Sheep hurdle race

[Loftyrules]

I only have a small number of sheep <20 and have a number of hurdles and want to create a small race for handling work.

I have a hard standing area next to one of their newly fenced fields, so am thinking of using that area and using the fence line as one side of my race with the hurdles on the other side.
The hurdles are the loop and pipe (best description) set up so are ok but not too stable if something pushed against them, I am wanting to try and secure them better, so would I be wise to use angle iron as a post through the loop part (if it fits) or drive in some wooden posts and cable tie the hurdles to the post (a few on the run)

I do have one gated hurdled so access is easy enough but ideally i'd like to add one of those narrow gates to stop them running back, but that's on the shopping list for later.

Any other suggestions gratefully received

 

[Moors Lad]

Have you a trailer you can park along side the hurdles to make your race a bit firmer - it`s amazing what you can do with a bit of baler band! Cable ties ? What are they??? Depends a lot if you want to leave the race set up or just put together for a job . Even a tractor parked in the right place will stop the hurdles moving....

 

[Bury the Trash]

A G. E. Mudge shearing /handling pen would suit you , with some 6 foot steels or a few allys to funnel in ...

 

[TexelBen]

Could you make a race out of post and rail, maybe plyboard to make it "sheeted" cheap and easy to make, then use your hurdles for the forcing pen?

 

[Longlowdog]

Have your local welder make a 6 or 8 pieces of 2'x1''x1'' of square tube with 4'' prongs at either end to fit your hurdles to make a race and invest the remainder in some more hurdles. Then you could afford a shedding gate for the front and an anti-backing fixture to bolt to a hurdle or two.

 

[Loftyrules]

Have your local welder make a 6 or 8 pieces of 2'x1''x1'' of square tube with 4'' prongs at either end to fit your hurdles to make a race and invest the remainder in some more hurdles. Then you could afford a shedding gate for the front and an anti-backing fixture to bolt to a hurdle or two.

Thank you. Think that's the way to go...or post and rail

 

[Al R]

Semi portable sheep handling

Looking at finally buying a little handling system but unsure what best value for money would be. Only have 20 ewes at the moment but scope to accomodate 30-40 would be good. At the moment we just use normal hurdles to pen up ewes and lambs and shed off ewes by catching and posting out of the...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[twizzel]

Have your local welder make a 6 or 8 pieces of 2'x1''x1'' of square tube with 4'' prongs at either end to fit your hurdles to make a race and invest the remainder in some more hurdles. Then you could afford a shedding gate for the front and an anti-backing fixture to bolt to a hurdle or two.

Mr Twizzel started this yesterday morning, just need to make 3 more and get a backing gate and shedding gate and I think it’ll do us just fine

 

[Longlowdog]

@twizzel that's exactly what I was suggesting the O.P did. Cheap and efficient and doesn't cost the earth.

 

[Longlowdog]

Only thing I'd do different in my case is use pinned hurdles with the brackets set in a couple of different positions so I could make back to back pens with the hurdles at lambing time, something you can't neatly do with looped hurdles.

 

[Loftyrules]

Mr Twizzel started this yesterday morning, just need to make 3 more and get a backing gate and shedding gate and I think it’ll do us just fine

Do you have photos of those bottom pieces? Or do you fancy selling some

 

[milkloss]

Just be careful of lambs getting their heads through the bars and a big ewe pushing through

 

[milkloss]

Meant to say..... have seen a bodge before. It involved a length of 4x2 across the bottom and top, 6" nails in the timber used as pins that slipped into the hurdle legs as pins to set the width. 4x2's were tied together top to bottom at either side so they didn't slip out.

 

[twizzel]

Just be careful of lambs getting their heads through the bars and a big ewe pushing through

Could always sheet them if I find a bit of stock board or similar They would probably run through a bit easier too.

Do you have photos of those bottom pieces? Or do you fancy selling some

I’ll get some pics later, he knocked them together in about half an hour from bits of box section he had lying around... he’s very good at fabrication, made a while cauli rig from scratch once.