Titty giving Benton (pup) last minute instructions before he goes to his new home : )
"Lorna's Black Sheep" 2008 ewe lambs
Patience-because-she-hasn't-any
Bobby
If I was going to build a barn.... revisited
Sheep Canada Magazine, Winter 2010 Publication
If I was going to build a barn...revisited
Story and photo by Lorna Wall
Editor 's Note: Readers may remember that in the Summer 2010 issue of Sheep Canada, I wrote an article describing the barn I built for my sheep in 2005 and what I would do differently i f I were building it again. I invited readers to write and tell me what they like and what they would change about their own barns. This is a response to that request.
My husband Pete designed and built our barn without any input from me. There was nothing on paper ahead of time - that is not his way, the vision is all in his head!
What he came up with is a 60' x 16' pole shed that can be divided into five 12' sections, with two 12' gates opening onto separate corrals, plus a small opening in the centre of the barn for sheep to go out to a third corral. This opening is also used to funnel animals into the handling chute.
Along one wall is a panel of lambing jugs that are modular and can fold flat against the wall when the barn is being cleaned or they are not needed. There is also a stand-alone headgate box for holding ewes needing persuasion to
feed their own or foster lambs. This is not attached to the barn and can be moved wherever it is needed. We also have a corner with another modular frame for a creep area.
If I could change anything, I would put gates that people could easily step through inside the larger panels. Like many sheep facilities, mine were built by a man who was young at the time and could easily climb over things, but are used by a woman who is not as young as she used to be and often has her hands full of the trappings of the job she needs to do.
The design of our barn works very well for the management of the sheep. The pregnant ewes start off in the north
corral, with access to the birthing/claiming area and lambing jugs at that end of the barn. After tagging and other treatments, the ewes and lambs come out of the jugs into the next 12' x 16' section of the barn, where they are mixed with other new arrivals. A day later, they go into the next section of the barn, which has the small access door they can move through freely to feed, water and lounge in the centre corral.
Ewes that are not expected to lamb right away are held in the south corral, which has its own large shelter. From here they are sorted and passed into the north pen as required.
As lambing progresses, the ewes work their way through the barn, and the dividers in the barn are adjusted in increments of 12' to accommodate the number of ewes and lambs at each stage of the lambing. Before lambing has started, the ewes have access to the entire barn as one pen. Later, when lambing is nearly over, the barn is divided into one pen occupying the centre three-fifths of the barn and open to the center pen, with the remaining two-fifths of the barn occupied by late lambers, or ewe and lamb sets requiring extra attention. Ewes that are not lambing because they are too young, or who have lost their lambs, remain in the south corral, preventing unnecessary crowding in the barn.
This system has worked well for us lambing 200 ewes in a three-week period in February in northern Manitoba. We have also lambed in November and July using this system.
Please note if you need information or require feedback please use the contact page as guest book does not provide your contact information. Thank you.
'He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.' --- Author Unknown
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but if you have a question you want an answer to, you will need to email us at wall2wallsheep@yahoo.ca
Cetyl M We have available Cetyl M for dogs. 360 tab bottles $115.00 including tax. 120 tab bottles $ 45.00 including tax. Kit has had great improvement in her mobility in just 2 weeks of treatment.
We now have available CM Response for people. 120 tab bottles $ 51.97 including tax.
W7 and lambs 2010 prior to weaning.
Katahdin Ewe & lambs
Purina My Puppy Purina My Puppy link: for informative and interesting information on the care and feeding of you dogs or cats. We are proud members of the Purina ProClub.
Face Value: Sheep & Smiles
It seems sheep are discerning eaters?at least when it comes to who serves them. In a 2004 study, researchers at CambridgeUniversity in England gave sheep the choice of two doors to push open to get food. One door depicted a smiling human, the other an angry one. By a vast majority, the sheep chose the door with the smiling face.
please leave a comment in the Guest Book (your address does not show and is not visible to me). If you are looking at building a website like this or have any questions, email me at wall2wallsheep@yahoo.ca
