A livestock head holder for a head gate features a top holding member, a bottom holding member and an intermediate link connecting same, of which the intermediate link occupies an over-centered locking position in a fully open state of the head holder to prevent gravitational dropping of the top holding member. The head holder is infinitely adjustable in its installed height on the head gate, via use of tightenable clamps that engage through a slot between bars of a skeletal gate panel to make clamping embrace against a rear side of the head gate bars at any user-selectable heigh along the slot therebetween.

A livestock head holder for a head gate features a top holding member, a bottom holding member and an intermediate link connecting same, of which the intermediate link occupies an over-centered locking position in a fully open state of the head holder to prevent gravitational dropping of the top holding member. The head holder is infinitely adjustable in its installed height on the head gate, via use of tightenable clamps that engage through a slot between bars of a skeletal gate panel to make clamping embrace against a rear side of the head gate bars at any user-selectable heigh along the slot therebetween.

Described herein is an animal handling device in the form of a cattle crush with automated headbail capture, back bar operation and positional sensing along with methods of use thereof. The crush and method offer automation for functions that in the art have been largely manual and inherently labour intensive, physical and even potentially dangerous for the operator and/or animal.

Described herein is an animal handling device in the form of a cattle crush with automated headbail capture, back bar operation and positional sensing along with methods of use thereof. The crush and method offer automation for functions that in the art have been largely manual and inherently labour intensive, physical and even potentially dangerous for the operator and/or animal.

A livestock squeeze chute is operable in parallel-squeeze, V-squeeze and inverted-V squeeze configurations, and has a head gate with a novel guide track construction for robust rolling support of the gate panels, and a neck extender having uniquely positioned actuators that pull the neck extender upwardly into its working position. The squeeze panels are supported in suspended and hinged fashion from a set of movable supports that are displaceable laterally back and forth along a set of overhead support tracks. A pair of upper actuators are operable to move the hinged-equipped supports, and thereby relocate the tops of the squeeze panels, while a set of lower actuators are operable to relocate the bottom ends of the squeeze panels. The head gate's guide track uses two L-shaped bars and a cooperating U-channel to define a pair of enclosed channels in which roller carriages of the two gate panels are respectively received.

A livestock squeeze chute is operable in parallel-squeeze, V-squeeze and inverted-V squeeze configurations, and has a head gate with a novel guide track construction for robust rolling support of the gate panels, and a neck extender having uniquely positioned actuators that pull the neck extender upwardly into its working position. The squeeze panels are supported in suspended and hinged fashion from a set of movable supports that are displaceable laterally back and forth along a set of overhead support tracks. A pair of upper actuators are operable to move the hinged-equipped supports, and thereby relocate the tops of the squeeze panels, while a set of lower actuators are operable to relocate the bottom ends of the squeeze panels. The head gate's guide track uses two L-shaped bars and a cooperating U-channel to define a pair of enclosed channels in which roller carriages of the two gate panels are respectively received.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a cervical spine extender (CSE) having an adjustable separation distance between restraint members. In an illustrative example, the CSE may, for example, be selectively operable between at least an extended mode and a collapsed mode. The CSE may, for example, be coupled to a headgate. For example, when an animal is restrained in the headgate, the restraint members of the CSE may, for example, be disposed caudally to the head and rostrally to the headgate. The restraint members may, for example, be coupled to the headgate by extension arms. Various embodiments may advantageously permit adjustment of a separation distance to effectively accommodate operation with different sized animals.