Author Topic: calves and self locking feed yokes (Read 2659 times)

humphreymctush · « **on:** January 18, 2013, 02:54:10 pm »

What happens if you put a cow with a calf in a pen with self locking yokes? For instance does the calf get stuck in the yokes?

Hassle · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2013, 09:43:26 pm »

the yokes will have a bar that you can turn to lock or release, always keep on release unless you are there to supervise when you can place on lock

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2013, 03:06:04 pm »

If the yokes are the right size to 'neck' a cow, they won't hold a calf, so the calf will lock them but escape and the cow won't be able to reach through as the calf will have locked them all!

However, this shouldn't happen, as there should be a setting whereby the yokes swing open and closed but won't lock shut - you would never ever leave cattle unattended with locking yokes in case one went down, or, if there are more than one beast in the pen, the untrapped one(s) would bash and bully any that were locked.

humphreymctush · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2013, 12:52:24 pm »

Sorry folks, I didnt make my question clear.
I dont want to catch the calves in the yokes and of course the yokes are not left in the lock position. What I was asking is it is save to keep a cow and calf with this arrangement for feeding the cows. My concern is that the calves being small they might squeese them selves through or get their bodies trapped in the yokes

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2013, 05:02:10 pm »

Our area where the calves run with the cows has part self-locking and part fixed diagonal feeding barrier, so the calves climb through the latter. I can't swear that they'd never try to get through the locking yokes if that were all there was - but I don't think they would, it just looks too much like an impenetrable barrier, I think.