Your Icelandic Sheep: Lambing: Lambing Jugs

Quick, Easy, Inexpensive Lambing jugs

When we first needed to put together a few jugs, we started out using welded wire panels from Premier…they are very nice and have no sharp edges, are just the right size, but a little too pricey for us. So when we needed more we decided to use welded wire cattle/hog panels. These are 16 foot long panels that come in various heights and can be purchased at the feed store or animal supply dealer.

We chose the ones that are about 3 feet tall, and using a hack saw, cut each panel into 3 pieces. If you saw down through the edge of a row of the rectangular openings, you will have a straight piece of metal sticking out at each row. We put two pieces of the sawn panel together at right angles and bend the straight cut-off ends around ant through the end of the other piece of panel, thus making a hinge. The hinged pieces can be used in a corner, then another set of right angle hinged pieces can go against the wall and attach to the first with twine or wire. A simple tie or a carabineer will hold the “door” closed. If you were looking down at the set up it would look like this with the open side against the wall. | | | | | We nail two 3 foot 1x2’s along the wall with a gap in-between each pair that the panel edge slips into the gap and screw a 4 inch piece of 1x2 near the top and bottom of each pair to act as a toggle to hold the panels in place at the top and bottom. The 1x2’s just remain on the wall until needed.

The cattle/hog panels have sharp points at the cut ends of the welds, unlike the Premier panels. After snagging and tearing the inside leg of my jeans one too many times when climbing over the panel instead of opening the “door”, we took pieces of 1 inch diameter black poly pipe cut to the length of the panel and slit it on one side. It then slides over the top edge of the panel and makes it safer to climb over and safer for the sheep to look over.

I use hanging wooden hay feeders that straddle the panel between two jugs. I tie a water bucket in the corner where the opening for the door is, one that is tall enough to keep lambs from falling in. That makes it easy to remove the bucket without having to lift it over the panel. If a ewe is too interested in what is going on next door, you can tie a piece if cardboard or plywood to the panel to offer more privacy.

The right angle pairs of panels will fold flat for storage or can be use to make catch pens or chutes for handling. They fit in the back of trucks or vans to move sheep and last for years.

How We Use Lambing Jugs

Maintaining your flock's heath is a matter of proper management: The Healthy Flock: Keeping Your Sheep in Top Form

Need the book? We have a list: A Shepherd's Bookshelf: helpful books on sheep

How do you build your flock if your farm budget is a little tight? Time, you'll find, is the friend of a farm on a shoestring. You'd be amazed what a little time can buy you. Let's take a look at a sample farm that wants Icelandic Sheep, but needs time so they can spread the investment out over a period of time. Building a Flock on a Shoestring

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© 2003 by Elaine E.Clark
Frelsi Farm Icelandic Sheep and Icelandic Sheepdogs
www.mainesheepfarm.com