Working with Cattle Panels?

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

The guys at tractor supply will know how to load them into a pickup. They will either do it the way shown in that picture, Or stand it on edge and bring the two ends together and rest set it in the bed. "teardropping it" is what the local tsc guy called it. You can haul up to three this way.

Thanks for the info on "teardropping"...that makes sense.

And yeah, it makes sense that the guy at TS would know how to load them.

I just moved back to the "country" after about 15 years in "the city". I have not yet re-acclimated to the idea of "helpful salespeople".

 

[Original Recipe]

You know, if you go with the sheep/goat panels instead of cattle panels, they are actually 5' wide by 16' and the openings are only 4"x4" rather than 8"x6". Or go with the horse panels (also 5'x16') and the openings are only 2" x 4". Costs a bit more but you gain 10" in width and can skip the hardware cloth saving you $$.

 

[Stoili]

...

Thanks neighbor!

The pickup truck picture confirms what I HOPED might be possible. Did you find you had to tie the panels down, or did they stay in place?

Great looking coop! I *wish* I needed 6'3" of head room, but sadly unless I'm cleaning the coop in a top hat, that would be overkill!
[/quote

They are tied down but not sure if needed to If you don't need the headroom go wider and give more floor space for the birds.

 

[Primo]

I like the horse panels, but the problem is the cost. Here they are $50 a panel vs $20 for the cattle panels. Even with 2x4 openings you still need good chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep coons from reaching in. Either way it's going to cost some. A possum and small raccoons can get through the 4x4 openings of the goat panels and the larger openings of the cattle panels, meaning completely covering with chicken wire or hardware cloth, or spend more on the horse panels and just cover 2 or three feet up off the ground with mesh. six of one or half a dozen of the other as they say.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I like the horse panels, but the problem is the cost. Here they are $50 a panel vs $20 for the cattle panels. Even with 2x4 openings you still need good chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep coons from reaching in. Either way it's going to cost some. A possum and small raccoons can get through the 4x4 openings of the goat panels and the larger openings of the cattle panels, meaning completely covering with chicken wire or hardware cloth, or spend more on the horse panels and just cover 2 or three feet up off the ground with mesh. six of one or half a dozen of the other as they say.

I asked about the horse panels at Tractor Supply today (my 2 year old requests a trip there every other Saturday...the one mommy is working and it's a "guy's day"). The price they quoted me was closer to $90....and they didn't have any in stock.

I'm starting to think you're right...no matter what way you go, there will be a decent cost associated with it. Just need to figure out what's going to be most cost effective, easy to work with, and give me the best setup.

 

[LindaB220]

I like the horse panels, but the problem is the cost. Here they are $50 a panel vs $20 for the cattle panels. Even with 2x4 openings you still need good chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep coons from reaching in. Either way it's going to cost some. A possum and small raccoons can get through the 4x4 openings of the goat panels and the larger openings of the cattle panels, meaning completely covering with chicken wire or hardware cloth, or spend more on the horse panels and just cover 2 or three feet up off the ground with mesh. six of one or half a dozen of the other as they say.

Got it in one. 2' up with hardware cloth and the rest with at least 1" poultry netting. That will work for my deep south weather and the hardware cloth will work for small predators. I'm also going to put 2 x 4" welded fencing down 2' along my coop to deter digging. Cattle panels are 4'x16 and the others are 4'2" x16. Not enough savings for what you have to pay. Good luck

 

[ladyearth]

yeah Linda B
do you mean buried?
I am still trying to eplain to Hubby the cloth needs to be buried down.... Not just folded and put barely under the sod..

Oh also he said it would compromise the T posts already there. I know trenching should have been done first........
Course we two baby boomers have way too much on our plates already
also run is under a tree partially... and top is only cheap 2' opening poultry wire......
Yeah still have unfinished "Fred fine fowl "chicken tractor in garage....... taking up to much room... what a waste of My money and paid someone else Plus Hubbys time.....
Just chiming in

 

[fiddlebanshee]

@ Ladyearth:

You can actually bend it and make it into an apron. I live on a mountain, no way I can dig a foot deep for 16'. So I made a 12" wide apron and have had no problems. The idea is that predators want to dig close the fence and they will hit the HWC. Then they will give up. I put some heavy stones on top and then let nature do the rest by blowing leaves over it.

So I'm with your hubby on this. nothing wrong with the concept.

 

[LindaB220]

yeah Linda B
do you mean buried?
I am still trying to eplain to Hubby the cloth needs to be buried down.... Not just folded and put barely under the sod..

Oh also he said it would compromise the T posts already there. I know trenching should have been done first........
Course we two baby boomers have way too much on our plates already
also run is under a tree partially... and top is only cheap 2' opening poultry wire......
Yeah still have unfinished "Fred fine fowl "chicken tractor in garage....... taking up to much room... what a waste of My money and paid someone else Plus Hubbys time.....
Just chiming in

My clay dirt is so hard I couldn't dig a hole without an auger. Just lay the fencing down (2 x 4 welded wire 2 ft wide) and secure it somehow. Add dirt on top, cement block occasionally etc. . I'm putting a painters heavy duty canvas drop cloth over it and then a dark tarp. (a good one) Hope this helps

 

[debid]

I'll also side with your hubby on the apron. We have boulders with clay between. No way we could dig down for fencing! The apron has dirt over it in places and rocks where the dirt would only wash off the top of the boulders. It's fine! We went with 4' chain link cut in half because that's what we had lying about and attached it to the run with wire so it sticks out 2'. No way anything other than a mole is digging in and we have foxes around.