# Pen - using cattle panels



## HoosierShadow

Hey everyone, while I am thinking about it, I wanted to ask...

I want to build a small pen out of cattle panels and t-posts soon. We're hoping to get 2 fullblood boer doelings soon that would be 8-10 weeks old when we bring them home <the breeders we're looking into are kidding now>.

I'm really not sure how big of an area I should make for them. They'll get alfalfa hay, and grain, etc. <4-H doelings>. The panels are 16' long and I think about 4' tall, and I am sure the t-posts will work okay. 
I could build it up against the main pen fence, to make it bigger.Should I make it 16' wide, 32' long? Would that be big enough?

But... what do you use as a gate? I have a pallet gate on my bucks pen, so maybe I can make one of those.

I dont' think I'd plan to keep any more doelings in with them, just the two. I plan to probably let our does who are getting ready to kid - keep their kids for as long as they want to let them nurse <the 4-H kids that we don't sell anyway>.


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## RPC

Ok so the panels should be 5 feet high just so you know. We use them as our fence in the field, Because I didn't want anything permanent since I will be moving. Make sure to put atleast 3 post per panel or else they are too flimsy. As for the gate since they are so flimsy at 1 corner just use clips to keep it shut. I would say 2 or 3 and you can just open it that way. Just don't put a post on that corner. If you put a pallet you will either have to cut 1 panel, have 2 gates, or have it not even.


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## freedomstarfarm

A few of my pens are cattle panels with t-posts. They work great for grown goats but not kids. Well maybe boer kids would be ok. 
For gates we use the blue heavy duty welded ones from TSC that have 2x4 inch square spacing. I like a 4' wide gate at least to get the wheelbarrow thru. We cement in the round posts that we use for the gate only since that area gets the most use and pressure.


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## Jessica84

The good thing about the cattle panels is........you can always add to it, just dont sink the tpost in to deep. Thats what I have that way when I get more money I can just by more, and, well more goats


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## RPC

Jessica that is how our "field" is. HAHAHA


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## Jessica84

It works! lol and I figure if something ever happens and no more goats I can sell the panels.


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## liz

That size pen should be plenty big enough for 2 doelings, you can add to it as you need to as well. One thing though, the cattle panels have squares that are big enough for a horned goat to get their head through, but if the horns tip out at the ends,. they can't bring their head back through..... I know this from experience


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## J.O.Y. Farm

freedomstarfarm said:


> A few of my pens are cattle panels with t-posts. They work great for grown goats but not kids. Well maybe boer kids would be ok.
> For gates we use the blue heavy duty welded ones from TSC that have 2x4 inch square spacing. I like a 4' wide gate at least to get the wheelbarrow thru. We cement in the round posts that we use for the gate only since that area gets the most use and pressure.


You could always put chicken wire at the botem so kids don't get out.


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## freedomstarfarm

most my pastures and pens are 2x4 welded wire (doesn't last all that long under stress)
or 3x4 woven wire. 
Just the 2 big cattle panel areas are not baby proof.


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## HoosierShadow

Thanks so much you guys! Roger - I'm sure these were 5' LOL they were leaning against the building so I wasn't sure. Do you have any problems with your kids getting out of them? I'm thinking the doelings might be 8-10 weeks, but can't say for certain since we haven't looked at any yet, just getting an idea 

The areas I am considering I need to talk over with my husband first.
But first place could possibly be here:
In our backyard - this corner









going towards the gate









So...what I am thinking is... doing it this way, with the little squares being the gates. I'd have to measure it though as I have no idea how long it is. 









If I make a gate out of pallets, it would make it wider, I don't mind pallet gates, they have always worked well.

Now the only shade they'd have would be a small shelter I'd make for them.
The other option gives them a lot of shade, but what I don't like is it would run up next to field fencing, and the fencing in the pics above are the smaller squares. Plus I can ALWAYS see them if they are in my backyard, we have no windows on the west side of our house where option #2 is at.
We don't really use our back yard, my son has a basketball goal near the pen, but we can always move it to so that's not an issue. We normally turn our girls out in the front or back yard in the nicer weather anyway to let them graze. If they run it down real bad, we can always move the pen...


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## HoosierShadow

J.O.Y. Farm said:


> freedomstarfarm said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few of my pens are cattle panels with t-posts. They work great for grown goats but not kids. Well maybe boer kids would be ok.
> For gates we use the blue heavy duty welded ones from TSC that have 2x4 inch square spacing. I like a 4' wide gate at least to get the wheelbarrow thru. We cement in the round posts that we use for the gate only since that area gets the most use and pressure.
> 
> 
> 
> You could always put chicken wire at the botem so kids don't get out.
Click to expand...

Good idea! We do have chicken wire that we saved.

Is it easy for an 8-10 week old kid to get out of the cattle panels? I really need to get a closer look at the panels. They had the smaller panels laying up next to them so it was hard to see how wide the squares are.

They sell the panels for $25, seemed pretty fair? Of course the biggest issue is getting them here LOL We may have to have them cut in half, I know the guy said they could do that when I asked a while back. Would that affect their durability? I can always find something to connect the ends, that isn't an issue.

Right now it's looking like beginning of March before I can do it, but possibly sooner. I may or may not have a trailer at the time, otherwise I have to tie them to the top of my SUV LOL!!!!


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## Willow

I splurged and bought 1 goat panel [4"X 4" openings]. I cut it into 4 4' sections to make gates [1 piece to make a divider in the stall to make 2 small kidding stalls.] The goat panel is sturdier and makes a stronger gate. I leave a 4' space in one corner for the gate. ...I dont mind that it is not a perfect rectangle with 90 degree angle corners.


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## RPC

I think you should be fine by 10-12 weeks. The kids should be too big to crawl out. I am pretty sure Cindy might be almost too big and she is only like 13 pounds. By 10 weeks they will be 30-40 pounds which is way to big to fit threw those holes. These are what 3 month old kids look like next to cattle panels. 








Sorry about the horrible picture but it was the only one I could find.
There is no way boer kids that age could get out. If for some reason yours are extra small do what I did. I had Joy and Hope in here as her kidding pen first and i took twine and weaved it threw the panel to make smaller square. It may look ghetto but it worked.


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## HoosierShadow

Wow that's great - very clever with the twine and something I'd totally do! <I use twine/rope/etc for EVERYTHING as long as it works that's what matters!>. 
The panels definitely look just fine. I am sure the kids would be plenty big by the time we'd bring them home, so I wouldn't have to worry about them getting out. I'm also thinking about getting one that I can put across the only entrance to the back yard that isn't gated <and run chicken wire across it>, that away if they did get out they can't get out of the back yard.


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## DulmesFamilyBoers

In the area that we live, we can buy hog panels...just like the cattle panels, but the spaces are smaller at the bottom...great for kids. I'm not sure if you can find them quite as tall, but this is what we use.


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## HoosierShadow

That could possibly be the smaller panel I saw, that one was probably 3ft tall, and I'd be worried about them getting out  I don't know of anyone else in town that sells them. The other feed store might, I may have to give them a call and find out.

Willow - that is a very good idea for a gate!


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## RPC

If they have hog panels i am sure they either have or could get cattle panels and the $25 dollars sounds right for a cattle panel. Ours are a little cheaper at 1 store.


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## J.O.Y. Farm

HoosierShadow said:


> J.O.Y. Farm said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> freedomstarfarm said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few of my pens are cattle panels with t-posts. They work great for grown goats but not kids. Well maybe boer kids would be ok.
> For gates we use the blue heavy duty welded ones from TSC that have 2x4 inch square spacing. I like a 4' wide gate at least to get the wheelbarrow thru. We cement in the round posts that we use for the gate only since that area gets the most use and pressure.
> 
> 
> 
> You could always put chicken wire at the botem so kids don't get out.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Good idea! We do have chicken wire that we saved.
> 
> Is it easy for an 8-10 week old kid to get out of the cattle panels? I really need to get a closer look at the panels. They had the smaller panels laying up next to them so it was hard to see how wide the squares are.
> 
> They sell the panels for $25, seemed pretty fair? Of course the biggest issue is getting them here LOL We may have to have them cut in half, I know the guy said they could do that when I asked a while back. Would that affect their durability? I can always find something to connect the ends, that isn't an issue.
> 
> Right now it's looking like beginning of March before I can do it, but possibly sooner. I may or may not have a trailer at the time, otherwise I have to tie them to the top of my SUV LOL!!!!
Click to expand...

I don't think you would have a problem with durabiliy(sp) if you cut them in 1/2 .... I know a breeder that dose.....


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## HoosierShadow

Thanks! That's what I am planning to do, get them cut in half, and use t-posts and pallets. I'll get it done in the next month, no rush, but I have to admit I am anxious to just get it done.


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## Guest

I just bought some cattle panels a while back. They have taken another horizontal wire out and changed the spacing again as well as making the wire itself smaller and now month old kids can still go right through, hog panels are too short but have better spacing. Horse panels are the bomb but who can afford them.


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## HoosierShadow

Thanks. Hopefully the ones we buy the kids can't get out, the ones we're hoping to get would be 8-10 weeks old when we bring them home <fullblood boer does>. 
I found out we have 2 feed stores in town that sell cattle panels and both same price & will cut them for me just call ahead when I am ready so they will be ready for pickup


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## realfarmgirl

Spacing in regular cattle panels will be too big to contain kids - also, if your goats are horned, they can get their heads stuck. Hog panels have good spacing, but they are only 3ft tall, and that is too short for most goats. sheep/goat panels are 4ft tall, and have great spacing, but they are expen$ive! If you use cattle panels, you will have to use some sort of additional blocking to keep those babies in... Good luck!


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## RPC

Trust me 8-10 week old kids will not get out of cattle panels. These are boer goats not miniatures.


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## HoosierShadow

Thanks guys. Yep these are boers, the ones that would be in there would be fullblood doelings <at least that's the plan!>.

My husband wants me to compare pricing and length before we go ahead with this --- he said to check the fencing at Lowes that we have for our buck pen. He thinks it is about the same length and price. He said if that is the case, we'd get a roll of that and t-posts and he'd help me get it set up! 
This fencing is I believe welded fencing, it's 4ft high, and the spacings are 2Wx4L, so nothing is getting in or out including their heads!

I'll update and let you all know what we decide when we do it. I wanted to go and get the roofing to finish our barn this weekend, and possibly go ahead and pick up the fence too if we decide to go that route, but looks like mother nature may have other plans...


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