Woodruff, UT
Low Stress Handling
We learned from our elevating stockmanship and Humane Handling grants that low-stress handling is essential to animal welfare. Dry Creek Pastures took this to heart and decided it was time to up their game and design a system that met the needs of their goats and the management team.
The Goal:
Move From Chaos to Calm
Funding provided: $10,189
Animal lives improved each year: 300
As this herd grew, one area Dry Creek felt they were we’re falling short was in handling. When the herd was smaller, they could catch and hold each goat for health checks, hoof trimming, tagging, and weighing.
With many more goats, the process had become stressful for the goats and for them. They found that they were postponing basic maintenance just to avoid the chaos, the risk of goats piling up and getting injured, and the physical strain on handlers.
It was time for a better system—one that honors our animals and makes it possible to provide routine care without stress or injury.
The Outcomes:
Better Lives for Goats
Dry Creek designed their new handling system around low-stress principles and best practices in animal handling, including recommendations from Temple Grandin.
The set up includes:
- A curved, solid-panel crowding tub and solid-panel working chute that reduce visual
distractions and support the goats’ natural movement. - An EZ Klamp Sheep & Goat Handler with solid walls, a squeeze catch (no head catch, accommodating wide horns), and a 3-Way Sorter for streamlined movement.
- A Spin Trim Chute that safely secures the goat with padded, curved sides, then gently rotates the entire animal to allow access to the hooves for easy, precise trimming.
- Portable panels to create flow-through holding pens before and after handling.
What Farmers Are Saying
“We are using the handling system every other day right now, and it's fabulous - even in the snow! We had zero sickness after weaning, and I know the simplicity of sorting through the three-way sorter made weaning so much less stressful for the goats and for us."
- Millie, Dry Creek Pastures, Woodruff, Utah
The panels are perfect -- light enough to move easily, but still sturdy enough to keep goats from challenging them.
