# Lambing Pens...Ideas and plans.



## ONThorsegirl (Apr 2, 2005)

We are about to build some lambing pens as we need them.

But we don't know what or how to do them? 

We have good size sheep- Suffolks, NCC, and Oxfords. So these lambing pens will be 6' by 4' unless they need to be bigger. 

WE are wondering what materials will work best. At work we sell hog panels. 34" high, 16' long and 2 by 4 squares(rectangles) holes in the wire. Its pretty heavy nice stuff. about $25.00 per panel.

I wonder about these because 34" seems low, anyone else with experience with Lambing pens, how high and How did you build them? Any pictures?

Melissa


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

34 inches will work reasonably well for all but the wildest ones (like your Cheviots perhaps) Nice to be able to step over the pens easily. We always have a few high security pens with 4 foot plus walls. Most of ours use wooden gets on steel frame 1x1 wire mesh panels. Formerly Ikea shelves from the store, we bought used. 4x6 should be fine.


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

We have had jugs made out of hog panels for about 8 years. I've only had one ewe go over, and that was a real stupid, bottle raised, yearling that wanted to be with her people more than with her lamb. She eventually settled down to the mom business and never went over again.


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## ONThorsegirl (Apr 2, 2005)

Well Thats good that you think it might keep them in, Our Cheviots are pretty good, its a couple other ewes I would be worried about, Crazy NCC/Suffolk/Hamp Cross, and a Suffolk/NCC cross. I'm sure we can get something more secure for them. 

Well I guess I will start making out the plans.

Melissa


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## DocM (Oct 18, 2006)

What you're proposing is exactly what I use for lambing and kidding pens, I just zip tie them together in the corners, leave one end open and close with a bungee. It works great. Mine are 6 X 5, most of my girls are big suffolk sized ewes. I haven't had any jumpers among the sheep, I use the taller cattle panels for my goats. I think they're 48" high.


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## ONThorsegirl (Apr 2, 2005)

Do you just take these pens down when you are done or leave them up, I think we will make ours permanent so we will add a frame around the panels, we will use these pens to raise our 4-H lambs in, in the summer.

Melissa


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## SilverVista (Jan 12, 2005)

We use hog panels too. The flock is mostly registered Oxford, and a few registered Border Leicester. 4 x 6 pens for us. Our barn is a work in progress, so we put the pens up and take them down as needed, in a different configuration each year. DD's BF has been raising registered Hamps for over 20 years and says he would never use hog panels because his will try to jump out, and he's had problems with big old ewes getting their heels caught in the top of the fence. He prefers wood pallets that he picks up at a local mill for next-to-free.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

We tear ours down. Think I'll try zip ties this year if i get a chance to pick up enough, it would be faster


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

We use cattle panels, hog panels, sections of chain link, whatever is lying around. We put them up before lambing and take them down afterwards. I don't use bungees anymore to secure them, as I had a ewe push through once and loose an eartag. So now we use a section of chain. 
Also, think about elevating the water buckets to the ewe's nose height. This will hopefully keep them lambs from drowning in them. Flooring should be something easy to clean between ewes.


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

I was thinking wood pallets, too. Cheap or free, depending on where you pick them up. Plus, standing on end, you can slip a flake of hay into them and they double as a feeder.


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

Hubby bought 1/2in black plastic pipe - comes in 100 ft roll - and cuts it the length of the lambing panel. Then he cuts a slit in it, and puts it on the cut edges of the panel. He zip ties them on to secure it. 
Saves on scraped sheep, and ripped clothes. It also is very visible to the sheep, and I'd think it would be a visual barrier to jumpers. 

Lisa at Somerhill
www.somerhillfarm.com


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## Slev (Nov 29, 2003)

for years we just did the all natural thing, at most if they looked weak we'd put the momma & lambs in an old stall in the barn, about 10X10 or so. Last year I was proud, I used the left over 7' pcs of goat panel I had on hand from building my dog pens. Dog pens were 4X8 -worked well with lumber usage too- This year, I bought 5 complete lambing jugs off a neighbor who got out of sheep all together! The brand is Ketchum, the red ones. He is just in the next town so if nothing else, he's convenient!!! I'm looking forward to lambsing this year, already have everything set up, water bucket holders and feeder boxes too! The only problem is i'm looking for 3.5 or 4 gal. buckets, anyone know a source? <I'll post it as a sep. thread>


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## ONThorsegirl (Apr 2, 2005)

We also normally did the normal thing, we brought the "close" looking ewes into the barn in large box stalls 12 by 10 and 10 by 10 stalls and then they lambed there, we did all that needed to be done in the barn and outside they go, and then we did this for each ewe. 

Now that we seem to be having alot more multiples

Out of 23 Ewes and a Quarter were either triplets or the one set of Quads we needed somewhere to keep these little families together, and last year normaly the 3rd lamb never made it. Suffolk moms! So this year we want some lambing pens to set up and use.

Melissa


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I used plywood and made them 4 X 4. By using hinges or "L" brackets, two pieces attached to a corner make a pen. 6 pieces can make three pens if you have a 12 foot wall. Using plywood instead of cattle or hog panels cuts down on drafts a LOT

They are plenty big for my Dorpers and they usually dont stay in there more than 2 days at the most


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

we made gates outa farm cut pople years ago! long as they are kept outa the weather they hold up well, also had some 4x5 pallets that lawn tractors were shipped on (they had 30 of them) made very nice side panels at a very cheap price! nothing beats home grown 1x4 though!


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## kabri (May 14, 2002)

Somerhill said:


> Hubby bought 1/2in black plastic pipe - comes in 100 ft roll - and cuts it the length of the lambing panel. Then he cuts a slit in it, and puts it on the cut edges of the panel. He zip ties them on to secure it.
> Saves on scraped sheep, and ripped clothes. It also is very visible to the sheep, and I'd think it would be a visual barrier to jumpers.
> 
> Lisa at Somerhill
> www.somerhillfarm.com


For years I've saved old hose that's not worth fixing to use for water, cut it the long way, and tie it on the ends of the hog pannels. One year had a newly shorn ewe rip her shoulder open while running by a panel - sometimes we learn the hard way!!!!! 

The shorter hog panels have worked well for us for lambing pens for many years, and yes, we tear them down once lambing is finished!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Sydell sells lots of premade lambing pens. Id probably never buy one , since they are pricey, but looking at the catalog has given me some good ideas on designs. They have a "creep panel" that lets the lambs have a safe area to stay in, and cutouts on the front panel so food and water can be outside the pens but the lambs cant get through them
http://www.sydell.com/


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

I love the ideas for protecting the edges of the panels! I've used good old duct tape in the past but it doesn't last long. I have lots of old hose around, I'll try that. I might test out some old pipe insulation that I have, too. Not only will it prevent the sheep from getting cuts on them but I may get a few less myself.

I keep my pens up all year. They come in handy for treating sick sheep, raising the bottle babies, and assorted other things. Ours are against the barn wall on the back side. The sides are the hog panels that we have slid into fabricated slots on the back wall and wired to T-posts at the front corners. The gates are from the panels, too. We use baling wire as the hinges and they are bungee corded shut. This farm would fall apart if it weren't for bungee cords and bailing wire!


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