[wildandwooly]

Hello All 

Advice needed please on whether to get wooden or metal sheep hurdles for my paddock area to use when I'm checking sheep feet/giving meds/drenche's etc.....

Wooden hurdles are a lot cheaper but I'm thinking that even tannalised treated timber may warp if left outside ( they would need to be left outside) so wondering if I should just invest in the metal ones....

Any comments/advice gratefully received as I'm no expert on this subject! ( Or many others  )

[Backinwellies]

I'm amazed wooded are cheaper .....  not even sure where you would source wooden ones.

[Womble]

Definitely go for metal unless you're going to make them yourself. We've been here ten years now, and most of the wooden gates etc that I made when we first moved in here now need repair or replacement, whereas the galvanised steel hurdles we bought are still as good as new.

Something to beware of, you definitely want galvanised steel rather than painted. However, the more expensive ones will have been welded up and THEN galvanised as a complete unit, whereas cheaper ones are made from pre-galvanised tube welded together. However, these tend to rust at the welds after a while, and are a false economy IMHO.

Hope that helps!

[Anke]

Glavanised hurdles are much more versatile - you can move them around to where you need them, cart half a dozen or so tied onto a wheelbarrow... wooden ones are quite heavy, esp if wet. But as Womble says, go for quality made ones.


We (well my husband) made a batch of 3ft and 5ft wooden hurdles ourselves, using the template approach from Tim Tyne's sheep book/Country Smallholding articles a few years ago. These are useful for lambing pens, and I also use them in part of my goathouse where I need to change layouts every so often. But I wouldn't want to lugg them round to different fields.

[wildandwooly]

Ok thanks all 
Galvanised ones (the ones you suggest Womble  ) are what I'll invest in. Thank you all for your help and advice 
 

[naturelovingfarmer]

I think what you call hurdles over there are called stock panels here. Wood are very rustic and look cool. And they were cheap until this past year when sawmills shut down at the same time as everybody was building things to stay occupied. But welded tubing is used for the gates or movable ones, while the more permanent ones tend to be made of a thick wire welded together in a grid which is anchored to metal or very large wooden posts. Since you're going the metal route, I'd say the tubing version is the better. It's heavier than the wire, but less chance of a sheep snagging on it.

[wildandwooly]

Yes I agree nlf, wood ones do look better than metal 
It's actually very easy for me to get wooden ones where I live and they're not expensive at all. Very cheap. And I wouldn't have to lug them around different fields in my situation, as the sheep come to the bucket and will happily come to where I need them to be to see to them in the small paddock area where they would be set up. However metal ones will obv last longer and won't be as heavy when wet as Anke pointed out. We get a lot of wet weather where I am and last year it rained for what seemed like most of last year! 

[Womble]

Despite what I said above, we do have a number of wooden hurdles. They don't last that long outdoors, but they're cheap (free), easily replaced and fit together with bailer twine  .





One thing I should have said about the metal hurdles - when you get them, put some tape over the top of any exposed tubes to stop rainwater from getting in. If / when that happens, it significantly increases the weight and will make them last a shorter time.

[harmony]

One of the greatest advantages metal have over wooden is that you can push them into the ground and connect them to each other so you have a more secure pen. You can get them with mesh so lambs can't get through. Well worth the extra money in the long run.

[wildandwooly]

Love your hurdles idea Womble  . I've used those in a number of ways, mostly temporary as in blocking up the odd bit of wall down, duck boards etc etc but never as hurdles 
Good point about the tubes thanks for that I wouldn't have thought of it! And yes another good point Harmony about being able to push them into the ground.
Love this forum what would we do without it? 

[Womble]

Yes, we've been using those wooden hurdles in a variety of temporary situations for the past ten years  .


Being half serious for a moment, if you knock out alternate planks on a pallet, it makes a really good creep gate that lambs can get through, but ewes can't.

[wildandwooly]

Aha!!  You're full of good practical ideas Womble 

[Womble]

Indeed. Some of them even work!

[wildandwooly]

 

[naturelovingfarmer]

With a bit of oil based paint and some hook and loop type hinges you can make an easy gate out of a pallet, as was done here, or you could link a score or more together to make a modular pen.