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Pen for holding/separating/medicating sheep


kelpiegirl
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Hi everyone

Well, now that the sheep have been here, and things are settling in- with some notable issues, which are now getting resolved, I would like to make a strong pen to put the sheep in, should I need to separate out some that will not be worked- that is one of the issues that came up. Now, some of the sheep are very light, and the appearance of a dog makes them, well, hit the fence. So.... I am asking, what have you all found that works both in construction materials, and size, to keep sheep in, and be able to sort them, and work around with room, and strength of construction. I have combo panels, but when delivered the guy had them rolled up, so, they are warped. I have thought about just using the three combo panels and zip ties, and perhaps a post at each corner- the 4th side will be the wooden rail fence. Then of course, I need a gate. Any suggestions? Also, I need to devise a more permanent shed/shade for these guys. The tarp is actually working quite well, but it is ripping, as we have had some big storms. If I had my druthers, I would like just a three sided run in shed, with the front having half of it closed with a panel, and a smallish gate. Something sturdy, that when I didn't need to do much with them, they could get in and feed, and relax in the shade. Or, would they? Would they prefer shade like I have now- just the tarp to lay under? Anyway, I really want to get started on this, if anyone has any photos or ideas, I would be most grateful. Thanks

Julie

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You and I are leap frogging each other in this sheep keeping business.

 

I went down to the co-op and finally just decided for a real pen I need real fence. Paul is out there with the tractor and an auger now. I'm going with wooden corner posts and woven wire horse fence, T posts in the middle for support as necessary. The horse fence is narrow enough gauge they can't get their heads through it and it has the extra added bonus of, "I already own it."

 

I have a few gates lying around with the same price tag :D so I'm reusing them.

 

Mine is going to lie inside a field so I wasn't going to make it a pen for anything other than working dogs in, not for holding sheep or medicating, etc, which need to be closer to the barn and electricity/water.

 

If I were making it a multi-use pen I'd do it differently, but I need a safe place to work Nash on my own ...can you see Mark at his computer laughing right now? :rolleyes: ... so that is this pen's only purpose. That and clock work, etc.

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We use cattle panel on wood and t-posts for our round pen, which is where we often do things that require catching sheep. One thing I'd do differently is use wood all the way around. Now that I've dug quite a few fence post holes by hand and set many more t-posts - and then gone back and replaced the t-posts later with wood anyway - I'm not quite as reluctant to get out there with the post hole digger for just a few posts. The panels are attached with staples, then topped with 1x3s with screws on both sides of the vertical wire of the fencing.

 

I'll admit I'm not sure what combo panel is - sounds like it might be similiar to the cattle panel?

 

You just want something with three sides and a gate, it sounds like. Maybe something 10 X 8 with an eight foot gate making up one side. That wouldn't be too hard to handle for sorting purposes.

 

Lots of people around here raise goats and have little run-in sheds for them - just a one-sided shed with the roof sloping straight back from the front. Sheep really just need a place to shelter from driving rain or sleet, and the sun.

 

Another handy design is the run through shed or pen, which would be enclosed only on parallel sides with gates on two ends. You can also have a gate in the middle to sort right there in the pen. We had something like this back at our old place and left all the materials behind, which I still really regret. Gates aren't cheap.

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The welded wire panels from Premier are my favourite things ever! The 40" x 48" size are easy to move, and can be used for any pen, wherever, whenever. They come in larger sizes, too. I run my sheep on a lot of pasture (100% grass fed) and I need to be able to set up a pen wherever the sheep are grazing. I can hurl the Premier panels and some t-posts in my truck, and we're in business! The panels are well worth the price! My 350 Lb Cotswold ram bashed one of them this week, and the panel is fine... the ram cut his head, however.

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