# How should I setup this sheep pen?



## bocephus

I currently have a 20x30' pen in my barn. At the very least I'd like to build a tight pen but would also take suggestions on how to set it up for other uses like lambing and what not. Right now I'm focusing on the tight pen so I can get them set up with vaccinations and worming.

Below are two pictures of part of the pen area. To the left leads to the pasture, to the right is storage, tractor parking, etc.. To make this easier I'll refer to the 3 beams from left to right as beams 1,2 and 3. So the black water bucket is between beams 1 and 2, beam 3 has a chain hanging on it.

I'd like to make a 10x10 pen on that side of the barn. I was thinking of running more 2x4s from beam 2 to the wall like I've done at beam 3. At first I was thinking of attaching a metal tube gate to beam 2 that I could swing back and forth and close either side. Another option I considered was to attach the gate to beam 3. Most of the time I could just have it pushed up against the gate that leads to the storage area. Then if I wanted to I could push the sheep into the 10x10 area and close it behind them.

Thoughts on this, any other options I should consider?


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## BrownSheep

First off you need to get rid of those turkeys. I'ld be happy to take them off your hands. You're pen size seem a little large for lambing pens but a good size for just a holding/sorting area. You'll want to make certain the 2x4s are close enough togeather to prevent any frenzied sheep from escaping. How you have that first one set up looks great. If you do end up using it for a lambing pen I might add a board towards the bottom as it looks like it would be easy for a lamb to wander off through there.  The gate placement will be the trickiest part in placement but what you described sounds good. Good luck!


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## Bossroo

You will be much better off building a chute  along a wall to work/ sort  / vaccinate/ worming, etc. the sheep.  The 10 x10 pen will be just fine for lambing out 1 ewe. You will want to build 2 lamb jugs for a ewe + her lamb(s) to house them together for a day or two. I would have as large an area as possible for the sheep to loaf/ sleep, etc. at night/ hot days/ storms.    Google sheep chute, lamb jug, for building info tips. Also, are the dividing boards 1 x4s ? If so the sheep will break them in no time. Use 2 x6s. Also the spaces between the boards are way too large the sheep ( as well as lambs) will try to go through them .    If I was you , I would store all metal tools, equipment, tractors, etc.   in another building because amonia from urine and feces will cause them to rust in short order. I would also store hay ( bales stacked with spaces between bales ) in another building or hay shed to minimize the possibility of a spontanous cumbustion fire.


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## bocephus

I just got started with the turkeys, I bought those a couple weeks ago at that age and a younger group. I'm hoping they cut down on my tick population, I'm sick of picking ticks off of my sheep. Biggest problem so far is that they poop all over barn. 

Those are 2x4's I put the lowest board just off the ground and then 6" spacing between the rest. I did some research before even doing that and nothing specifically told me what spacing I needed but it seemed like 6" was referenced a couple of times. So I went with that.

I was actually googling chutes today, maybe I could build one on that wall and have it leave back to the pasture.

If I start with a 10x10 area for now, is that small enough for a vet to be able to grab them? 

I have 6 Katahdins. They came from a flock of 100+ lambs so probably very little human interaction. I've got them to the point where they will follow me around the pasture to see what I am up to. They will certainly follow a feed bucket. One or two will let me scratch them but the others will only accept being touched a little at this point.


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## Bossroo

You will find that the chute will be your most labor saving item especially if you install 2 or 3 small doors at the exit point to sort sheep as they go through.  ( I had 3).  the 6" spacing is just right for sheep to break legs as they crowd at the fence when you are trying to catch one. I prefer 1" spacing and 2" x6" boards as 2 x4s tend to break fairly easily ( especially if they have a knot ) when a sheep hits one head on or several hit it at once.  I would use the 10 x 10 as a lambing pen in inclement weather and double use it as a small pen off one of the chute doors to catch and treat any sheep that needs treatment, or just a holding area for a short time. Enjoy !


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## RemudaOne

Bossroo said:
			
		

> You will find that the chute will be your most labor saving item especially if you install 2 or 3 small doors at the exit point to sort sheep as they go through.  ( I had 3).  the 6" spacing is just right for sheep to break legs as they crowd at the fence when you are trying to catch one. I prefer 1" spacing and 2" x6" boards as 2 x4s tend to break fairly easily ( especially if they have a knot ) when a sheep hits one head on or several hit it at once.  I would use the 10 x 10 as a lambing pen in inclement weather and double use it as a small pen off one of the chute doors to catch and treat any sheep that needs treatment, or just a holding area for a short time. Enjoy !


Excellent advice there!


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## bocephus

Would a vet be able to get a hold of one in a 10x10 pen at this point? They follow me around, 2 will let me pet them but the others will only sniff my hand.


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## SheepGirl

If you're worried about catching a sheep in a 10x10 pen, it will be very difficult because they will run around in circles until they bunch up in a corner or run out of breath. I would get a shepherd's crook--my neighbor had one (before the ram broke it) and it made catching sheep in pens sooo much easier. Especially when there were only a few sheep left in the holding pen during shearing. You just put it in line with the sheep's neck and then when the sheep runs, its neck gets hooked and then you pull the sheep close, hold onto its head/neck/jaw, take the crook off, and then lead the sheep where you want it or you can then handle it where you're at.

P.S. I would make the pen 8' wide or narrower. It will make things a lot easier in addition to having a shepherd's crook.


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## bocephus

I've looked at a bunch of designs and measured my pen. What if I build something like in the design I made below. Red lines are exterior walls, black lines I would make out of wood, blue lines are various gates. Not exactly drawn to scale, just a rough drawing. Each square represents one foot.

I end up with a chute running around the exterior with two pens in the middle.


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## SheepGirl

I think you have a great design so far. I came up with an idea, so maybe it will give you some ideas. I used the same colors as you.





1: Close the gate when all sheep are in the feeding area.
2: This 8' gate is used as a forcing gate to squeeze the sheep into a smaller area.
3: This gate is swingable to move the sheep into the chute.
4: This is a smaller gate that allows you to lock an individual sheep in; you can do individual treatment like vaccinating, worming, etc, or you can send them through the gate into the pen.
5: If the sheep didn't enter the first pen this gate can be opened so they can move on through.
6: Same as #4
7: Same as #5
8: Gate out of chute
9: Gate out of pen
10: Gate out of pen

So someone doesn't have to be at the individual cages, you can set up a rope and pulley system...my neighbor had one in his barn and you just pull the rope and the headgate would lock. I am sure you can design something to work for a gate, too.

eta: You can make gate three come in some so there is more room in the squeeze pen.


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## Bossroo

bocephus said:
			
		

> I've looked at a bunch of designs and measured my pen. What if I build something like in the design I made below. Red lines are exterior walls, black lines I would make out of wood, blue lines are various gates. Not exactly drawn to scale, just a rough drawing. Each square represents one foot.
> 
> I end up with a chute running around the exterior with two pens in the middle.
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/fjSd1.gif


Your funnel shaped crowding area will work much better than the other design as animals do not like to come to a dead end and will balk at  a 90* turn.  I would possibly utilise the dead triangular corners by making them into jugs.  Also I would add an additional "man" gate between the 2 pens at the point of the 2 chute gates ( extend the end board  on the end of each gate sticking "up" to use as a handle)  for better and easier  operation for anyone operating the gates in the chute. I would also include an additional cross gate as a block in the chute for treating/ vaccinating/ etc. at the junction between the two swing gates and " man" gate to the pens.  I would make the chute narrow enough so that sheep couldn't turn around when they come to a halt at the stop gate in the chute. Otherwise one may use expletive deleated language.  Measure the width of one of the larger sheep (Keep in mind that a sheep in  full wool will have a width about 4" larger than a shorn sheep will). If shorn add about 2-3" , if in full wool use that measurement ( one may add 1" but no more). The chute side walls should be about 6" taller that the sheeps' head.  However just a note of caution... the problem that you may run into building the chute as side walls to the pens is the fact that when the sheep are in a pen and one works them or they get spooked, they may jump that short wall and into the chute.  They may get caught on top of that short side, between the side and barn wall, land on their side or back in the chute  and possibly injure themselves.


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## bocephus

Yeah I saw all the designs online call for a 36" tall chute. The other problem there besides sheep jumping the chute is my pen walls would also have to be 36" tall. I could make a couple of the walls taller but anything along the chute side would be short. Maybe I could throw up some cattle panels when the chute isn't in use?

I am disappointed with the waste of space the angled corners create. I figure the one on the right I could use for feed storage or something. A man gate along the top would be a good idea. Otherwise I'd have to walk all the way around to the next chute gate.

I think most of the plans I saw call for a 16-20" wide chute.

As far as them getting used to the chute I read a tip saying to have them go through it with a food reward. With how mine have responded to sheep feed as a treat I think this would work pretty well. For a few days I get them to run through it through various gates with a bucket of feed at the end.

Here's some of the online stuff I've been looking at.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/sheep - Probably the best I've found so far, older but I bet they handled their sheep just fine in the 50's.

http://www.blackbellysheep.org/articles/pens.htm

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/02-057.htm

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/25/01/2011/125212/Handle-with-care.htm

Here's an updated plan. The non angled blue lines are chute dividers. I moved the 2nd pen door further away from the first to allow more space for dividing them. I thought instead of having 2 large pens I could make 4 lambing size pens. If I want to go real crazy I thought I could double door the lower pen and use it as 2 5x6 pens or 1 5x12 pen.


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## Bossroo

Now you are starting to cook with gas !  I would make more of a funnel shape at the entrance to the chute (in the crowding area) by moving the corner wall at the chute side closer to the chute entrance ( steeper angle) otherwise, the sheep will tend to circle back on you . Also raise the height of those 2 corner walls quite a bit ( about 5')  to prevent the sheep to try to jump into those corners.  I would definately add the small "man" gate at the dividing wall of the 2 pens and chute to save you running around or jumping over that wall so that you could handle the chute gates between the pens.  You could cut down the cattle panels then attach them hinge style to the top of the chute... raise them up when the chute is not in use.  Lower them down along the chute sides when the chute is in use.  I would make the pen walls about 5' tall , otherwise when sheep are worked in such close qaurters they will jump those 36" walls in short order (@#%^&*).  No need to train sheep with a grain bucket... I ran hundreds of sheep straight from the truck from the range through chutes without any problems whatsoever.


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## bocephus

So at the entrance there's a left angled wall near the C in crowding. You're saying to angle that more towards the C or to move the right side angled wall so it angled tighter to the entrance?


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## Bossroo

Move it  toward the "C" very close to the short gate at the chute.   Think "funnel" !


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## Southdown

I am also looking for basic sheep pen designs.  We have the barn built and a loft.  Now we are ready to build the main pens.


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## Bo Peep Soays

bocephus said:


> Would a vet be able to get a hold of one in a 10x10 pen at this point? They follow me around, 2 will let me pet them but the others will only sniff my hand.


For catching our sheep, we use fencing that is like netting (fromPremier1) and slowly make it smaller, getting them into a corner. Then just grab them.


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