Experts from the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute, along with guest K-State beef cattle extension veterinarian A.J. Tarpoff, recommend using a well-maintained pen and chute system for smoothly moving cattle through on-farm processing facilities. On a recent Cattle Chat podcast, they advised farmers to evaluate their current processing setup before moving animals or making any adjustments.

“For instance, with a shoot, make sure the gear teeth are still in working order. Make sure you’ve oiled up the movable points and make sure that they’re working. Also think about alleyways and things like that. Make sure they’re safe with no loose sharp edges. You don’t want to injuries occur in processing either to the people or the cattle,” said K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers.

Another tip is to make sure that the facilities are set up in a way that works best for the size of the cattle that are being handled. 

“I think right sized is really important. Right sized is the size of the holding pins based on the size of the herd and how many cows I need to move in and out with the valleys and the ability to change the width. Whether I’m working with calves or adult cows, those are a few things that start to kind of matter on those days when you’re real busy and you’re working through a lot of cattle,” said K-State veterinarian Bob Larson.

As herd needs change, investing in simple, well-designed cattle handling facilities is key. A straight alley with sorting gates improves efficiency for sorting, loading, and processing. Matching facility design to available labor, especially for solo work, boosts safety and productivity without the need for complex or costly systems.