JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
It came through the winds grand, more "interesting" weather up until Friday, then I think there's another storm forecast for just before Christmas.
A little work done on the sheep tunnel today
- Thread starter JohnGalway
- Start date
Hurdle bunter
Member
- Location
- shropshire
Still in one piece?
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
Sure is
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
Right next step is gutters and netting. Bit of a process as not much wood to work with to catch the water. I'll screw pieces of galvband to the underside of the 4x2 inside the bottom of the plastic. Then with the net rolled up in 2x1's I'll screw that to the underside of the 4x2. The galvband will be bent downwards. The guttering will be half round stuff, screwed (with washers) directly to the 2x1 the net is rolled up on. Then as the guttering won't be level I'll turn up the galvband around the guttering and screw it through the batton trapping the plastic and into the 4x2 behind it. There's a skirt of plastic left to go into the guttering to make sure the water is going where it's supposed to.
Small bits of timber, small screws, sounds worse than it is!
Small bits of timber, small screws, sounds worse than it is!
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
If it is still there after last night you've done well.
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
renewablejohn
Member
- Location
- lancs
Well I lost 3 bays of a 15 bay tunnel but I am not surprised it was scheduled for a recover last year but we decided to replace a younger tunnel instead because it was in worse condition.
Your tunnel looks good @JohnGalway - I too have a tunnel for a small flock, couple of pointers I've found is that: gutters make a huge difference to keeping the inside dry & in my experience the plastic netting for the sides was a total waste of time - literally dropped to bits & the sheep walked thru it! Think it may of been a manufacturing fault but the supplier wasn't interested replaced it with normal sheep netting - much better & if more weather proofing is needed I use a narrow tarpaulin on the outside. If you haven't put the side netting up yet I'd seriously consider using the wire netting to strengthen the plastic
id suggest u put sheepwire on the inside ans the windbreak on the outside to stop the sheep damaging it.
tunnel up here about 4 years now, i raised mine up 5ft first then put the hoops on. it is up on 6x3 rsj, with 9x3 timbers and the posts are matching the sheds beside it, bay for bay like. it has worked well and is catching quite a bit if wind, the only problem i had is the big amount of plastic at the back that is only supported at the bottom of the hoop. i now have a frame like the door side to stop the wind loosening it and causing ti to tear. so in ur site this might help the far gable end, rest of my plastic is grand. it just helps to stop it blwing and slowly weakening where it comes over the hoop and supported at the bottom
tunnel up here about 4 years now, i raised mine up 5ft first then put the hoops on. it is up on 6x3 rsj, with 9x3 timbers and the posts are matching the sheds beside it, bay for bay like. it has worked well and is catching quite a bit if wind, the only problem i had is the big amount of plastic at the back that is only supported at the bottom of the hoop. i now have a frame like the door side to stop the wind loosening it and causing ti to tear. so in ur site this might help the far gable end, rest of my plastic is grand. it just helps to stop it blwing and slowly weakening where it comes over the hoop and supported at the bottom
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
I am dubious about the weather proofing ability of the net alright. I had been thinking, because obviously two wrongs make a right, another layer of netting around the tunnel on the fence I'll put around it may help.
I am going to make pens inside as I will want to split up twins and singles should I get them scanned, also because I won't yet need the full tunnel for what I intend to put in. The pens "should" keep the ewes away from the netting. I will also put up a line of electric fence to keep them off the plastic itself.
@FE35 Would be interested in seeing pic of tarp in action if you happen to have one handy?
@wdah/him Gable ends do require a bit of stiffening up behind the plastic, I have enough 4x2 to run diagonally behind it, and I may put some diagonal battons on the outside to trap the plastic then.
I am going to make pens inside as I will want to split up twins and singles should I get them scanned, also because I won't yet need the full tunnel for what I intend to put in. The pens "should" keep the ewes away from the netting. I will also put up a line of electric fence to keep them off the plastic itself.
@FE35 Would be interested in seeing pic of tarp in action if you happen to have one handy?
@wdah/him Gable ends do require a bit of stiffening up behind the plastic, I have enough 4x2 to run diagonally behind it, and I may put some diagonal battons on the outside to trap the plastic then.
@JohnGalway heres a couple of pics of my tunnel - sorry they arent the best!
I lamb outside but bring them into pens in the tunnel over night as it makes checking easier as i work away from home. I also finish my lambs in it.
Mine was an ex mushroom tunnel, it didnt have the straight sides - so I cut the hoops down in size, then formed the ends 'square' the uprights are 5-6" fence posts driven in to 4' then I bolted lengths of scaffold tube to the posts, with a nut welded to the top of each scaffold tube these become sockets for the hoops which fit within them perfectly, a bolt is then used to tighten the 2 together & allow height adjustment. at the ends I used telegraph poles for the doorways linked with a heavy rail, the plastic then attaches to this as well. The overall size is 22ft wide by 40ft long, with my hoops at 5ft centres it means i can make 5ft by 6ft pens down the sides, the 10ft centre seems a waste, but its plenty of room for the quad & trailer/straw/hay, plus when its bad weather i make this into a big pen for sheep & lambs that have 'mothered up'
It maybe sounds all a bit heath robinson but it works & looks really well -has been up over 5yrs & not moved at all (touch wood!)
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
How's it going, been rough here, bet your looking forward to lambing this year
Mace head is a Meteorological station about 5 miles as the crow flies from it, according to a national radio station it recorded the highest gust from the recent storm of 120kmh. Tunnel is still where I left it, undamaged
I always think back to when I was younger and we had wind speeds measured in MPH (and proper storms), I don't really get worried until the wind is above 80mph which is something around 130kmph I think. It was windy out but not as bad as the official "Red alert" indicated, I was in that zone being on the coast.
Tomorrow, if the weather is half decent I'll be attempting to put on the netting and guttering
Got straw located and have a lad I know sniffing out some wooden pallets as it looks I'll have to buy a full arctic load of straw (about 60 round bales). Hope to sell on a few of them when they arrive to free up some space.
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
Glad all is ok, my brother has two tunnels and has had one for about 15 years and only needed one replacement sheet in that time, look after that straw it will be like gold by the time you get it to your place
I hope to put 40 bales inside, 20 will be on pallets outside covered with tarp. Will get some small bales to put on the top of the stack to encourage run off.
JohnBoy
Member
- Location
- Southern Ireland.
Looking well John
What's your plan for handling the round bales?
What's your plan for handling the round bales?
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
I'll move them around by hand. Dad had them years ago and I never found working with them without machinery a problem. Round bale of hay is entirely another story!
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
I was putting up some of the netting for a while today and I've decided I'll put Yorkshire boarding inside the tunnel. I had thought of putting wooden penning inside the netting but that will encourage sheep to stand up on the horizontal boards and make it easier for them to reach the plastic. I figure the YB will both help make it harder for rain to come in, protect the net from the sheep, and give it's vertical give the ewes no help in reaching the plastic.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
- Location
- Near Colchester
I have never had a sheep eat any of the tensar type windbreaker, rats do though.
It is surprising how high a sheep can reach without a handy step, we have several trees that have nothing under 5 feet.
Vertical a good idea, they are quite good at breaking their legs if they get their feet through.
When are the sheep making the grand entrance?
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
The majority of mine are horned, so that's more my concern regarding the netting. As for the cover itself I've heard of them licking moisture off it, and most things a sheep licks she will want to give her teeth a go on also, so I want to keep them well off the cover.
Lambing proper to begin the last days of March, depends what I decide in the mean time and how the weather behaves itself, how well or not the grass grows. Initial plan was to put in maybe a week before lambing, but I may make that a month yet.
Lambing proper to begin the last days of March, depends what I decide in the mean time and how the weather behaves itself, how well or not the grass grows. Initial plan was to put in maybe a week before lambing, but I may make that a month yet.