Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
length to 15 feet (4.5 m) per hundred animals. Like the forcing pen, chutes
should be solid sided, but a 4-inch (10 cm) gap at the bottom allows air to
circulate through the chute. The sidewalls of chutes can be 3 feet (0.9 m) high
for most sheep, though for especially tall breeds, increasing the height of the
walls slightly may be advisable.
Sorting gates and pens are designed to ease the job of dividing the sheep
into groups. For example, running the fl ock through the system when it's
time to wean the lambs allows quick separation of ewes and lambs. The sort-
ing gates should be lightweight and easy to use but strong enough to stop
oncoming animals. Although gates can be made of wood, wooden gates are
heavier and slower than steel or aluminum gates. The sorting pens can be
constructed like the gathering pen, but internal fences that separate sorting
pens can often be shorter — say, 3 feet (0.9 m) tall, which allows you to cross
between two pens by hopping the fence.
Scales
For larger fl ocks, incorporating a scale into the handling facilities may be
advantageous. Scales allow you to track production, assess feeding programs,
and ensure honesty in transactions. A good scale built for use in a handling
system is expensive, running in the thousands of dollars.
For small fl ocks, lambs can be weighed by making a sling out of plastic or
burlap and using a hanging scale. Though hanging scales are economical, they
are really practical only for weighing younger lambs. Some hanging scales are
capable of handling the weight of larger animals, but for the shepherd, getting
a full-grown ewe into a sling and then onto the scale is about as easy a job as
Atlas had, lifting the weight of the world. It may be possible, but it's probably
not something you really want to do.
SHRINKAGE
Sheep weigh a little less upon arrival at a sale barn or butcher than
when they were fi rst shipped. This is caused by shrinkage, and the
extent to which shrinkage occurs depends on how far they've been
transported, the weather, general stress, whether feed and water
were readily available, and other similar issues. Shrinkage may be
as high as 10 percent, but it averages about 3 percent.
