Since the first cattle head gate was invented, the industry has come a long way. The earliest head gates were mounted to fence posts and improvised with whatever facilities a stock person had. Today, we have state-of-the-art chutes with hydraulic, self-catch, and manual catch head gates that are designed with animal behavior and science in mind.

The purpose of a head gate is to secure an animal while medication is administered, your veterinarian performs a health check, or an ear tag is put in, among many other procedures. Its evolution is important because it has allowed the cattle handling industry to innovate and grow while recognizing the need for low-stress cattle handling and better livestock equipment. However, different head gate designs will play a role in the efficiency and safety of your operation.

Self-Catch Head Gates

Over the years, head gates have evolved to go from manual adjustments to automatic adjustments. A self-catch head gate, also known as an auto-adjusting head gate, operates by having the animal catch themselves when their shoulders hit the head gate and activate the neck enclosure. This requires the operator to reset the head gate after each use and will often have to adjust the head gate opening between cattle based their size.

Cattle chutes with self-catch head gates are often more affordable, making them a more realistic option for ranchers. However, research has proven that self-catch head gates can be harder to use and harder on cattle. Often, after a few uses with a self-catch, cattle become wary and do not want to enter the chute. The force of the self-catching mechanism and its repeated use can increase stress levels and lead to bruising. Additionally, with a self-catch you lose time making continuous adjustments, and on a cattle operation, time is money.

Self Catch Head Gate Pros vs Cons

Manual Head Gates

Manual head gates have been proven to lower stress in cattle by incorporating animal science and behavior in the design. This is why Arrowquip made the switch to manufacturing cattle chutes with manual head gates over self-catch head gates. They are safer for the cattle and handler and more efficient. However, our manual head gates are different from others you’ll see on the market.

Our patented Direct Drive system provides rapid response of our 3E Head Gate, minimizing the number of missed catches. By controlling the catch, cattle stress levels and the risk of shoulder bruising in the head gate are also drastically reduced. Using 3E, Easy Entry and Exit principles, cattle are guided into the chute using light, which animals are naturally drawn to. Once animals are inside the chute, the operation is quieter than other head gates which further reduces stress levels and helps keep cattle calm.

Additionally, with Arrowquip’s new Arrowlock manual cattle head gate, the locking mechanism is designed with a ratchet and pawl system that gives ranchers up to 8x the force, making cattle handling more secure than ever.

Manual Catch Head Gate Pros Cons

At the end of the day, when selecting a head gate, you should make sure that it is user-friendly and follows low-stress cattle handling principles. This will increase the safety and efficiency on your ranch, allowing for a smoother operation that will often benefit at sale time.

The innovation and evolution of the cattle head gate is a testament to the role of livestock equipment in operations and the need for tools that make cattle handling safer. When we look back at the history of cattle head gates, they have improved greatly, which is something every cattle equipment manufacturer can be proud of.

What type of cattle head gate do you use? Tell us in the comments!