360° Pneumatic Crowding Yard

Our 360° pneumatic crowding yard provides you with the best in operator efficiency and smooth cattle handling. The pneumatic operation allows you to
continuously feed the laneway smoothly and safely. It reduces your labour requirements as it needs only 1 to 3 people to operate the whole core working
centre by remote control. 

The 360° aspect is achieved by the rotation of two gates hinging on the centre pole. These gates have been designed to operate within the crowding yard, both working simultaneously on a full rotation. The rotation begins when cattle enter the crowding yard from the access gate and fill the yard to three quarters capacity. Once the cattle have been fed into the yard, the closest rotating gate behind them is engaged and will move forward as cattle continue moving into the curved lane. The secondary gate is locked in a stationary position on the off side rail of the lane. Once all cattle in the crowding yard have moved into the lane the rotating gate will complete a full rotation, then “knock” the stationary gate free and latch itself into the stationary position. The process then restarts and the next group of cattle can be bought through the crowding yard.

The major benefit of operating a 360° pneumatic crowding yard is that at no point while feeding cattle into a lane from the crowding yard does the operator have to be inside the yard. The yard will reset itself and be ready for the next group of cattle to be fed through. This ensures the operator’s safety and significantly increases the speed of cattle processing.

The entry gate of the crowding yard is sold as a separate unit because there are three different gate options for this piece of equipment. The recommended option is a pneumatic entry gate which can be operated by the same remote that operates the crowding yard. This gate option enhances the operator’s convenience and safety as the gate doesn’t need to be operated from inside the yard. Another entry gate option is a manual entry gate that has a magnetic back that would attach to an outside panel of the entry yard when swung open. The gate would be closed by a chain running from the catwalk closest to the gate latch, across to the top of the yards and attached to the entry gate, thus allowing the gate to be pulled shut from the catwalk. The third gate option is a traditional gate with standard latch.

Overview of Crowding Yards

Contrary to popular belief, the crowding yard does not "force" the animals but utilises animal psychology to persuade cattle to stand in single
file inside a narrow laneway. With correct training and use, this will be one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in your yards.

Crowding yards have been, and often still are mistakenly known as "forcing pens". This is a mistaken concept that has carried over from
an earlier time when people risked their lives trying to close heavy gates on ill-designed triangular pens called "forcers". The idea then was to
force cattle towards the narrow end of the triangular pen in an attempt to drive them into a single lane, usually with the aid of a "jigger".

With over 35 years of continual improvement backed by our own research and observations in various situations, our crowding yards have evolved to address the need to increase productivity while maintaining operator safety and animal welfare. The ergonomic design of our crowding yards has utilised the natural behaviour of cattle to create a safe and efficient working environment. Our research has identified production costs as the most crucial element in the measurement of your operation’s effectiveness and efficiency. The price of new equipment when choosing a new crowding yard should not necessarily be the main consideration.

Crowding yard operation and catwalks

At Thompson Longhorn we believe the crowding yard is best operated from a catwalk on the outside of the yard. This is not because we believe that cattle should not be habituated with people. Our reasons are safety related. The “crowd pen”, be it a tub or pen, is a confining area just like a single raceway or alley. A skilled stockman will not step into any pen that doesn’t provide a correct position in relation to the animals. In any useful crowding system that is not possible, with the exception of a ‘Bud box’ in which the operator moves amongst the animals to persuade them to exit. The correct position is never in the middle of the group and rarely directly behind them.

There have always been good stock handlers, but seldom could these people explain their skills or instinctive understanding of animal behaviour. In more recent times we have made advances in the understanding of animal psychology and behaviour. This has led to changes in animal handling. Good stock handlers no longer use ‘jiggers’ or refer to ‘forcing pens’. We acknowledge that forcing grown cattle to go against their natural instincts is not good practice. A well designed crowding yard will facilitate calm and efficient cattle movement when the operator understands how it works. A short training session will enable even a novice to feed cattle into a crowding yard and through to a single race when the equipment has been designed with an understanding of animal psychology and behaviour. Modern stock handling skills, well designed equipment, and clear operating procedures will ensure smooth production and a safe working environment for experienced and less experienced cattle handlers.

Standard Features:

·         16.2m² (180°), 23.3m² (270°), 28.7m² (360°) controlled animal space

·         Optimised radius of 3.0 metres.

·         Nearside or offside operation.

·         Easy and safe to operate from catwalk.

·         Rubber buffers are used to reduce operational noise.

·         Quality Australian steel; heavy duty construction:

o   Posts: 75x75x4 SHS

o   Rails: 50x50x3 SHS

·         Durable 2mm galvanised sheeting 1200mm high.

·         Hot-dip galvanised adjustable footing 65x65x5 SHS which allows on-site levelling for quick and easy installation.

·         Non-ratchet, friction braking system ensures quiet operation and reduces stress on livestock

·         Heavy duty greasable urethane bushed gate hinges or large slew bearings keep gates level and prevent excessive pneumatic cylinder seal wear.

·         Catwalk and safety guardrail included:

o   Galvanised expanded mesh catwalk and step treads,

o   2 sets of steps per crowd,

o   Compliant with AS1657-2013.