Bill Thomas - Charles Sturt University...The choice of livestock professionals 1300 655 383 Bill...
Transcript of Bill Thomas - Charles Sturt University...The choice of livestock professionals 1300 655 383 Bill...
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Bill Thomas Stockyard
Designer
Graham Centre Beef Forum
CSU Convention Centre
15 August 2014
Working With Cattle to Build Better Stockyards
Maximising Stockflow:
In order to design and operate good cattle yards it is
important to have a knowledge of basic cattle
behaviour and how that behaviour impacts on cattle
yard design.
• By taking advantage of natural behavior of
livestock we can design yards and handling
facilities that work in our favor
• Always let livestock think they are “escaping”
• Make use of circling and milling behavior
• Don’t make the stock run towards threatening and
foreign things
• Avoid “dead ends”
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LIVESTOCK MOVEMENT
PRINCIPLES Mobbing Behavior
• Cattle find safety within a group and when
frightened, will mob together.
• When separated from the mob, a solo
disturbed beast will run towards the mob
irrespective of the position of the handler.
• The natural circling instinct is thought to be
associated with the need to keep visual
contact with other animals in the mob.
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LIVESTOCK MOVEMENT
PRINCIPLES Vision Analysis
• The latest research on colour vision in
farm animals shows that they are
dichromats with colour sensitive cells,
particularly to yellowish-green and
blue/purple light.
• Dichromatic vision makes the
animal more sensitive to seeing
sudden movement.
• Grazing animals have a visual system
that provides excellent distance vision
but relatively weak eye muscles inhibit
their ability to focus quickly on nearby
objects.
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LIVESTOCK MOVEMENT
PRINCIPLES Depth Perception
•Because of the location of the eyes,
cattle have poor depth perception.
Their ability to perceive depth at
ground level while their heads are up
is reduced and have a wide blind area
beneath them.
• To see depth on the ground, the
animal would have to stop and lower
its head. This may explain why
livestock often lower their heads and
stop to look at strange things on the
ground.
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Baulking Video
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Visual Field of Cattle
• Grazing animals are relative
defenseless and so must remain
vigilant against “predators”
• They have good vision in paddock
conditions and can see predators
from over 500m away.
• With eyes on the side of their head
they have a wide field of vision,
averaging 270°, however are blind to
the 90° behind the body and will turn
to look at oncoming “predators”
LIVESTOCK MOVEMENT PRINCIPLES
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Other Factors include: • Change in colour and lighting will often
spook cattle and make it difficult to move
mobs.
• Advancing stock must not be able to see
others behind them, that is:
• stock flow better if rear vision is
restricted.
• Light up ahead can often be used to
draw animals through the working area.
LIVESTOCK MOVEMENT PRINCIPLES
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LIVESTOCK MOVEMENT PRINCIPLES Other Factors include:
• Following livestock must be
able to see the other cattle
ahead even if it is
disappearing around a corner.
• Livestock run better around
curved
corners
• Livestock flow better through
yards if the same paths are
followed and the same flow
directions are maintained.
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45° 60°
Designed to work built to last …
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Livestock Movement Principles
Moving cattle by positioning your body
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Livestock Movement Principles
Moving cattle by
positioning your
body
Good Design
• Allows for Laminar
(Streamline) Flow.
Where the stock are
encouraged to move
fluently through the
race.
Cattle Movement Principles
Adapting these principals in designs
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Bad Design
• Race is bent too
sharply
• Confuses stock and
induces turbulent
movement.
• This can result in
bruising
and stress to the
stock.
Cattle Movement Principles Adapting these principals in designs
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Cattle Rotary Force
Video
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Well designed stockyards will make your
livestock operation more profitable for the
following reasons:
• Less labour is required to efficiently handle
stock.
• Good yards encourage timely husbandry (that
difficult job does not get put off).
• Good yards make more intensive husbandry
viable (it may pay to regularly weigh stock to
allow management and targeting for specific
markets).
• Less stress and bruising on stock
• Less chance of injury to operators.
Well designed Stockyards
If you understand stock
behaviour
& Design your yards to utilise
natural stock movements and
instincts
Stock handling
skills
WH & S, as cattle flow
rather than having to be
forced.
Labour efficiency Animal welfare
Less bruising
Less time off
feed
Less stress
Then maximising stock flow
will improve
Designed to work built to last …
Stockyard Design to Address WH&S issues
Designs must consider the requirements to keep
people safe. These include:
• Eliminate or reduce operator from risk by
implementing designs that provide man / beast
separation in high risk operations throughout
the facility
• Design and build all new structure, equipment
and facilities to current standards and
legislations, in particular operator access stairs,
platforms, walkways and manways
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Improve animal welfare
New facilities and equipment should be designed and
maintained to ensure minimal risk or stress is
incurred by livestock. Including :
• Being free of protrusions and other objects that
can cause injury
• Being easy to clean and maintain
• Protect animals from extremes of weather and
provide effective ventilation
• Include flooring in yards and ramps that minimise
slipping
• Provide adequate facilities for water and feed for
say weaning
• Have sufficient and uniform lighting
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• Poor handling and stress can cause the
concentration of glycogen to fall below a threshold
that in turn causes dark cutting.
• Dark cutting meat has a reduced shelf life, less
tender and with consumers more likely to reject it
on the basis of appearance
• Dark cutting meat is estimated to cost the red meat
industry around $36 million per year. (MLA)
The costs of poorly designed facilities: Glycogen Deficiency increased by stress
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Cattle Design Principles
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Cattle Design Principles
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Cattle Design Principles
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Cattle Design Principles
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Cattle Design Principles- S Race
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Cattle Design Principle
YARD COMPRESSION RATES- NO MORE THAN 4:1
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Cattle Design Principle
ENTERING CATTLEYARDS
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CASE STUDY
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CASE STUDY
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APPROACHING CATTLEYARDS WITH TRUCK
CLOCKWISE?
OR ANTI CLOCKWISE?
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Cattle Design Principle
Entry to single file race do’s and don’ts
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Cattle Design Principle Bud Box- Theory
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Bud Box- Application
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• They can ruin a well designed facility
because animals will baulk, refuse to
move
or turn back.
Distractions
• It is critical to minimise or eliminate
distractions in order to promote
healthy
stock flow.
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Distractions
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Distractions
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Distractions
Plan for current and new technologies
The cattle and meat industry is ever changing and
evolving to suit consumer demand and increased
productivity. Current, new and future technologies
need to be considered in yard design to make future
adaption a positive rather than a negative cost.
Technologies include:
• RFID scanning and weighing
• On farm, during unloading, during holding,
before and after slaughter, in the
supermarket?
• Automated drafting (weights and other life data)
• Breed and size separation
• Carcass scanning
• Robotic meat preparation
• Waste management
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Gate follows cattle around rolled panels
reducing area which encourages cattle to
enter the race.
• Padded brake drags around rolled
panels and locks in position.
• Sheeted panels aid stock movement and
operator safety.
• Separates the handler and stock in the
forcing pen, therefore eliminating the risk
of injury.
Rotary Force Yard
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Euroa Loading Facility
Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Stock will gravitate from darker areas to lighter areas (but not
blinding light)
• Make sure light does not cast shadows
• If there is a cover over the race, force or yards - do not allow
the shadows to caste at the transition zones.
• Consider the sun and will it interfere with stock walking directly
into it
• Unload to the south if possible, then north and take your pick
east or west after this.
• Have the stock running towards light (openness ) at the throat
of the single file race to help draw them
• Necessary dead ends must me sufficiently lit up
• Stopping light from getting under grated floors
Controlling the Light
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Stock get freighted and stressed by noise
• When stock become frightened they are
less controllable
• Think about what is making unnecessary
noise and how it can be silenced?
• Pipe exhausted air from air gates further
away
• Remove chains that continue to bang
against steel.
• Use rubber stoppers to reduce impact on
gates
• Get operators to only make as much noise
as needed so animals know the position of
the operator.
Controlling the Noise
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Heavy duty construction for safety and
longevity.
• Sheeted panels encourage flow making
stock focus on the exit and eliminates
distraction.
• Quick easy access in and around ramp
• Level extensions to improve cattle flow
and operator access
• Non-slip walkways and handrails
• Swivel buffer that aligns to the truck to
prevent gaps when loading
• Sliding Gates
• Stepped concrete flooring
Loading Ramps Design
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• The concrete needs to be mounded up around the posts to reduce rusting off with sediment
and say urine pooling at the base of the posts
• All high cattle traffic areas need to be stenciled to provide grip so cattle don’t slip
Correct use of Concrete
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Elevate operator to a safe, comfortable
working height above stock.
• By following the walkway around the force
yards and race the operator is able to
encourage stock flow from a more
commanding position.
• Used so that the operator is not in the yard
with cattle and can move stock with a flag
or paddle
Elevated Walkways
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Provide weather protection to operators,
stock and yards to increase efficiency,
productivity and longevity of stockyards.
• Keep operators and stock out of the
elements
• Keep yards dry underfoot
• Sheds are all galvanised steelwork
• Engineered and designed to Australian
Standards
Under Cover Work Areas
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Boosting efficiency with:
Points to Consider:
• Use anti bruise materials for posts and
rails.
• Use materials stock can see (not mesh)
• Use galvanised materials wherever
possible
• Brace gates overhead when required
• Use quality hardware (hinges/latches)
• Remember “Poor Man Pays Twice”
Suitable Materials
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It costs the same amount to build a poorly designed
facility, as it does to build a well designed facility.
The well designed facility will:
• Have lower labour requirements
• Minimise WH&S issues and injuries
• Result in less bruising and stress on livestock
• Increase productivity and profitability
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• ProWay Livestock Equipment’s core business is design,
manufacture and installation of livestock handling
facilities.
• Established in February 2000 and have developed a
reputation as a global leader in stock management
systems.
• Through study and first hand experience the company
has progressed to become practical consultants with a
suite of skills that are relevant to designing and
delivering livestock handling complexes.
ProWay Company Background
• 6 dedicated Stockyard Designers.
Principal designers Joe Hoban and Bill
Thomas each have over 15 years design
experience.
• 4 person in-house Computer-Aided
Design (“CAD”) team.
• 30 full time fabrication and dispatch staff.
All workshop fabrication is based on CAD
generated plans and workshop orders.
• 12 regionally based construction crews.
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Our Capabilities include:
CATTLEYARDS
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Our Capabilities include:
SHEEPYARDS
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Our Capabilities include:
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SHEARING SHEDS
Our Capabilities include:
LOADING & UNLOADING RAMPS
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Our Capabilities include:
FEEDLOTS
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Our Capabilities include:
SALEYARDS
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Our Capabilities include:
ABATTOIRS
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Boost Labour Efficiency
Labour is a major cost to any livestock facility. By
designing yards that take advantage of stock
behaviour and flow, a reduction in labour required can
be achieved. Labour efficiencies can be achieved by:
• Designing for flexible stock movement to minimise
“road blocks” in the yard system.
• Installing adequate walkways for ease of access
to gates while separating stock from operators.
• Adding manways for quick and easy movement
between yards
• Incorporating design curves and sheeting where
applicable
• Having optimal ramp slope to encourage stock
flow
• High volume facilities to incorporate pneumatic
operated gates to avoid manual operation and
unnecessary disruption or spooking of stock
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