The present invention provides an improved
head restraint that can be used in conjunction with conventional cattle chutes that are equipped with head gates. It provides the advantages of being humane by causing little or no discomfort to the cattle being restrained. Cattle being treated also tends to remain calm while being restrained utilizing the device of this invention. It offers much easier and faster means for providing care to positions on the head of the animal. Its implementation can accordingly lead to reduction in human labor requirements associated with treating a
herd of cattle and generally leads to savings in medication by virtue of being able to more accurately apply eye drops, ointments, or powdered medications to the eyes of a cow having a very stabilized head as compared to loss of medication when dealing with a struggling animal that is jerking its head around during the procedure. Its use greatly reduces the risk of injury to the animal and the person administering the treatment to the animal. Head restraints of this invention offer the
advantage of being capable of being affixed to existing chutes of differing sizes. This is because the improved head restraints of this invention are expandable to fit directly onto head gates of differing designs and sizes. The present invention more specifically discloses a
head restraint for utilization in conjunction with a cattle chute, said
head restraint being comprised of a lower neck restraint, an upper neck restraint which is mounted to the lower neck restraint, a
nose restraint which is mounted to the lower neck restraint, a first cattle chute attachment adaptor, and a second cattle chute attachment adaptor, wherein the lower neck restraint is comprised of an upper tubular member and a lower tubular member, wherein the first cattle chute attachment adaptor and the second cattle chute attachment adaptor are attached to the lower neck restraint through tubular members that extend into the upper tubular member and the lower tubular member, wherein the upper neck restraint is adapted to swivel into a position forming an
inverted U-shape over the top of the lower neck restraint, and wherein the
nose restraint is adapted to swivel by horizontal motion into a position forming a closed U-shape with the lower neck restraint.