Movable Pens

[Elyse Nicholson]

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

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I'm so glad you posted this. I'm always telling people to ask you about your movable pens!

[Elyse Nicholson]

Yeah, I lot of people tell me they were referred to me by you! Thought I'd make the process eaiser!! :)

[Jan]

I started out using your wonderful movable pen idea but our land is not level and at 67 it became too much of a chore. So now we just have a large outside fenced in area and bring them daily browse from the tree tops of husband's winter wood cutting operation.

[Elyse Nicholson]

It doesn't work for everyone. But for some, it's a good starting option!

[S. Rhoades]

I have also used this idea and it works really well for me! This is the closest I can get to pasture rotation. I let the goats feed for a day or two, then go to a corner and drag it a few feet and pesto new food. When they have finished in that area, my husband and I move two panels at a time to a new place in the yard. We only have two goats at this time though with more it might not work so easily.

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

This is similar to my set up!

[Elyse Nicholson]

Very ingenious!!! Love it!

Rachel Whetzel said:

This is similar to my set up!

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

WorkingGoats4 said:

Very ingenious!!! Love it!

Rachel Whetzel said:

This is similar to my set up!

Thanks!! I've since used a heavy duty tarp to make the "roof" over the tractor (used to be a chicken tractor, but I took out all the perches)

[Michael McBride]

really awesome!  I think my wife will appreciate this idea so we don't "mess" up the look on the side of our yard.

[Margaret Langley]

Oh my goodness, how creative you folks are. I thought ya'll would think I was crazy. I see now ya'll would like what I did, so I have to get some pics but because I read about putting holes in the ground, dropping in corn and letting the pig till the garden, I just had to try it and show hubby that even my pet hoggy could work. So I proceeded to put up pens, fill them with my goaties as they arrived and we are constantly adding more pens, we rotate them over to the next pen and my drive an iron poll into the ground about every foot and drops in corn,"BIG PIG" is put in and does her thing, it it HILARIOUS, you go to bed and wake up and it looks like a storm took place underground. it also gets fertilized, we move again and hubby plants veggies. WAALAA!!! Now we have a gerowing garden too!

[Tiffany Even]

Wow great idea i needs to buy some short panels and try this ive got a big potion of yard that i mow and try to let the goats have first dibs at it. Right know i use 2 small hog panels and a puppy play pen thing hooked together.  only 3 goats is what i can get in there. 

[Ruth Goode]

I am considering splitting a 12X 24 horse stall into 2 kidding pens.  I am looking at the panels in the "CAPRINE SUPPLY" 2012 catalog on page 61  item #sy568-60.   Have any of you purchased these ?  If so, are you happy w/the quality?  Do you have other suggestions for good temporay, sturdy   (I have nigerians and  2 BIG  Nubians).