A Toolbox Full of Topics: Construction and Contracting Blogs

« Back to Home

What to Look For in Wooden Livestock Crates

Posted on

If you've decided to use wooden crates to transport some livestock, then you need to choose the right size and grade of crate. Your crate needs to meet all relevant quality standards.

On top of this, you need to make sure that the crates are as comfortable and safe for your livestock as possible. You want to get them from A to B in one piece and with the least amount stress possible. What kinds of features should you look for in wooden crates that can do this?

Crate Construction Features

Livestock crates need to be sturdy and robust. If one of your animals kicks up a fuss, you want to be sure that they won't also kick their way out of their crate.

It's also important to make sure that the crates have adequate ventilation while making sure that this doesn't affect the safety of the animals inside. So, any areas of ventilation should be big enough to let in enough air but not so big that the animals inside can injure themselves in the area.

For example, if a ventilation gap is big enough for one of your animals to put a leg through, then they may get their leg stuck. They may injure themselves on something outside the crate or when they try to pull the limb back in. This is also likely to frighten the animal.

It's also important that there is nothing inside the crate's construction that the animal might hurt itself on. For example, animals may rub against screws, bolts and brackets. If these have rough edges or aren't fitted closely, then the animal's skin might get cut.

Animal Comfort Features

In addition to keeping your livestock safe in the crate, you want to make them as comfortable as you can. It's worth looking for crates that have effective absorbing floor materials. These materials protect the vehicle in which the crates are transported, and they also give your livestock a safer and more comfortable floor to stand on, especially if the floor has some padding on it.

Standing on a wet or faeces-covered floor for long periods may stress your animals out. Absorbent floors keep things drier and less slippery. Plus, adding cushioned bedding areas may also be useful, especially if your livestock will take a long journey.

To find out more about wooden livestock crates and their features, contact crate manufacturers or suppliers. They can tell you more about the types of crates that might suit your animals.


Share