Cattle-guard, any alternatives?

txdon · Apr 28, 2006

I am making a new entry into the yard/carport without a gate. The traditional way in this area is a pipe cattleguard. However I have notice that the cows will not cross our TBN ATV bridge which has a stone surface. I don't know for sure if they would cross over rock if it were not on the bridge and if the grass would be greener on the other side.

Does anyone have any experience with a rock type barrier that vehicles can go over but cows will not walk across?

Any other suggestions? Thanks.

kensfarm · Apr 28, 2006

I've piled rocks by the drainways into/out of the steers pasture thinking they'd avoid tromping those areas.. maybe it helped some.. but they'd still walked all over them.

Turned on the back porch lights one night just to see 3 steers drinking out of the blow-up pool.. at least they stayed close to home.

twabscs · May 7, 2006

I have a neighbor who built one using concrete blocks, you know the kind old basements were made with. He dug down and then set the blocks in with the holes showing. This is as you enter his property. It seems to be working well as he has horses and cattle and they haven't attempted to leave. I'm not sure but I would guess he build a solid bed for the blocks before setting them.

texasjohn · May 7, 2006

txdon, I've been around cattle all my life. They will cross over almost any barrier if the grass is sufficiently green on the other side. I would not trust any kind of rock/stone surface. I have seen cattle in the hill country climb up/down rock areas you would think they would kill themselves on. There are places, usually large acreage, where an asphalt road has black paint on it at a cross fence, thus simulating visually a cattle guard. They don't like to cross a cattle guard because they don't like air under their feet and the apparently unstable surface it presents.

Since this is an entrance to your yard, you might try a paint barrier of this kind. If it works for your stock, grand.. and if not, then you will know soon enough and can proceed to plan B. It may work for you if their pasture is equally attractive as your yard.

meadowlarkponds · May 8, 2006

After years and years of using ineffective cattle guards to protect front entrance to property, I installed a solar powered gate. The gate, unlike the guards, has been completely effective and requires only the push of a button to open from inside the car. Wish I had done this years ago.

Bird · May 8, 2006

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They don't like to cross a cattle guard because they don't like air under their feet and the apparently unstable surface it presents )</font>

As many of those pipe cattle guards as I've seen, I've never measured one and don't know whether there's a more or less "standard" width or not, and they usually work just fine, but twice I've seen cattle simply jump across them.

heehaw · May 8, 2006

i've seen a couple of my cows jump my cattle guard: so now i keep all the grass on this side sprayed with roundup: for several feet out:
heehaw

Bird · May 8, 2006

Incidentally, on one trip to Alaska, we turned off the highway in Canada one place to spend the night and noticed a sign along side the road saying there was a "Texas Gate" ahead. I had no idea what a Texas Gate was, nor what it was doing in Canada, until we got there and learned it was simply what we call a cattle guard.

txdon · May 8, 2006

I decided to stick to the tried and true (mostly true anyway unless you have jumping cattle). One of Mikim's relatives in the area was not using his pipe cattle guard any more and put it up for sale. With Mikim offering to deliver it, it was a bargain I could not pass up! Thanks Mike! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The cattle guard will be the entrance to the carport drive Harvey and I are building. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif