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Two-Way Shear Pin-Protected Cattle Head Locks
Most cattle head locks are designed so cows have to lift their heads to enter the head lock and eat. Samuel Wurz, Vulcan, Alberta, designed a two-way shear pin-protected head lock that lets cows enter from either the top or bottom.
"It eliminates the need to train cattle to enter a head lock and also prevents the
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Two-Way Shear Pin-Protected Cattle Head Locks LIVESTOCK Beef 25-2-28 Most cattle head locks are designed so cows have to lift their heads to enter the head lock and eat. Samuel Wurz, Vulcan, Alberta, designed a two-way shear pin-protected head lock that lets cows enter from either the top or bottom.
"It eliminates the need to train cattle to enter a head lock and also prevents the possibility of a cow falling and getting caught on top of the head lock," says Wurz.
The head lock is equipped with a steel bar that pivots at the middle. A pair of steel rods are welded onto one side of the bar to block the opening. A removeable shear pin mounts in a horizontal frame at the top of the head lock. The bar can be moved to either side of the pin, allowing the animal to enter the head lock from either the top or bottom. By removing the pin, the bar head lock is "locked" in position with the bar straight up and down.
"We came up with the idea after we tried moving some heifers into our milking barn, which was equipped with head locks that opened from the top," notes Wurz. "The animals had been feeding from a headlock that opened only at the bottom. When they came into the barn they tried to enter the head lock from the bottom but weren't able to so they couldn't eat. We had to feed them by hand, which was a big hassle. We found that after only a month or so of training the animal will know that it has to lift its head in order to go in or out of the head lock. From that point on it'll automatically enter through the top of the head lock, even if the bottom of the head lock is open.
"Another advantage is that if the animal falls it can't get hurt because the shear pin will break and the animal will fall right out the bottom of the head lock, instead of getting her neck hung on top and dying."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Samuel Wurz, Box 1060, Vulcan, Alberta, Canada T0L 2B0
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