[Julesscott1]

Hello again, can anyone recommend a small sheep handling system I could buy? I’m based in Angus, Scotland. Thanks

[Buttermilk]

Lots of hurdles.  A shedding gate is useful but small scale handling needs hurdles.

[Marches Farmer]

We looked at all those available at the National Sheep Association show one year and chose Modulamb.  Their representative came in and designed what we wanted to exactly fit the space in our lambing shed.  It has a collecting pen, smaller pen, then trombone-shaped pen with a forcing gate, narrow curved passage, guillotine gate, race, WM Ironworks turnover crate and two-way shedding gate.  It was expensive but at the end of the first year we chorused that it was worth every penny, in time saved and reduction of stress for both us and the sheep.  We ran the sheep through it a couple of times without doing anything to them at first, so they got the idea that it wasn't a scary place.

[Womble]

Hi Jules, does it have to be mobile?

If not, this thread has some photos and plans for the one we had made when we were getting our fences re-done. The best thing about it is the internal 10' gate, which functions in much the same way as MF's trombone / forcing gate. Animals can then be fairly easily moved into the small square pen for treatment.



The worst thing about it is not having an actual race (I'd really like one of those, and may well install one soon in place of 16' gate on the right hand side).

The other thing that didn't work well was the stones.......



We got them basically for free (long story), but they were too big, and the ewes didn't like walking over them, particularly if they ever had sore feet.... and of course that's exactly when you want to catch them!  So, I dug them out last year and put them in the bottom of a soakaway, but then I made the mistake of putting in 10mm gravel instead. In hindsight, that wasfar too small, and can get wedged between clees or in hoof pockets. We also put a load on our drive, and are forever walking it into the house. I sometimes wonder if my sole function in life is to act as a warning to others, you know  .

[Julesscott1]

Brilliant and thanks Womble, no I guess it doesn’t need to be mobile to be honest. Will check out all responses, THANK you so much to you all

[henchard]

I previously posted this on an old thread but here it is again.

Mine is pretty simple (not the best photo). Easily built when I fenced the field; just had to knock some extra posts in.

The gate that is closed also closes against a post to the left (off screen in the first photo) that has a fence that forms a 'funnel'. The sheep are driven down this and turn into the holding pen. The gate is closed behind as in the photo.

There is a small forcing gate that leads into a narrowing race (built with rails) that turns the sheep back into the race against the container. The space between the holding pen and the race is a clean area to work in. Costs; some posts, some fence rails, some sheep wire, two gates and an old S/H race. Has made life much simpler

[crobertson]

I've not long brought a bateman economy race, with a few hurdles it'll do the job for our bunch.

[Marches Farmer]

Our old sheep handling area had flat, rounded edge stones about 5-6 cm long.  These seem to work very well.