Pasture, Fences, and Facilities - Raising Sheep - page 122

Corners and Ends
With the exception of really small enclosures, all permanent fences need to
be constructed with well-braced and sturdy corners and ends. A good corner
or end post is made with a wooden post that is at least 6 inches (15 cm) in
diameter and braced by another wooden post that is at least 4 inches (10
cm) in diameter. For small enclosures, you can get away with unbraced 4- to
6-inch posts, as long as they're deeply buried. Small enclosures can also be
constructed with just T-posts, and T-posts make good corners and ends for
temporary fences.
Facilities
There are things that you've got to have to call yourself a shepherd: you, your
sheep, some land, and some fences. Everything else — buildings, handling sys-
tems, farm equipment, and all the other odds and ends you think you might
need to raise sheep — can be done without! That's right — you don't have to
have a single building, you can get by without any handling structures, and
you don't need a whole bunch of fancy equipment. Don't get me wrong —
some facilities can make life easier for you and the sheep, and others become
absolute necessities if you choose an intensive management approach, like
winter lambing. But if your heart's set on sheep, you can have them without
having to spend a small fortune on fancy facilities.
NATURAL BEHAVIOR AND THE DESIGN
OF HANDLING FACILITIES
Considering a sheep's natural behavior will aid you in designing
good handling facilities. The following list of principles is supplied
by the American Sheep Industry Association's Sheep Production
Handbook (Englewood, CO: ASIA, 1996, p. 212):
■ Sheep move toward other sheep and follow one another.
■ Sheep prefer to move uphill and toward open spaces.
■ Sheep move away from buildings.
■ Sheep move better around slight corners or curves where they
cannot see what lies ahead.
■ Sheep move away from things that frighten them.
■ Sheep have legs and move themselves around.
■ Sheep do all these things instinctively.