Farmers and country folks. Whats this thing used for?

Question

so what is the hangy thing and what is it used for?

yes i know wrong catergory - couldnt find farming...

ops the links

http://flickr.com/photos/martini2005/1611324818/

http://flickr.com/photos/martini2005/1611302630/in/photostream/

if you knowthe correct catergory many thanks

Answer 1

This is just a guess:

that is obviously a chute to lead animals through in single file, but at some point the farmer might want to lower a gate.

I'm pretty sure that cannister was a counterweight--weighing the same as the gate, so that raising and lowering the gate would be very easy.

Answer 2

My first thought was that it was a milk pail but I couldn't understand why it was hanging in the air. (For very tall cattle?).
Then I saw the second link and it was over a tiny little chute of some sort...(very small cattle.... ah, yes you are not in Texas... must be sheep!) So I couldn't figure out what the heck it is but now I agree with the rest. Counter weight. I don't ever recall seeing the gates around here with one though. I'll have to check out my neighbors chutes.

Answer 3

I agree with the counterweight/gate/chute people, but it is for something smaller – like sheep. It's a "sheep race."

If you lighten it up considerably, you can see there is a walking surface with "treads" on it to keep their hard hooves from sliding around as they walk. The thing is connected from one field to another and it is set up so that one person would able to raise and lower the chute easily. The single file deal is so the sheep would be easier to count or medicate or wet down for shearing.

It is just used to be sure that someone has seen each individual animal to give innoculations, check for stuff, wash them, shear them. This one looks like it can be raised up on one end as if it could be used to load or off-load sheep in single file, also, so they could be couned before or after a sale. That's what the counterweight is all about.

See about halfway down in these pictures.
http://www.icelandicsheep.com/Shearing%20Days%20Fall%202000.htm

Here's a "sheep race."
See: http://www.iae.co.uk/latestproducts/sheeprace.htm

Check this out. It is remarkably similar, but in mobile form.
http://www.livestockequipment.co.uk/sheep_handling_equipment.htm

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EDIT
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Don't anyone else bother answering anything but sheep chute or sheep race, because that's what it is. Un Doh Nee lives in New Zealand where the men and men and the sheep are scared, so there must be plenty of these around. He just never went out into the country before.

And, this is like those questions where people show us a picture of a bird from Mozambique and assume that since it involved photography, we must know what it is a photograph of... But, I understand your point. Where else could you ask this on Y!A? Apparently, Yahoo! thinks farmers either don't own computers or already know everything and don't have any questions.

Answer 4

I hate to think that it could be for killing cattle, if it's a solid weight that could be released~cattle or pigs even. The fencing is tall and narrow, which would make the animals move forward, unable to turn or change direction.

*shudder*

Let's hope it has a much nicer use.

EDIT: Ooh! I vote for counterweight for the gate! That IS a much nicer use for it!

Answer 5

Looks to me like a milk churn.
Such churns used to be used to transport milk from tthe farm to the dairy. Now it's mostly done in tanker lorries.

Answer 6

Well I guess you have your answers now...

Was there people at the place where you took this photo? If so, why didn't you ask them? I'm sure they could have told you more than you wanted to hear about it. :)

I would love to see more country pictures.....I especially love old country things.....wagon wheels, windmills, tractors, farm equipment, etc..... :)

talk to you later

Answer 7

It looks like a counter weight for a gate for the chute.

Answer 8

It is a counter weight for sure and it is probably full of either dirt or rocks.

Answer 9

To kill really tall cows.