A sheep pen is a fenced area where animals can roam freely during the warm season. Beginning livestock breeders think about how to build a corral on their own, what requirements the site must meet, what materials will be needed for construction. The article will cover these issues in detail, and for those who are engaged in animal husbandry in the northern regions, information about the arrangement of the sheepfold will be useful.
Pen for flock
Why is a corral needed?
Regardless of which sheep management system a farmer prefers, livestock will need a paddock. Animals that are constantly in barns gain weight worse and get sick more often, because their metabolism slows down from lack of movement. Even if the sheep fold is equipped with a walking area where the sheep spend most of their time, there is too little space for free movement.
For this reason, most livestock breeders think about building a paddock. In fact, this is a fenced area inside which feeders and drinkers are installed. It may be partially covered with a canopy to protect the animals from the weather, or completely covered with a roof, but in most cases the paddock is an open area. It is designed to keep animals in the warm season.
Attention! In regions where there are no harsh winters, a paddock may well replace a sheepfold.
Site requirements and area calculation
The site selected for the construction of the paddock must meet certain requirements. The main condition is that it must be located on a hill, and not in a lowland. Otherwise, during rains or snowmelt, the water will melt it. What else you need to consider if you decide to build a paddock for sheep:
- The shape of the plot is rectangular or square.
- Soil quality. The land in the selected area must be dense. If the soil is too soft, the limbs of the animals will fall through, which can lead to injury.
- Not far from the future paddock there should be a reservoir from which the sheep will drink.
- On the territory of the future pen, it is worth equipping a well with a pump that would supply drinking water to the drinkers.
- The fence must be strong, because sheep are very strong animals.
- If the corral is located in close proximity to the residential sector, then the fence is made solid: this way the animals will be calmer.
Solid fence in the paddock
Attention! It is unacceptable to water cattle from a reservoir where the water stagnates. This is dangerous for the health of sheep.
Sites located near factories, highways, and animal burial sites are not suitable for the construction of a corral. The selected area should not contain tall buildings or sprawling trees. They prevent the penetration of sunlight.
Before starting construction work, you need to calculate the area of u3bu2bthe future structure. It depends on the number of livestock. If space permits, it is necessary to allocate 5 m2 of free space for each ewe, 2 m2 for one adult ram, and XNUMX mXNUMX for a young individual.
Important! If the farmer is limited in square meters, then you need to follow the rule: each head should have at least 1-1,5 m2 of free space.
Building
At the initial stage of construction, drawings of the future structure are drawn up, noting dimensions and other information on them. It is worth paying a visit to the public utility and finding out if water or gas pipes pass underground at the site of the selected area. Next, the site is freed from trees and stumps, and then leveled. Now you can start marking the area.
Necessary materials
Construction begins with the marking of the site. To do this, you need tools:
- roulette;
- level;
- pegs;
- long lace.
Tool for work
To begin with, we determine the place where the first corner peg will be installed. Then all measurements are made, starting from it. It is necessary to measure, guided by the drawing data, the length and width of the structure. At the intersection of the lines, the remaining 3 pegs are driven in. A string or string is pulled over them.
Important! You need to make sure that the lines are perpendicular to each other, at an angle of 90 degrees.
hedge construction
When the markup is done, you can start making the fence. At this stage of construction, you will need materials and tools:
- shovel or drill;
- timber;
- boards (section 30×150 mm);
- mastic (it is lubricated with part of the support pillars, which will be immersed in the ground);
- concrete;
- nails;
- crushed stone;
- gate hinges.
First you need to decide on the size of the fence. The larger the sheep pen, the higher it should be. The minimum height of the structure is 1 m, and the maximum is 1,4 m. Based on this, the length of the supporting pillars is also selected, but it should be borne in mind that they will be deepened into the ground by 0,5 meters.
First, they dig holes for supports in the corners, and then between them at a distance of 1,5-2 meters. Some crushed stone is poured into them, support pillars are deepened and cemented or poured with concrete. It is important to make sure that they are located strictly in a straight line. Construction is suspended for three days. This time is enough for the solution to solidify.
Next, the fence itself is attached to the pillars. Most households use boards. They are nailed with nails, placed horizontally, leaving a small gap between them (not wider than 30 cm). If the distance between the boards is greater, then there is a chance that the lambs will be able to get out of the corral. Some farmers use metal mesh instead of boards. It is attached to the supporting pillars with a strong wire or self-tapping screws.
At the final stage of the construction of the fence, a gate is installed. They should consist of two wings, the width of which is 1 meter. The gates are hung on hinges that are attached to the supports.
Homemaking
On one side of the corral, a canopy is necessarily built. Its size must be correctly calculated. In case of bad weather, the entire flock should fit in a shelter. It is not necessary to completely cover the pen space with a roof, because the animals need sunlight. The canopy can be made of tarpaulin or the same boards, fixing them on a wooden frame.
On one side of the corral, a canopy must be built
Attention! The structure holding the canopy must be reliable.
Feeders and drinkers are located inside the corral. Farmers often make them with their own hands from wood. Separate feeders are used for different types of food. It is important to give them stability so that the sheep cannot knock them over. To avoid scattering of food, the feeders are equipped with grates through which the sheep stick their heads and eat.
Troughs can be used as drinkers. It should be borne in mind that each sheep drinks about 8 liters of water per day, and in hot weather – up to 10 liters. The farmer must correctly calculate how many drinkers will have to be installed inside the pen.
Sheep fold
In regions where there is a cold winter, in addition to the pen, you also need a barn for sheep or a barn. This is a closed room, equipped according to all the rules:
- the area is calculated based on the number of livestock;
- the room for sheep is equipped with a ventilation system;
- inside should be light (preferably when there are windows);
- for ewes with offspring equip separate stalls;
- in the barn, the temperature in winter should not fall below +6 degrees;
- in compartments for sheep with cubs, the temperature is maintained within + 12 … + 16 degrees.
Attention! For each sheep in the sheepfold, 1,6-2,3 m2 is allocated, for the female – 1-1,5 m2, for the young – 1 m2, and for the ewe with offspring – 1,5-1,7 m2 of free area.
A sheep barn is a place where animals spend the entire deep autumn and winter. To make it easier to maintain cleanliness inside, it is better to make an adobe floor. The height of the room should allow a person to freely enter. The walls are made of any available materials – brick, cinder block or wood. Next to the barn, a walking area with a canopy is equipped. The room for sheep is equipped with drinkers and feeders. They must meet the needs of the entire flock.
Experienced farmers are sure that the farm should have both a paddock for sheep and a koshara. An open area is needed in summer, and a closed and insulated area is needed in winter. If everything is done correctly, the animals will be able to move more, maintain a good appetite, which means they will quickly gain weight. Staying in good conditions, physical activity and fresh air is what the sheep need for health, and the construction costs will pay off over time.
