# Handling Sheep for Maintenance



## hillbilly123 (Jun 3, 2012)

I have been getting the sheep in the barn and then catching them one by one using a bucket of feed as bait when I need to check them or give meds. They are starting to get the idea of what I am doing, so its not as easy as it was. I don't have a corral / chute system, and frankly don't have the $ to spend on a nice professional one now. How do you guys catch and handle your sheep to do routine checks / meds? I was thinking about building a corral / chute system from cattle panels from TSC, any other idea's or pointers to DIY plans?


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## WV Farm girl (Nov 26, 2011)

Thats what we have. We crowd them into a corner in a roughly 20 x 30 ft pen and have a gate to block them in. Now it does take 2 people to make our setup work though.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

We do things the Belgian way here, meaning the hard way compared to the chutes and sort gate that are stored and more bother to get out and set up. We do use the handling system at shearing time but I hope most of the wool sheep will be gone after this summer. The Katahdins go through the chute too at that time but just get dewormed and vaccinated, no shearing for them.

Having a crowd pen where you can get them packed in fairly tight really helps. You can use a fence panel to make it a variety of sizes. Then you can grab one by the hind leg or neck and back it into a corner to do what is needed. 

You can move the finished ones into another pen or mark the ones that are done with scourable spray paint or chalk sticks. These are made especially for sheep and won't ruin the fleeces. I like to have at least two options for moving them to afterwards, so there is the main pen with the ones left, an area with one group already done (like lambs just weighed and big enough to sell) and another for ones that are done. We have a lot of black and dark brown hair sheep and the paint doesn't show up on them.

We have several colors of the paint: green (for big enough), blue (almost big enough but not quite, meaning wait until next time), red (keep, don't sell), plus orange and black. 

So you have some options without the very handy but expensive fancy handling systems until you can afford one or want to bother.

Our Border Collie Annie helps by bringing the sheep in from the pasture and moving them into the crowd pen. They really respect her. A good dog is worth several helpers.

Peg


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I run them into a stall in the barn. I use a collar and catch them by looping it around their neck then buckle it on and attach a lead. If I walk behind them (rather that trying ot pull them, they go out of the stall easily and I tie them to the stall gate to do what's needed. Most of my sheep aren't really wild. All but 2 I can just walk up to and catch as long as they are in the stall. Most of the work on the sheep I do myself except shearing. I've just learned to do it. If I had more sheep, I'd make some kind of wall beside the barn stall that I could set up or take down. Then, I'd only need to build 1 wall and lessen the expense. 

I'm a bit afraid of a cattle panel to lessen the space. It seems they could catch their leg in it and then injure themselves trying to get away. If you use them, have you had any trouble with that? I can see them for the top half of the containment, but would want something more solid on the bottom if I could.


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

It also helps if you call them up for grain a few times even when you don't need them. I've found sheep are optimists and they tend to remember the few times that they just got grain. 

As for cattle panels I've found that they tend to get bent. they are also floppy and hard to move. I use 8 foot panels made out of 2x4s and I can move them by my self.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Have you heard of a sheep chair? There's a picture of one here Sheep 201: Handling sheep and lambs. But you have to catch them first.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I do everything with just the help of one or two border collies. My handling system is mostly used/recycled materials. I watch craigslist and local auctions for gates and such. The guillotine gates and two way sort gates were made by a friend of mine. I use this system for sorting, vaccinating, deworming, and put on a few stockdog trials every year. In this video it takes a little over 7 minutes to run over 100 sheep through. I do this occasionally to teach the dogs and get the sheep used to the routine. It will take longer when treating the sheep of course. It takes me less than two hours to drench all the sheep myself. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ot018lTxg[/ame]


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## hillbilly123 (Jun 3, 2012)

wendle said:


> I do everything with just the help of one or two border collies. My handling system is mostly used/recycled materials. I watch craigslist and local auctions for gates and such. The guillotine gates and two way sort gates were made by a friend of mine. I use this system for sorting, vaccinating, deworming, and put on a few stockdog trials every year. In this video it takes a little over 7 minutes to run over 100 sheep through. I do this occasionally to teach the dogs and get the sheep used to the routine. It will take longer when treating the sheep of course. It takes me less than two hours to drench all the sheep myself. Bruce work - YouTube


Thats pretty awesome!


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

Oh my gosh Wendle, that is awesome! What a dog! My dogs do everything 100 miles an hour. I really should work on the lay down. I can't wait to build a system like that- very impressive.

But for the poster- make a packed pen. If your barn has dirt floors, put in some wood posts and 2X4s and use that pen for jugs at lambing and as a hospital pen. Small pens are always useful. Every farm needs a run in pen to catch the occasional sheep. use a marker or spray paint. No paint actually lasts very long in the weather.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Hey Kirsten, how's that pup doing?


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

LOL. Haven't left the house between posts here!
But is that the secret to calming dogs working sheep, the lay down?


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Not really, it's more of teaching the dog to settle himself and have a good attitude while working the stock. I also have them stop/down while sheep are going through gates generally to keep the pressure off the sheep, since who likes to be crammed into a gate by a mob. Then they can't be too careful or they will think they can't push when the sheep refuse to go through gates.


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## hillbilly123 (Jun 3, 2012)

I know this is off topic but how do you train your dogs to work with sheep? We have a 5 month old English Shepherd, and he is showing some herding instinct. When I was catching our sheep last night to apply meds for ping eye he pushed all the sheep to me on his own, but he needs to learn some control.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

To get off to a good start I would recommend books and/or videos on stockdog training. Vergil Holland's book is excellent for beginners and includes a section on different breeds. 
Border Collies in Action Gifts for Owners of Herding and Working Dogs - Herding Dogs Progressive Training Book
Here is a good video with diagrams and explanations on starting a stockdog. 
Border Collies in Action Gifts for Owners of Herding and Working Dogs - Starting Your BC on Cattle, Sheep or Ducks
I highly recommend finding a trainer near you to get started besides the book and video. The time and mistakes you will save by having somebody work with you and your dog will be well worth the effort. If your dog's breeder is close they should be able to help you as well. They will be familiar with the ups and downs of that bloodline in training as a stockdog. 
It's so much easier to start your dog on sheep that are used to being moved by a dog too. 
Here is a schedule of trials 
AHBA
List of trainers
AHBA
Not all trainers are created equal, so it's a good idea to visit and watch other dogs in training before starting. It won't hurt your dog to wait until after 8 months to begin training. This will give you plenty of time to get around and watch some other dogs work before training. Hope this helps, and good luck with your new pup!


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## finnsheep (May 23, 2012)

How many sheep do you have?

Sheep aren't dumb, that's for sure. I personally find it easier to get them used to my presence and voice and touch. I have very friendly sheep and some that were so wild I had just about given hope of ever taming them. All of them are easy to handle now, and I can just go in the pasture, walk right up to them, and tip them or do whatever needs to be done. Lambs can be a challenge but all my crazies from this year calmed down and are even docile and friendly.

In my opinion, befriending them really pays off, but it takes time. I have forty head of sheep and goats, they all have names, and most of them will at least respond if I call them individually, though many will actually come. I rarely use grain and treats in taming. They soon learn that good things generally come from me- hay, scratches, relief from pain (such as abscessed foot or piece of hay removed from the cornea) and that I can be trusted.

I've drooled over handling systems but they are way too expensive for the small flock owner. A good dog can work wonders but I personally think that for small flocks, getting them used to you works well. It has for me.


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## jklloyd (Mar 28, 2011)

build a chute out of panels and 1 by sixes about 2 ft apart vertically. Make the chute narrow enough that the sheep cannot turn around easily. pile them together and they become very docile and easy to work.


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## downsized (Aug 28, 2012)

I was recently looking at this site ( The 'U' bugle sheep yard | NSW Department of Primary Industries ) because it gives size recommendations. I was going to build a simple crowd pen / chute system into the corner of a pasture using some lumber from around the farm.


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## Nezill (May 25, 2010)

I put our sheep in a small pen and use my border collie for pressure to keep them in that area. He will just lie there and I can walk around and grab who I want. You can even leave the gate open, he is the movable gate. They make the job so much easier. You can have 5 people in there to help and not be able to do that job sheep run every where. It
only takes me and the dog. I would buy a dog before any handling system. The dog can be used in so many more areas plus they love you.


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