Other headgates are manufactured with only a single bar to prevent the does or ewes from entering a wrong gate, and this is often insufficient. Our headgates are designed so the does/ewes are prevented from entering a wrong gate by a solid blockade. Because of its excellent design, Major Farm Yoking Systems can save hours of labor and make it possible for one person to handle a milking herd easily.
We built our first headgate in 1987 for our own use. It has withstood years of rugged use. (We milk 80-90 sheep at a time for six months of the year.) The only maintenance it has required is an annual oiling of the bearings.
We are proud to say that we have had only praise from our customers.
Imagine that the headgate is a ladder lying on the ground. Behind each
square of the ladder is a bucket of grain (or a trough of grain). When the
does/ewes come into the milking parlor, they try to put their head down
into the "ladder" so they can eat the grain in the bucket or trough on the
other side. Goats and sheep will inevitably try to eat grain at the first
head unit they come to.
This system is designed so the first doe/ewe has to walk to the end of the
stanchion, "ladder", to get the grain.When the doe/ewe puts her head down, she automatically opens the second-to-last head unit; she also locks herself into the yoking system. This enables the next doe/ewe in line to put her head in the second-to-last unit, which opens the third-to-last head unit, and so on. After milking is completed, one simple lever releases all the animals at once. By putting the lever back down, the yoking system is reset and ready to receive the next group of animals.
Both sheep and goats learn how to use the headgates within one to two weeks.
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