Static sheep handling set up

[Jerry]

Im toying with upgrading current static sheep yards as they are pretty much end of life and where they are is a wet spot so currently the holding pens are a bog.

I will leave them in situ as they will be useful at times for smaller groups.

So once I decide on location Im looking for ideas.

Size, need to hold 300 ewe with lambs.

Nice to haves:

Hate stepping over hurdles when working sheep so plenty small gates to move about as required,
Sloped concrete pad for race/footbath and couple holding pens, sloped so easy to wash out or let the rain do the job.
Possibly a roof over the race and handling pens but that could always be added later
Decent length race that can also be used as a run thru foot bath with my digital scales at the end abd shedding pens there. Would like to incorporate my existing stand in footbath/pen as well somehow.
Shedding gate mid way in race be handy at times
Curved forcing pen

Thinking to make it onsite, so for instance the race would be post and rail lined with something like stockboard or tin
Pens near race will be post and rail, lined again if necessary.

Bigger holding pens can be stock wire with rails to beef them up.

Looking for extra inspiration or photos of set ups you have.

Have you built a set up yourself? What would you do different if you were doing it again?

Thinking about using swinging gates in the larger pens to help force up sheep or subdivide bigger pens as required.

 

[Wood field]

Im toying with upgrading current static sheep yards as they are pretty much end of life and where they are is a wet spot so currently the holding pens are a bog.

I will leave them in situ as they will be useful at times for smaller groups.

So once I decide on location Im looking for ideas.

Size, need to hold 300 ewe with lambs.

Nice to haves:

Hate stepping over hurdles when working sheep so plenty small gates to move about as required,
Sloped concrete pad for race/footbath and couple holding pens, sloped so easy to wash out or let the rain do the job.
Possibly a roof over the race and handling pens but that could always be added later
Decent length race that can also be used as a run thru foot bath with my digital scales at the end abd shedding pens there. Would like to incorporate my existing stand in footbath/pen as well somehow.
Shedding gate mid way in race be handy at times
Curved forcing pen

Thinking to make it onsite, so for instance the race would be post and rail lined with something like stockboard or tin
Pens near race will be post and rail, lined again if necessary.

Bigger holding pens can be stock wire with rails to beef them up.

Looking for extra inspiration or photos of set ups you have.

Have you built a set up yourself? What would you do different if you were doing it again?

Thinking about using swinging gates in the larger pens to help force up sheep or subdivide bigger pens as required.

I’ve got as far as concreting a pad and installing a dipping tank. Weather and other jobs has put it back.

Pad is 55’ x 30’ ( an old silage clamp)
Front is made up of 3 x15’ gates on lift out posts . It will be a homemade bugle system, with our existing galvanised race and a 3’ wide working race alongside
Having to work within the confines of what space we have and what we can afford
Working with a mix of plans found online

 

[Blue.]

I’ve got as far as concreting a pad and installing a dipping tank. Weather and other jobs has put it back.

Pad is 55’ x 30’ ( an old silage clamp)
Front is made up of 3 x15’ gates on lift out posts . It will be a homemade bugle system, with our existing galvanised race and a 3’ wide working race alongside
Having to work within the confines of what space we have and what we can afford
Working with a mix of plans found online View attachment 1157160

I’m wanting to do similar but a must is a swing and slide gate on the curved forcing pen,it’s the only bit I’m going to buy.

 

[Wood field]

I’m wanting to do similar but a must is a swing and slide gate on the curved forcing pen,it’s the only bit I’m going to buy.View attachment 1157171

I am making ours , it’s difficult to describe but it’s hopefully going to have a few sliding gates ( especially for the dipping tank)

 

[Hill Ground]

I’m wanting to do similar but a must is a swing and slide gate on the curved forcing pen,it’s the only bit I’m going to buy.View attachment 1157171

We shear for someone with exactly this setup. Works very well, all I'd say is do away with the sliding gates in the lead up pens in favour of ones that swing the whole width, so you can open them all up and jam it full of sheep easily. They don't fill through the slide gates very well imo.

 

[Fendt516profi]

We shear for someone with exactly this setup. Works very well, all I'd say is do away with the sliding gates in the lead up pens in favour of ones that swing the whole width, so you can open them all up and jam it full of sheep easily. They don't fill through the slide gates very well imo.

Replace sliding gates with these https://iae.co.uk/product-agriculture/pair-6-rail-sheep-gates/

 

[yellowbelly]

It will be a homemade bugle system, with our existing galvanised race and a 3’ wide working race alongside

You definitely a space at the side of the race for you to work in, that has no sheep in, so you can get about.
ie,on the lhs of the race in your diagram. You wouldn't be able to 'work it' efficiently from the rhs of the race in your diagram.

Not got a plan of ours but from this pic.....

...the 'green bit' between the race with the clamp in and the pens is where I work. Sheep cross it to get into the pen out of the lh draft gate. Straight on gets to the pen at the front and rh gets to a pens on the rhs (out of pic).
Got some of @Fendt516profi 's gates, too

 

[Jerry]

You definitely a space at the side of the race for you to work in, that has no sheep in, so you can get about.
ie,on the lhs of the race in your diagram. You wouldn't be able to 'work it' efficiently from the rhs of the race in your diagram.

Not got a plan of ours but from this pic.....
View attachment 1162014
...the 'green bit' between the race with the clamp in and the pens is where I work. Sheep cross it to get into the pen out of the lh draft gate. Straight on gets to the pen at the front and rh gets to a pens on the rhs (out of pic).
Got some of @Fendt516profi 's gates, too

What’s on the floor? How is it in winter/wet?

 

[yellowbelly]

What’s on the floor? How is it in winter/wet?

Tarmac planings.

We're on gravel, so drainage is not a problem. We just blind a bit more on top about once a year - did it only last week.

Had 150 hoggs through it this afternoon and it's lovely and dry.

 

[Wood field]

You definitely a space at the side of the race for you to work in, that has no sheep in, so you can get about.
ie,on the lhs of the race in your diagram. You wouldn't be able to 'work it' efficiently from the rhs of the race in your diagram.

Not got a plan of ours but from this pic.....
View attachment 1162014
...the 'green bit' between the race with the clamp in and the pens is where I work. Sheep cross it to get into the pen out of the lh draft gate. Straight on gets to the pen at the front and rh gets to a pens on the rhs (out of pic).
Got some of @Fendt516profi 's gates, too

The diagram is something I found online as a guide, alongside the shedding race I plan on having 3’ wide working race ( I literally get in the working race with the sheep and can fair get through numbers)
The working race acts as a sheep free space when using the shedding race , if that makes sense !
one thing I wish I hadn’t done was to put a round dipping bath in, a long straight bath would probably have been more space efficient and perhaps better ease of use

 

[Fendt516profi]

You definitely a space at the side of the race for you to work in, that has no sheep in, so you can get about.
ie,on the lhs of the race in your diagram. You wouldn't be able to 'work it' efficiently from the rhs of the race in your diagram.

Not got a plan of ours but from this pic.....
View attachment 1162014
...the 'green bit' between the race with the clamp in and the pens is where I work. Sheep cross it to get into the pen out of the lh draft gate. Straight on gets to the pen at the front and rh gets to a pens on the rhs (out of pic).
Got some of @Fendt516profi 's gates, too

Where they come out of the lh draft gate I would have the gate in frame the other way so the gate opens across to the clamp and makes a passage way to the pen.
I have iae coming out next week to look at putting a handling system in on a new block of land. Looking at basing it around this https://iae.co.uk/product-agriculture/sheep-system-c/ with a few hurdles changed a dosing race added bigger drafting pens and a pen to drain sheep after dipper rather than going right into drafting pens straight away.

 

[yellowbelly]

Where they come out of the lh draft gate I would have the gate in frame the other way so the gate opens across to the clamp and makes a passage way to the pen.

I tried it that way but it interferes with the pedal for the clamp.
They usually jump off and go straight into the pen anyway because you're standing on the clamp.

If the pen is starting to get too full, an odd one will maybe try to wander out but by then you've usually got enough space, in one of the holding pens, to open a gate to give them more room.

Most of ours came from IAE. It's well made. Not had to re weld anything and not lost so much as a rivet out of the sheeted hurdles.

I keep meaning to make the race a 'double' one, where it comes out of the forcing pen, to help with the flow to the clamp. It's not a major problem but sometimes hill sheep can be a bit wary.

If you've not seen a double race it's worth watching a video on here from a few years ago put up by @scholland

Edit..

Sheep double race

I saw a sheep double race on Facebook that @NZDan shared it really appealed to be so i bodged one together to try it out, this is a prototype and some day, maybe i will refine it..... It worked really well, rappa kit mostly, iae shedder (hopeless thing anyway) cut up to make the funnel. All...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[Fendt516profi]

I tried it that way but it interferes with the pedal for the clamp.
They usually jump off and go straight into the pen anyway because you're standing on the clamp.

If the pen is starting to get too full, an odd one will maybe try to wander out but by then you've usually got enough space, in one of the holding pens, to open a gate to give them more room.

Most of ours came from IAE. It's well made. Not had to re weld anything and not lost so much as a rivet out of the sheeted hurdles.

I keep meaning to make the race a 'double' one, where it comes out of the forcing pen, to help with the flow to the clamp. It's not a major problem but sometimes hill sheep can be a bit wary.

If you've not seen a double race it's worth watching a video on here from a few years ago put up by @scholland

Edit..

Sheep double race

I saw a sheep double race on Facebook that @NZDan shared it really appealed to be so i bodged one together to try it out, this is a prototype and some day, maybe i will refine it..... It worked really well, rappa kit mostly, iae shedder (hopeless thing anyway) cut up to make the funnel. All...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

Seen one and got two w joining frames made