deer handling facility plans

Jason, feel free to come down to SW Missouri and check out our place. You look like you are on the right track. I am still trying to wrap my head around the corner though. We have 9 boxes setup before the chute. They make a u turn and works pretty well.

Yes, Why the boxes against the side if the chute and system is in the middle. Do the deer go in from the right hand side and get pushed into the boxes or just into the 3 boxes of the system the back out from the left side of the pic?  Looks like a good start though. Just show the deer movement if you could!

Jason, Looks like your about 2 hours from my place. Feel free to stop by if you get up this way ? 

Here is our handling facility it works great for us we used our existing barn we had to modify some openings in the barn and add a wall or two we put this together a week before we had to pull cidrs in fall of 2012. Some great handling facilitys are Genes Flees farm in Iowa, Double H Whitetails in Ohio, Dream Ranch in PA I also been in some rough handling facilitys they work but man are they rough... 

Ryan,


I'm going to have a different layout in mine, but I will share some similarities.  Could you post some pictures of your sliding door and what you did to accomplish swinging doors that open in or out and don't cost an arm and a leg? 

here are some pics that I have had saved on my computer for a while. This is not mine but after working through my setup I wish I could do something like this. You could even just make the frame work out of 2x4s and save money.

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I guess what I was thinking is I have two options. I can push them right into the chute or I can open the stall runs. After I run them through drop chute they can go left back in the alley, which I'll add a few more gates in, or go right and into the stalls. Ryanm84 thanks for ur plan. I see ur stalls have doors on the side to release certain deer to aid in separating. I will add some to my stalls. I didn't think of a loading dock either thanks for all the help. Wayne next trip we take to Omaha I'm going to try to swing by.




Jason i believe you have the address for Wayne's farm wrong.  I hear his place is a site to see and very deer friendly and real easy on the farmer.  In fact i am still waiting for some pics of a push wall he has set up to move deer down the lane way by himself. Still Waiting......Still Waiting.....Still...

Lol Mike, I haven't forgot! My "Alley way and Little Barn" are VERY user and deer friendly" 


 


I need to figure out how to post some pictures or a video ?

Wayne when you try to reply beside is more reply options click that and go to the bottom and you can attach photos first you select browse and locate the photo you want to post then select the photo then select attach this file hope this helps

Thanks Ryan, I give it a try...........but won't promise I'll figure it out! LOL

I've looked at about every thread to do with handling systems on here so far and still I have some questions.  I have a couple buck fawns that are a problem and I'm trying to figure out the best resolution before next year.  The two problems are: one lays down as soon as he's in the tunnels and another knows there is a door there so he pawns and pushes at the door. It really makes you want to just grab a cattle prod but who knows how that would pan out.


 


I've seen handling facilities with doors that sweep in so that you could push deer forward and others with guillotines and only a small hole to stick something in and scare deer forward.  I've got doors that sweep in so I can push them forward but if they are turned around knowing there is a door it can turn into a bit of a waiting game.


Do you prefer doors that sweep so that you can push deer forward or doors that sweep?


 


I've seen some with divisions about 8' long leading up to their chute and others that had divisions about every 4'.  


 


Any experience which is easier to move deer forward through? 


 


Also Some have tunnel system that is more like a hallway that is plenty tall enough to walk in yourself and others that don't look even 4' tall.. 


 


Is there any benefit to either? 


 


Anyone's Thoughts, Pictures etc would be greatly appreciated.

I have the deerstore book of handling facility plans that I'd sell for half of what it is on the site if anyone is interested.

I work my deer. By this I mean I get into the yards & pens with them. I do occasionally use "protected contact" with hard antlered sambar, & if I was farming some of the larger african antelope I'd no doubt follow the same routine.


 


I have lane ways coming in from the south & north. The lanes are generally 8m (24ft?) wide. This width controls speed IMO ,wide & the deer move slower , narrow & they go faster. About 60m (180ft) out from the "yards" I "dog leg" the lanes & start to narrow them. I go from deer fence to chain mesh at this point as its better in "pressure". About 15m (45ft)  before the two lanes meet from the different directions I start using corrugated roofing sheets (I never use shade cloth ,it's a deer killer).The lanes are 3.5m (12 ft) wide at the final point. I use chain mesh gates here because the deer will approach the "light" closer & then see that there is a corner for them to move around. A solid door will see inexperienced animals break back in the direction they came, before noticing the corner. I have four "outside yards" These are 7x3.5m & have draughting doors in each corner. I can break down largish mobs of deer & do most of the draughting/sorting into groups out here. These yards are all walled with 2.4m high corrugated iron & everything is steel (termites are a problem, if I leave timber, like a shovel handle on the ground it will be hollowed out in just over a week).


 


After resting the deer I break them down into groups & run the ones I want  into the shed. The shed is 14m X 10m. There is a central lane way 14mx 1.5m, ceiling height is 2.4m. I have four 3.5 X 3.5 rooms on the right. These have draughting doors & the ones opening into the lane way are 1.5m which means I can also use these doors to draught from left to right in the shed & break this lane into 1.5X 2m pens. I sometimes drench & tag red hinds, etc, in these, I get four or five in at a time & squeeze in with them. 1.2m off the ground I have 50mm (2inch) horizontal pipe/bars forming the walls between these rooms & into the lane way in the two front rooms. IMO the deer settle much faster when they can see myself & the other deer moving around. My "work room" 7mx 5m also has these bars facing into the lane way. This is on the front left side of the lane way. It has the drop floor crush & weighting scales & a concrete floor. The deer go through the room via crush & scales but not into the room proper. It has a sink, benches, storage etc.


 


My dark room/rooms are on the back left It can basically be opened into one large 7x5m room or broken down into 4 smaller ones (I think I have 24 doors in this section alone). I have my load out ramp in the back left section & the ramp up to the crush in the front left section. Doors could be use to push, but I find that they voulentarily move to the opened door when i am in with them. The ceilings are all 2.4m high & the odd inexperienced deer will jump but that isn't too much of a problem in these yards as I keep the rooms small & usually only group a dozen or so deer together when inside.


 


I can do everything I need to do with the deer by myself, I have worked lots of different species from european to asian through yards of similar principles to these. The biggest fault I find is that folks use a draughting circle (old school 70's & 80's) which is 6m & the deer just run in the circle without entering the open door, this requires two people & is exhausting for the deer & handlers, particularly when doing several hundred deer at a time. I think that 3.5m is about the largest room you want if by yourself. I have never used a tunnel system like you guys do & am a bit confounded by it, but keen to learn more.


 


Sorry if this is off track but some may find it interesting to see how we work our deer down here, & there might be some trivia which is useful.


 


Sharkey

Hi Guys,


When building deer handling facility is it a good idea to have access to both sides of the deer handler? Thanks Scott

Yes

ABSOLUTELY you want access on both sides

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Hi Guys,


When building deer handling facility is it a good idea to have access to both sides of the deer handler? Thanks Scott




This is a MUST!