The evolution of cattle chutes

Evolution and technology has allowed us to move beyond our primitive beginnings as cave dwellers and enjoy our current lifestyle, smartphone in hand. No facet of our life is immune to evolution, and we have also seen dramatic evolution in cattle chutes and handling.

The romanticized image of cattle handling shows a weather worn cowboy working a group of cattle on his horse in the wide-open plains. That all began to change when barbed wire was invented in the 1870s, allowing ranchers to fence in areas to contain cattle. Fences also reduced cattle raiding, which is thought to be one of the earliest forms of theft.

Although the history isn’t well documented, we expect that clever stockmen began using makeshift cattle chutes soon after they began building more fences. Cattle chutes minimize animal stress and prevent injuries to handlers and animals. There are many reasons that we need to handle cattle, including routine veterinary care, branding or ear tagging, and castration. Chutes replaced more challenging practices of cutting, roping, and heeling cattle.

Early chutes were simple and homemade, consisting of using a corner of the corral and the existing fence, while swinging a gate around to confine the animal for a procedure. Cattle still needed to be cut out of the herd, making this a tedious but safer practice for the handlers, but a stressful situation for the animals.