Shelters & Construction

Lots of folks have written asking me about my various shelters. I make lots of things out
of cattle panels because I find them easy to work with. I can cut them to size using bolt
cutters, then I can use a hammer to pound (bend) down any protruding edges. They can be
connected to each other with cable ties, and hinges can be made using cable ties or quick
links. They can be bent into all manner of shapes and covered will all kinds of materials.
I preferred scrounged or recycled materials just to save money, but the options are endless.
Here are some ideas from our building adventures with cattle panels that might inspire you to
create something you've been longing for.




8 x 12 Buck Shelter, open front in the summer, with hay manger and sleeping bench built in
for stability. The Hay Manger cover is hinged onto the hoop using cable ties.



Here you can see how the manger cover slides inside of it, & how we fix the boys up for winter.



We've got a shed with a kidding pen on each side just inside the back of the carport shelter.
The front of the kidding pens is made with goat panel (4" holes) rather than cattle panels.


We used a Dremel tool to cut notches in little feeders so they'd hang on the panels. We also
have brooder lamps wired to the panel, but DO NOT use them unless it is an emergency, for example
we are out there with wet newborns on a cold, cold night, or if we have a chilled kid. We like to be
out there if the brooder lamps are on because they can cause a fire.



This is our 2nd kidding pen. It's got 2 hoops made with 2 partial cattle panels and is fully
insulated with foil bubble wrap because it's on the windy side of the shed.



Hinges can be made using cable ties or quick links. If we use cable ties we prefer the black ones
because they don't break down as quick in the sunlight as white ones do. The quick links work best.



On our pens that are made with regular cattle panels we attach chicken wire to the outside using
hog rings. A 2' wide roll of 2" chicken wire works well to cover the lower portion of the cattle panel
to keep the young ones from sneaking out. I'd prefer to use goat panels because they have 4" holes, but
they cost twice as much as cattle panels.

Contact Us:
goats@parhamfarms.com

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