Cattle comfort and industry efficiency depend in part on stress-free handling.
At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show last month, Tim Prior, owner of Brussels Agri Services Ltd., used his Wagyu cattle to demonstrate the compact, quiet and versatile Arrowquip Heeler 87C system.
Why it matters: Livestock handling innovation continues to focus on quiet, non-stressful movement of cattle with greater emphasis on chute accessibility by producers.
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“You didn’t hear a lot of noise, rattling, shaking or anything with this processing chute because they’ve made it quiet,” said Prior, as he moved a steer through the system.
“That’s why there’s a rubber floor and the plastic rump fingers – just to be quiet. Less stress on them and less stress on us as the handler.”
The Heeler 87 C portable processing chute and corral, priced at $65,650, drew a lot of attention from farm show attendees with its four spring-loaded man gates, two corrals, bud box, Q-catch head holder, sternum bar and calf restrainer bar. It’s all in a neat eight-foot by 32-foot trailer-ready package.
The compact system includes hydraulic jacks to lift it once the corrals are folded and locked into place. It is designed to provide quick and easy field-to-field or farm-to-farm transport and set up.
Ross, a Wagyu steer, modelled the unit perfectly, moving seamlessly from the corral to the bud box and into the chute system before stalling at the headgate.
Prior joked that Ross’s reluctance showed how effectively the ratchet rump bar moves cattle ahead quietly. Then he highlighted the processing chute access points.
“You have gates that open on the side, so you can do anything you want to the top line of the beast. The top (of the gate) will open completely, or the bottom will open completely also,” said Prior. “Maybe you want something full access; the side will open.”
Each chute side opens similarly, with a panel allowing access to feet, plus front and rear vertical panels for easy all-over access. The chute also includes a squeeze and the Q-catch that can immobilize the head in a quiet and comfortable motion.
“It completely immobilizes his head. I can do something with his ears, tag him, or do anything with his mouth and eyes if need be,” said Prior.
Arrowquip has several unit configurations, including a crowding tub and alley, separate processing, and hydraulic chutes to customize the system to a consumer’s needs.
