be narrower at the bottom than at the top so that different sized animals can be worked in the same facility without being able to turn around. In addition, overhead bars are needed in the alley to prevent cattle from rearing and flipping over backwards. Solid-sided, curved working alleys (single-file alleys) take advantage of cattle’s natural circling behavior, and prevent cattle from seeing the squeeze chute and people working at the chute until they are almost caught. A catwalk along the inside of the curved alley will force the handler to stand in the best position for moving the animal and will let the animal circle away from the handler. Never have an overhead catwalk. Cattle are motivated to maintain visual contact with each other. Each animal should be able to see others ahead of it. Make single file chutes at least 20 ft. long (30 to 50 ft. for larger facilities). Don't force an animal in a single file chute unless it has a place to go. Blocking gates in a chute need to be "see through" so cattle can see the animals ahead. If a calf sees a dead-end it will balk. Wait until the single file chute to the squeeze is almost empty before refilling.

Cattle have excellent wide-angle vision (in excess of 300 degrees) due to the wide position of their eyes and can see behind themselves without turning their heads. And while cattle do have depth perception, they have difficulty perceiving depth at ground level when their heads are raised. To see depth near the ground, a calf has to lower its head, perhaps explaining why cattle balk at distractions at ground level. Because contrasting patterns caused by fence or panel shadows will cause balking, lighting considerations are important for moving cattle smoothly. In addition, cattle in the dark will move towards a dim light but they tend to balk if they have to look into the sun or a bright light. Calves may refuse to enter a dark, indoor working alley from a bright, outside crowding pen. Extend the alley outside the building or cover the crowding area.

Hospital Pens

            The hospital area should have enough pens to handle the classifications of sick or recovering calves and they should be large enough to handle the peak volume. Large operations will want to have at least six pens in the hospital area. Smaller operations can combine some classes of hospital-cattle so that fewer pens are needed.

1)      A pen for new, sick cattle receiving long-acting therapy

2)      A pen for new, sick cattle receiving daily treatment and aggressive supportive oral fluid therapy

3)      A pen for recovering cattle that are no longer being treated, but that are being monitored closely

4)      A pen for re-pull calves (cattle that had apparently recovered and returned to their home-pen and now are pulled again with signs of disease)

5)      A chronic / realizer pen for non-responders (cattle that after their initial treatment never show signs of returning to health) - where non-responders are moved to await clearance of all withdrawl times so that they can be slaughtered

6)      A go-home pen for recovered calves to receive step-up rations so they can adapt to their home-pen ration

All hospital pens should have individual water sources that are not shared between pens. Pen size and bunk length should allow 25% more space in the pen than a standard feeding pen and 16-24 inches of bunk should be available per calf at pen capacity.

Safety Considerations

To protect all the people handling cattle at a stocker or backgrounding facility, the corrals, working facilities and chutes must be in good repair and must match the operation and cattle. Gate latches and latches on the squeeze chute (head-catch and squeeze) must have scheduled, proper maintenance because slipped latches are very dangerous. All persons using the squeeze chute should know where the pinch points are, and the arc of movement of squeeze bars and head catch handles. Pipes slid behind cattle to serve as a back-stop are dangerous because an animal moving either forward or backward rapidly before the pipe is fully engaged can trap a person between the pipe and the side of the alley or chute. And to prevent being injured directly by an animal, do not get in the crowd pen or single-file alley with cattle.