Calving on most Prairie cow-calf operations runs from January into April, and some of the hardest work comes after the calf is on the ground: catching, holding and processing it, often alone, often at night, with a protective cow close by. Tagging, weighing and treating a newborn safely depends on keeping it still.
This Supplier Spotlight looks at 7-L Livestock Equipment Ltd., a Manitoba company founded by ranchers Wayne and Colleen Gardiner of Lakeland, whose first product was a calf chute Wayne built for his own herd. Contact details and the company’s story are on the 7-L Livestock Equipment listing in the FarmPages directory.
November is the time to sort out calving gear for 2027, so here is what 7-L builds, who it suits and what to ask before buying.
Quick answer: 7-L Livestock Equipment is a Manitoba company founded in 1996 by ranchers Wayne and Colleen Gardiner of Lakeland. It builds the 150S calf chute for calves from newborn to 200 lbs, offered with a scale, and the M350 for calves up to 350 lbs, plus Power Reels, a wire unroller and Pasture Pal carts for temporary electric fence. Contact it through its FarmPages listing.
1 A Rancher’s Fix That Became a Business
According to the company’s website, 7-L Livestock Equipment was founded in 1996 by Wayne and Colleen Gardiner of Lakeland, Manitoba. The FarmPages listing places Lakeland on the west side of Lake Manitoba and says the Gardiners also run 7-L Ranch, a cow-calf and backgrounder operation.
Processing newborn calves on his own, Wayne decided there had to be an easier way to restrain them and built a calf chute for his own use. Other ranchers wanted one. The listing says he built chutes in the evenings while watching cows during calving season, until demand grew into a manufacturing business. Wayne also invented the Power Reel for temporary electric fence, and the company has since added the Pasture Pal fencing cart.
The listing says all 7-L products are ranch-tested extensively before they are offered for sale and carry a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and that product has shipped as far as Japan and Australia. The company’s head office is listed in Brandon.
2 The 7-L Calf Chutes
7-L builds two calf chute models, described by the company as follows.
| Model | Calf size | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| 150S Calf Chute | Newborn to 200 lbs | Safe, one-person handling of newborns; tagging, weighing and processing at calving; offered with a scale |
| M350 Calf Chute | Up to 350 lbs | Secure restraint for bigger calves with, in the company’s words, minimal stress for livestock and operators |
The company lists these key features for its calf chutes:
Side squeeze
Holds the calf securely from the sides instead of a person pinning it down.
Wide open top
Gives easy access to the calf during inoculation.
Swing-open side
Opens for branding.
Adjustable headgate
Adjusts for small and large calves, and the company says the chute integrates easily into existing handling systems.
For the scale model, 7-L publishes a calf chute scale calibration guide on its website. Check it before calving so the weights can be trusted.
3 Where a Calf Chute Fits at Calving
A calf chute does a different job from a squeeze chute. A full-size squeeze chute is built to hold yearlings and cows; a calf chute is sized for newborn and young calves, so one person can tag, weigh and treat without wrestling the calf on the ground. If you also need a chute for the cow herd, our manual vs hydraulic squeeze chute comparison covers the choice.
Tip: Set the calf chute up where you will use it and run a dry test before the first calf arrives: check the headgate adjustment, the scale reading and how you will move calves in and out safely with the cow nearby.
The chute is one item on a longer list. The calving season equipment checklist walks through the gear to have ready before calving starts.
4 Fencing Tools for a Longer Grazing Season
The other half of the 7-L line is about grazing. The company says its products aim to help extend the grazing season, which on the Prairies usually means temporary electric fence moved across swaths, bales or stockpiled grass.
| Product | What it does | Details the company lists |
|---|---|---|
| Power Reel | Builds secure temporary electric fence and rewinds existing wire | Up to 1.5 miles of fence, per the website; fully insulated; smooth electric wire or aircraft cable; optional 12V power head |
| Mini Power Reel | Quick, portable fencing setups | Hand crank and cordless drill adapter; holds up to 1/2 mile of aircraft cable or 1/4 mile of poly wire |
| Pasture Pal (new) | Portable cart for setting up temporary electric fence | Two models; add-on options to customize the cart |
| Wire Unroller | Carries and unrolls fencing wire behind an ATV | Two spools of high tensile or barbed wire; mounts to ATV racks or a 2-inch receiver hitch |
| Galvanized aircraft cable | Wire for temporary fence | 1/16-inch diameter; 3,000 and 5,000 foot spools |
| Bale grazing stick | Fence stick for bale grazing | 5 feet tall with a pigtail at the top |
For energizers, wire choices and cost per mile, see our guide to electric fencing for cattle, then compare cattle fencing suppliers and pasture management suppliers on FarmPages.
5 Who 7-L Equipment Suits
Cow-calf operators calving alone
The 150S chute was built around that exact problem: one person processing newborns safely, with a scale for birth weights.
Operators handling older calves
The M350 takes calves up to 350 lbs, which covers calves that have outgrown the 150S range.
Graziers stretching the season
Power Reels, the Mini Power Reel, the Wire Unroller and the Pasture Pal cart are aimed at putting up and taking down temporary fence quickly.
For chutes, panels, feeders and the rest of the handling system, browse the cattle handling and livestock equipment suppliers listed on FarmPages.
6 Questions to Ask Before You Buy
- Which chute fits your calves: the 150S for newborns to 200 lbs, or the M350 for calves up to 350 lbs?
- Is the scale included with the chute you are quoted, and how is it calibrated?
- How does the chute connect to your existing alley, pen or handling system?
- What does the chute weigh, and how will you move it between the barn and the pasture?
- For the Power Reel: what wire will you run, how long are your fence lines, and is the optional 12V power head worth it for you?
- Which Pasture Pal model fits your ATV or UTV, and which add-ons do you need?
- How does the 100% satisfaction guarantee work, and where do replacement parts come from?
7 Where to Buy and How to Reach 7-L Through FarmPages
7-L sells through select dealers and says it can put buyers in touch with the closest one. Its website names a dozen Manitoba dealers, from Arborg in the Interlake to Boissevain near the U.S. border, and more than a dozen in Saskatchewan. It can also arrange shipping across Canada.
The 7-L Livestock Equipment company profile on FarmPages lists the Brandon head office address, phone number, website and a Contact This Business form that sends your enquiry straight to the company. 7-L is listed under Livestock Equipment & Pasture Management, including Fencing and Pasture Management, so you can compare it with other builders on the livestock equipment suppliers page or narrow the search to livestock equipment suppliers in Manitoba.
7-L Livestock Equipment FAQ
Who founded 7-L Livestock Equipment?
7-L Livestock Equipment was founded in 1996 by Wayne and Colleen Gardiner of Lakeland, Manitoba, according to the company’s website. The Gardiners also run 7-L Ranch, a cow-calf and backgrounder operation. Wayne built the first calf chute for his own use while processing newborn calves alone, and demand from other ranchers turned it into a manufacturing business.
What size calves does a 7-L calf chute handle?
7-L lists two models. The 150S Calf Chute is designed to restrain calves from newborn to 200 lbs and is offered with a scale for weighing at processing. The M350 Calf Chute handles calves up to 350 lbs. Ask a dealer which model suits your calving and processing schedule and how the scale is calibrated.
What is the 7-L Power Reel used for?
The Power Reel builds secure temporary electric fence and rewinds existing wire. According to the company’s website, it handles fence up to 1.5 miles long, works with smooth electric wire or aircraft cable, is fully insulated to prevent grounding and offers an optional 12V power head. A lighter Mini Power Reel suits quick setups.
Where can I buy 7-L Livestock Equipment products?
7-L sells through select dealers, with a dozen listed in Manitoba and more than a dozen in Saskatchewan on its website, and says it can put you in touch with the closest one or arrange shipping across Canada. You can also reach the company through the Contact This Business form on its FarmPages listing.
Supplier Spotlights feature businesses listed in the FarmPages directory. Product details are from the company’s own published information; contact the supplier to confirm specifications and availability.