Sheep handling
Posted: Sunday 22 July, 2012
Although we've had sheep since 2007, we've never had purpose built sheep handling facilities. Any handling has involved Dan sheep-wrestling and sheep-restraining. To be honest, it meant he spent too much time holding sheeps' heads while I jagged, dosed, dagged and trimmed. And I can't afford his hourly rate 
.
So when we sold Longcarse, some sheep handling equipment was high up my wish list. After much deliberation, we've bought an economy sheep race with guillotine gate and two way / stop gate from Penderfeed. The manufacturer is IAE; we have a couple of wheeled sheep hay racks from them and have found them robust, well designed and reasonably priced.
The race was delivered just in time for my birthday 
but it took until yesterday for me to put it up. It took me about 30 minutes - at the end I had a "spare bit" but after using the race, I think it's to stop the race widening at the join. At least that's what I'm using it for.
Our new sheep handling facilities.
We were putting Crovect on the ewes and lambs and it was definitely quicker. It still took two of us because one of us had to stop them crowding up the race and getting the chemical on their faces as the one in front was sprayed. I haven't got the penning right yet either, so can't use the shedding gate (although I did practice putting ewes and lambs out the different sides as they came through). I need to decide what it's permanent position will be first.
I also ordered a crate from Modulam, at the Highland Show. It should come soon, so I want to have a play with that as well before I decide on the siting.
And that's my wee spend. Dan's "spend" was an iPad - bet my sheep race is in use long after his iPad's bitten the dust 
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