We recently invested in a working chute for our herd of meat goats. The handling system we chose is a portable chute from Sydell. We chose this working chute because we raise our goats and sheep on pasture with rotational grazing and needed a portable handling system option.
The handling system we chose
We ended up purchasing the Sydell Transport unit – 16’ alley with 8’ diameter tub and spin doctor as as the working chute for our goats and sheep. Our farm needed an option that was portable since we graze our goats on pasture and in the woods. It was important we had a working chute that we could easily move to handle goats no matter our location. We didn’t want to have to wait to address animal health needs or sorting when our rotations were close to the barn.
Overview of the functionality
Watch the video below for a full walk through of how the Sydell working chute for goats and sheep works. We also cover how it works for our farm and handling our goats when we trim hooves, do herd health work, and sort goats. It’s basically a review of this particular Sydell working chute for goats. Product: Transport unit – 16’ alley with 8’ diameter tub and spin doctor, 1936-16TSD
Benefits of having a working chute
Why invest in a working chute for your herd of goats and sheep? There are a lot of reasons, which include:
- Easier and faster way to get through animal health tasks, such as vaccinations, deworming, pregnancy checks
- Quick process to assess FAMACHA and parasite issues
- Low stress process for livestock
- Safer option for farmers for handling sheep and goats, especially with bucks and rams
- Easier on your body when trimming hooves and working with animals with the tilt table
- Simple way to sort goats into different groups
- Need for less labor to help with these tasks
When should you get one?
When should you consider getting a working chute for your goat herd? Here a few factors that influenced our farm to make the decision to buy a handling system:
- Growing herd of 30 or more goats
- The length of time it takes to accomplish herd health work, trimming hooves
- Limited farm labor or help when handling, sorting and working goats
Alternative ways to handle your goats
Before we decided to purchase a real working chute for our goats, we set up a make-shift set up in our barn with a holding area pen, alley way made with pallets and t-posts, and a hoof trimming/milking stand. This worked well for our goat farm for along time.
Thank you Leslie for taking time to walk a person thru the working of the Sydell spin doctor chute. Appreciate it! Only thing better would have been to see an actual animal in the run-through. Good investment for you. I’ve seen it on their site but not on how it functions. Thanks!
Thanks Melody!! I will plan to get more video with moving the goats through when we sort next week for breeding. When we use the system we get busy and each gf have jobs to do that it’s hard for me to film too!!