Calf catcher “the best money we’ve ever spent”, farmer says
21st December 2022
Designed and built by Aberdeenshire farmer Gordon Stephen, the Calf Catcher makes it quicker, easier, and safer to carry out calf tagging and other routine tasks. Livestock editor Sarah Kidby spoke to two farmers who have used the innovative system.
James Barnetson, of Lynegar Farm in Watten, Wick, was the first farmer to purchase a Calf Catcher back in 2017. He has since recommended it to a number of other farmers who have gone on to purchase one. Previously, catching and tagging calves took two hours every morning and required 2-3 people, but James can now get the job done alone in at least half the time.
The farm, which calves outdoors as much as possible, has 200 suckler cows, mostly Aberdeen Angus and 1,000 breeding ewes spanning 1,300 acres. James describes the Calf Catcher as a “tremendous bit of kit”. As well as saving time and hassle, another unique benefit is being able to move cows easily to a new field after calving, as they will follow the calf in the catcher.
The Calf Catcher is a cage that runs on two wheels alongside the ATV or UTV. The operator follows the calf until it is in the cage, then uses a level to release a sprung loaded gate. Tasks such as tagging can then be performed safely, causing less stress to cows as they can see their calf in the cage.
Although there have been tweaks to the system since its launch – it is now galvanised, for example –James still has the original system he purchased five years ago and has never needed any adjustments or upgrades.
Rattray Estate near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, purchased a Calf Catcher in 2018, when they were dealing with “continental cows with an attitude problem”, explains farm manager Calum Clark, who says it was “the best money we’ve ever spent on the farm”.
The farm calves 100 spring calving cows from April to June, mostly native bred beef shorthorns plus some continentals. Being very much a ‘one-man band’, catching and tagging calves had previously been very cumbersome but the Calf Catcher means he can catch, tag, dehorn and castrate the calves if necessary whilst safely within the cage. Hitching and unhitching takes only a couple of minutes, and the brackets are now uniform so the Calf Catcher can be fitted to almost any ATV or UTV.
“It’s a huge time saver. It’s quieter on the bike, better on rough ground and safer, not just for me but for the calves,” Calum says.
After using the machine for two years, Calum sent it back to Gordon for a couple of modifications, which were completed quickly and the machine has since been “perfect”. He adds: “Being galvanised it can sit outside all year round without any issues with rust. It’s virtually maintenance free”.
The Calf Catcher was originally designed and built by Gordon to handle a calf with a very aggressive mother. There are now about 60 catchers working in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Denmark and Romania.
Watch the machine in action:
