[Jacob-list] Shearing Crate/Creepfeeder

[ranchrat at telusplanet.net]

Heel low:

I still happen to feel "young" at day break and 105+ at sunset.  Rich as a 
sultan when watching my Jacobs graze, but poor as a church mouse when I see 
sheep related equipment price tags (electric shears, head gate, carder, 
spinning wheel...dunna lookit the full size loom prices--GACK!).

When my significant other purchased a 31 ton wood splitter (the Alberta Rocky 
Mountains have long, cold winters and an abundance of trees ), I immediately 
lay claim to the plywood bottomed, particle board sided wooden crate it was 
packed up in.  He kinda shuddered and asked me what I wanted it for (I will 
drag home the most incredible *good* finds--I am sure he is packing the junk 
out the back gate faster than I am carting in the new--I say, "Go to the dump 
with one load, return with two!"--needless to say garbage disposal is now 
a "blue" job--sigh!!) and I told him a shearing crate/creepfeeder!  I spent 
this Saturday painting it "Hi Hog" (nfi) green as added insurance he will not 
toss it on me during its off season.  Paint costs money you know--my crate is 
now a "value" added heirloom--snicker!

The crate has three 4x4" skids on the bottom, is 18" deep, 4 feet long and 3 
feet wide.  It is stapled together, but a few well placed nails will ensure it 
stays together for what I need it for.  It is not so heavy I cannot move it 
around and it is narrow enough to fit through most gates.

SHEARING CRATE
First off, it is my "shearing crate."  Being 18 inches deep, I am able to by 
myself (I start shearing in the morning thankfully when I feel invincible!), 
lift a Jacob in fleece right into the crate--yeh, they are SO much lighter 
without their wool (what all 3-4#'s of it??) and each of them floats right out 
of the crate when I am done...  :-/

The crate's height is just imposing enough that my girls will stay inside and 
if they did decide to "leap the gauntlet" they are able to clear it without 
crashing and burning.  These are MY Jacobs so others might not want to test 
this practise if theirs were on the wilder side...you could still use the 
crate, but maybe not step out like I did when I forgot to put the hoof shears 
beside the crate (I said I "feel" young--nothing about my dwindling memory 
capacity).

What I like about using a crate is that all the fleece stays inside the crate 
(mostly!) and if I begin to feel tired (as the day rushes forward), I can stand 
up and stretch my back and the Jacob I am shearing can take a break, stand up 
and have a mouthful of hay!  I can even balance my padded butt on a corner and 
trim hooves.  I sheared two mommas and the lambs were able to wander around 
just outside the crate watching and wondering what kind of funky mohawk mother 
was going to end up with.

I know some use a sheet of plywood to shear sheep on, but not seen any yet with 
plywood sides.  Maybe I can ask my husband to cut and hinge one of the sides 
with a piano hinge and in future years when I can't lift under 100 pounds clear 
of 18", I will be able to walk my Jacobs into their crate and secure the side 
shut.


CREEPFEEDER
The second use I have for this crate is as a creep for my lambs.  The lambs 
were already running around ducking in and out of the crate before I got it 
outfitted as a creep, it was just natural they would take to it.  I turned it 
on its side with the long side horizontal (more stable) and took a portion of a 
hog panel (metal wire/rod livestock panel that has the small spacings that go 
from about 1.5 inches to 8 inches) and used rubber coated wire holders (I think 
the automotive departments carry these...I just stole mine from my husband's 
stock!) and dry wall screws to fasten the panel to the front of the crate.  For 
my crate I used three top and three bottom and can take the panel off very 
quickly to make it back into my shearing crate.  

I wanted a bright, light and airy creep area for the lambs and I could have 
used dog exercise panels (x-pens) but they are not scookum like the hog panels 
and might not stand up to horned ewe encroachment!  The wire spacing is large 
enough I am able to refill the unit easily with lammie foods.  The only problem 
with the hog panels is that no matter how much you grind the wire joints flush, 
they are still kinda sharp on little lambs...so I took a piece of foam pipe 
insulation (cost about 0.59 each) and stuck that over the edge where the lambs 
enter and secured it to the end wire with three tye wraps.  I made the opening 
for the lambs about 8 inches wide...this is ample room for them to skip on thru 
to the tasty eats, but not large enough for the adults (yearlings included!) to 
get inside.  I figure that Jacobs are a more difficult breed to keep out as 
they have that triangular shaped head--no amount of adjusting the spacer bars 
stopped my ewes from compromising my fence hanging creep feeders!  

A two holed green hog feeder (plastic with a gravity fed slot) was used as the 
creep dispensor and it was put at the opposite end of the entrance to the 
creep.  Two more wire holders and a bungy cord secured the feeder to the end 
wall.  So far, eighteen inches gives enough room for two lambs to stand side by 
side and eat creep.  I put a small rubber pan in the middle of the creep with 
alfalfa for nibbling and put down soft hay on the floor.  The lambs "flock" to 
their personal food source and I am very pleased with the whole contraption.  
It is functional, Jacob approved, and takes up a minimal amount of space in my 
barn, resting against where my barn door slides open.  

The biggest plus is that these wooden crates are free for the asking...just hit 
up any of those retailers who bring in large heavy items that require 
assembly...most often they have a floor model all set up in the store and you 
can snag its crate or ask to be put on a "waiting list" to cart their "junk" 
away for them.

Hmmm, at last word...Rick has suddenly decided to "paint" the house wood 
box "Hi Hog" green, so I guess my days of scrounging and improvising are cut 
short...that is until I find another economical ovine use for cast offs...hee 
hee!  Now where's that grey porch paint got to...??

Doggone,

Tara
-- 
     ____(\                Tara Lee Higgins                  /)____ 
    (_____~>        Rat Ranch - An ACD is for LIFE          <~_____) 
   ( ``  ``          ranchrat at telusplanet.net                ``  `` ) 
    \                      Alberta Canada                         / 
     )  http://www.telusplanet.net/public/ranchrat/index.html     (