Working cattle with milking stanchions

Hey folks,

 

I'm growing a small herd of Angus, and currently don't have any means of working cattle. I've been looking for good deals on squeeze chutes, or head gates, but haven't had much luck, and don't have tons of cash to spend right now building a tub. Eventually I will definitely be doing that, but for now I feel kind of vulnerable not having some sort of way to treat, tag, preg check, AI, etc.

 

A friend of mine works for what use to be a dairy, now raises heifers for other dairyman. They have good used locking stanchions they're selling for cheap. I can get 20ft or so for a few hundred bucks, vs $1500 for a used chute, plus the panels etc to build a tub-like setup. Are there any cons to running just the stanchions, or would I be better off saving my money for now and chance not having anything to work cattle with if someone gets sick?

 

Thanks

 

Chris

 

 

Working cattle with milking stanchions