Livestock crush

A claw stand or hoof care (French: travail à ferrer; Spanish: potro de herrar, English: hoofstand, cattle crush ) is a structure for fixing and restraint of cattle and working horses in hoof care as well as tests or veterinary interventions on standing cattle. In addition, it looks in a claw stand after injury and inflammation. In addition to fixing the beast, these racks also serve to protect the people from being harmed by defensive movements of the animal.

Function

Claws stands are mainly used in the fixation of bovine hoof care, in examinations or in veterinary surgery in the standing cow nowadays. The animal is fixated in a favorable position for the work to be done and is accessible for examination and treatment of all four sides. The bark as well as the handlers are thus protected from injury by defensive movements of the animal. Work on the claws with knives or an angle grinder can be more precise and safer carried out by fixing the legs. Since the legs do not need to be fixed and held up by hand, a longer stoop forces allow claws stands a back-friendly work in the hoof care. Kippstände be used not only for mouth care, but also for surgical procedures on the recumbent cow.

Historical claws stands

In earlier times the hooves were shod not only in horses, but also in oxen with custom iron. In addition, the hooves of the animals work had to be regularly examined for injuries. How far back as the constructed for this purpose racks in the story is unclear. Medieval or even antique claw stands are neither received nor described. The examples shown are all from the 17th to the 19th century.

Initially restless animals were well fixed at claw trimming measures by several men using long ropes or thrown to the ground. It always came back to serious, sometimes even fatal injuries to the people involved with kicks. Calm animals could, however, be bound to a wooden post.

The first fixed structures were probably simple wooden posts; they may have been (possibly also in the vicinity of major livestock markets ) erected in the courtyard of the local blacksmith and on larger livestock farms. In later times, were in many rural locations - partially covered - devices built, which consisted of four regular deep sunk in the ground wooden posts or stone pillars, between which the animals could be clamped with the aid of ropes and harnesses. The upper connecting bar served for attachment of abdominal belts, which facilitated the animals to prolonged standing on three legs in high or tethering of the injured or terminally ill claw. A sometimes existing fifth stone behind the actual claws stand was probably for tying a rope in order to stretch the leg.

Because of the accumulated filth, the roar of the animals, but mainly because of the possible risk of fire by flying sparks when forging horseshoe, most claws stalls were on the edge or outside of the respective localities.

Malpartida de Corneja, Castile - León

Villar de Corneja, Castile - León

Venturada, Madrid

Modern claws Stands

Modern claws stands usually consist of an assembly of metal pipes. Are located on the two sides of the stand longitudinal bars, which prevent lateral breaking of the animal. In so-called through redrive stands the animals can be guided into the back of the stand. Then the animal is prevented by the closure with a cross bar on walking backwards. There is a catch gate, with its closure the animal's head is fixed on the head side of the stand. After completion of the treatment, the gate may be opened so that the animal can leave the stall forward.

Between the longitudinal beams are several wide straps, which are clamped under the belly of the beast. A winch can be tightened, whereby the animal is supported. Thus, the body weight must not be borne entirely by the legs. The individual legs can be fixed at the stand in the raised position so that the mouth for examination and maintenance services are available.

Tilting claws conditions consist of a metal structure for fixing the animal with a padded tray table. After the fixation of the animal, the whole construction of a hand-operated or connected to the hydraulic system of a tractor to the wind up to 90 ° can be tilted, so that the animal is lying on the side. There are individually fixed so that they are treatable at a comfortable working height of all four claws.

Transportable claw stands in the form of a trailer can be transported by a car or a tractor and thus used in various places.