Sheep crushes go head-to-head in on-farm test

The time of year is here for ewe maintenance post lambing and many farmers will be looking to dag sheep ahead of shearing. 

To save you the hard work we put four popular sheep turnover crushes to the test to see which one fared best. 

See also: Read which sheep crush came out on top

We also threw in a wild card in the form of the Combi Clamp to spice things up a bit.

To get to the bottom of the crushes’ merits we put 20 ewes through each one and completed some basic sheep work, which varied from dagging to foot-trimming.

How we scored each crush

Good or more

Ease of use The apparatus was simple to use and yoke/door and cradle levers worked well.

Loading At least 50% of the sheep loaded first time, without assistance.

Hold At least half of the animals didn’t struggle, allowing work to be completed without stopping.

Exit At least 50% of the sheep exited first time, without assistance.

Versatility At least three of the jobs identified could be carried out safely using the equipment.

Bad or less

Ease of use The apparatus was difficult or complicated to use and yoke/door and cradle levers didn’t work particularly well or were located in awkward positions.

Loading Fewer than 50% of the sheep loaded first time and required assistance.

Hold More than half of the animals had a struggling episode once in the equipment, forcing work to be stopped.

Exit Fewer than 50% of the sheep exited first time, without assistance.

Versatility Only one or two jobs could be carried out safely using the piece of equipment.