Recently I've been asked a LOT about my movable pens, so I thought I'd start a discussion forum about this and help explain better, that way people have a place to refer to.
First off, here is a picture of my famous fence (thanks to my engineer dad!)
This pen is made of four 16ft cattle panels purchased at Tractor Supply or TSC. We've also gotten some at Farm N Fleet (not sure how popular that store is!). Three corners are wired together with heavyduty wire and the fourth corner acts as a gate. There are two clips, top and bottom, and that keep the pen connected.
For rotation, I usually move the pen far enough so the pen is filled with grass. This will feed four goats for a while and if not, they usually stick their heads out the holes and either eat or move the fence. The pen is light and easy to move daily but requires a group to move it a long distance (voice of experince here).
The great thing about the one open end is that you can easily add to the pen to make something bigger. Check out this hill picture below!
You can add panels and surround a weed hill and you've got an instant pen that'll feed your goats for days! When you're done, simply unwire or unclip, and pull you four panels away! It's that simple!
The panels easily "fold" for winter storage. You just fold them into each and you have a pile of four panels, in the length of one. Use a tractor/mower/truck/group of friends, to move this to a convient place and you're ready for winter time! And then you can do this!
Hope this helps!
WG4
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At long last a photo of my shelter in the corner of the pen - its just a few sacks sewn together, tied on one side and tied with "ribbons" on the other side so that when I move the pens I can untie and re-tie them pretty quickly. Its great for sun shade - provides some shade without the goats jumping on it, but its not good enough for rain - this is my rain shelter, also moveable:
It has a zinc roof and a wooden frame. There were no sides on it so again I sewed some sacks together. When its sunny the goats don't go under it together, they tend to push each other out. But in a rain storm they make room for one another!
Love those Katherine! Congratulations on a job well done.
I am glad this thread has revived again. I read it from the beginning and was reminded of things I forgot, like the PVC, chain and clip corner fastener.
I also read something I posted when I must have been really spaced out - probably watching television while typing. I said I paid $80 for cattle panels - well, I did but it was for FOUR not each. I cannot believe I typed that.
Word of caution. When I extended my pen on the north side of my garage, I used a cattle panel to go ten feet between the chain-link exterior fence and my garage. I fastened it to the fence with zip ties. This was two years ago, or maybe two and a half. I discovered quite by accident, zip ties are *not* a good idea except temporary. There is a rose bush just outside that panel next to the fence and the goats were pushing on the panel to get rose bush munches. The zip ties had failed, undoubtedly due to weathering. It was just a few more pushes from my goats getting out of the yard and visiting the neighborhood without me! Thankfully, there is also a pile of fir boughs just inside that they were more interested in munching (easier pickings). I am going to be extending that even farther with more chain link fence (thank you Habitat for Humanity's Restore) and replaced the zip ties with good ol' baling twine for the next couple of weeks until the chain link extension is installed.
I doubt there is a fine for having stray goats in town but I sure don't want to get one started - and with the number of rhodies around with this being western Washington, cars would be the least of my concern. I would not like having to license my goats like dogs and cats.<g>
I love it! Well done!
Very nice, Katharine!
Well, that's not one I made, but something like it. I think with the woven 2x4 in by 4 foot fencing, stapled to a wooden frame, and it would easy to move. Maybe some sort of hinge/locking system to join them together. They'd stand on their own, and be pretty sturdy. I'd probably build some sort of system for securing the corners into the ground, and make one of the panels into a gate. I hope I'm explaining it well... because I can't find any images of something like it with all the keywords I could think of to try and google it!
That looks great!
Not sure why, but I couldn't load a pic to my reply above.
As for moveable pens, I have been thinking about making movable panels with wooden frames using 2x4 inch by 4 tall woven "no climb" fencing. Something like this:
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/451/868/904/904868451_022.jpg
Only with home made wooden frames.
I dream of moveable pens - but when I priced sturdy ones last week they were too expensive! The ones in the pictures look like they are just wire, and I would be concerned that stormy winds would knock them over? Or, that the goats rub their bodies on them and knock the fences - do people find this happens?
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