Temporary run-in/shelter?

[Beekissed]

Here are a few pics I took of a temporary run-in I constructed for the sheeples for the winter. I already had the cattle panels, T posts and cargo netting but just bought a few tarps, zipties and nylon rope.

The whole thing is held together with zipties and the nylon rope is merely to keep the tarp from flapping in the wind....seems sheeple don't like that.

It took about an hour to make the whole thing and we've had some very severe winds since then...this thing doesn't even move!

I had originally used the cattle panels to build a tunnel/hallway between two winter pens to allow for more space in the winter but I thought "why not hoop a few over it, tarp it and provide an extra dry lounging area as well?"

The sheep LOVE it! It would be great for winter and summer months if it were needed.

Easy setup, easy breakdown, sturdy and reusable
materials.....LOVE zipties, BTW!

 

[warthog]

That is fantastic, just shows what a bit of thought and imagination can do.

Well done, I love it.

 

[Beekissed]

It ain't pretty, but it gets the job done! That describes my entire setup on this land.....

 

[Beekissed]

Anyone else have ideas for temporary solutions to the problems of shelter for backyard herds?

 

[freemotion]

I made one similar to yours only it is also a chicken tractor, and has a frame of 2x4's that the cattle panels are stapled to, so it is just the hoop part on the ground. It is sheltering meat chickens right now in one of my big fenced gardens within the pasture. I plan on possibly using it as a weaning shelter next spring if I don't sell all the goat kids or if I decide to grow any out for meat myself. (Unlikely this year, the goats are still very much pets here.) I still need to put panels on the back and for chickens I will put a panel on the front with a door.

I also have that little pig ark that my dad made this spring...not really temporary, but sort of....it has no foundation, being build on pallets with only five sheets of wood siding and a few 2x4's. It would also be ideal as a weaning house, a buck house, an isolation house....so many uses. It could be build on skids and dragged with a tractor if it needed to be moved.

 

[ksalvagno]

Looks great! Nice job!

 

[Bossroo]

I see 2 sheep next to your structure... where is a sheeple ??? I have never heard of one much less seen one. Is it some cross of a sheep and human creature from Greek mythology like a human front end and a horse back end ???

 

[goodhors]

That is a VERY nice little shelter, looks easy enough to make once you see it!! I will keep it in mind for another time, when I might need some cover for an animal.

I was looking at small barns, sheds, for the Dexter heifer in winter and next spring calving. We sold her so I didn't end up getting anything. But the ideas and ease of construction shown here, would certainly work just fine for what I wanted for her.

Thanks for sharing your creativity with us!!

 

[animalfarm]

I did a similar thing for my 2 pigs. I used 4"x4" pig panels to make the hoop (used tent stakes to hold them in place) Then I covered it with heavy duty clear plastic on 3 sides and used old round bales around the outside to pin the plastic down to the ground. I wrapped chicken wire around the bales to prevent the pigs from eating the hay and voila, they have a green house to live in for the winter. Built it next to the manure pile and made a temp. electric fence around the works so they also have a heated hill to sleep on outside on nicer days. Won't have to clean the pig area in the spring since they are pooping on the edges of the manure pile. The whole set up can disappear as easily as it arrived.

 

[Beekissed]

I like that feature the best....that I can break it down like a shotgun and resume using the panels for fencing in the spring.

see 2 sheep next to your structure... where is a sheeple ??? I have never heard of one much less seen one. Is it some cross of a sheep and human creature from Greek mythology like a human front end and a horse back end ???

Sheeple is a derogatory term referring to those humans that follow the herd, no matter what.

I use it to refer to my sheep/people...those few sheep that you see standing there and another that you can't....that act like they are people merely posing as sheep at this time.

These sheep attended a funeral the other day of one of my old LGDs...they walked to the graveside in a stately, solemn manner, paid their respects to my other dog by touching his nose, each sheep one at a time, bowed their heads for a little while and then just quietly moved away.

It was quite comical....we often refer to them as The Sheep Mafia also....they police the yard and gang up on anybody with food in their hands.

Sometimes they seem quite human....hence "sheeple".