Bull pens? Pictures added page 2

[littlecowfl]

Our breeding program is going the next step and there are times when we want our bull separated with just a buddy. I need ideas for a bull pen. Our bull can climb 'no climb', like most bulls, and laughs at barbed wire. We are not interested in electric. We might use it in the pastures when our son is older, but not now. I was thinking of bull panels ($$) or post and rail. How high would post and rail need to be for a motivated, long-legged, lonely Dexter?

[Cascade Meadows Farm - Kirk]

Why dismiss electric fence so quickly?.... There are some simple, cheap, effective, and very fast approaches with electric. The electric fence for cattle is FAR safer for kids to be around than the electric sockets in your house are, and MUCH safer than an electric lamp in your house. Plus, If you set up the electric the way we do for bulls, the kids won't be anywhere near the electric (unless you let your kids run with the bulls in the bull pen).

We simply put the extra bulls in whatever pasture area we have available with barely adequate and sometimes shabby fences between them and in-heat girls that we don't yet want bred. We put in some step-in plastic posts and unwind some electric polywire string about 2 feet away from the fence, on the bull side of the fence. I don't trust either the shabby fence nor the single electric string alone to separate bulls from in-heat girls, but the combination of the two works 100% of the time for us. This temporary and easily moved setup allows us to constantly be moving animals around to protect the sod, and reduce mud, and to keep animals healthy.

Here's the charger we LOVE because it flashes a voltage number telling us how good our fence charge is working. It has enough strength to do the entire farm even is there is some wet grass touching the string.

www.jefferspet.com/products/range-master-rm-1

We use polywire like this

www.jefferspet.com/products/turbo-wire

We wind the polywire on a reel like this:

www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=22b69256-e5b3-4a98-a840-0589828224fa&gas=polywire%20reel

We use step-in posts like this:

www.jefferspet.com/products/sentinel-tread-in-post


Hope this helps

[littlecowfl]

No electric because of our young son. It's actually dangerous for little kids. My husband's a doctor and I won't win an argument with him over this.

Does anyone have non-electric bull pens?

[zephyrhillsusan]

We don't have a bull pen, and so far our bull has been very respectful of the fences, but he's only 17 months old. We keep at least one pasture between him and anything that isn't bred. So far, so good . . . I guess we'll see . . .

[dexterfarm]

are you sure modern electric fences are dangerous? I have never heard this. I know some of the old ones were dangerous to people and animals because the shock lasted for to long. I have one of the strongest fencers you can get. I have watched many new born 30 lb calf take a 16,000 volt hit. they jump and go on as normal usually hitting it multiple times before they figure it out. I have never seen an ill effects from it.

[kansasdexters]

littlecowfl,

We use 12 ft x 6 ft heavy duty Priefert panels when we need to make a temporary holding pen for bulls or cows. Set up with at least one panel so that it can be opened and closed like a gate, and secured closed with a chain. These panels are very heavy and can be used to make any size enclosure or even a round pen. Priefert also sells walk-through gates. Here is what they look like:

www.priefert.com/products/cattle/panels/premier-panels-and-gates/ppd

We like using these panels, instead of putting in a permanent fence, because as our needs change from season to season, we can easily reconfigure the set-up.


Patti

[legendrockranch]

We use portable panels quite a bit. If you want to make them more secure you can put metal t-posts in the ground and attach the panels to them.
The only downfall to panels is that cattle can turn their head and put it through the bars. We see this quite a bit especially in our working area when they want to get out. It was more worrisome when we had horned cattle. My nightmare scenario was an animal getting it's head stuck and us trying to cut the bars off to free a freaked out animal. Thankfully we never had this happen. If considering panels remember bar spacing.

Barb

[littlecowfl]

Thanks, guys!

[cjsfarm]

We use a lot of permanent pipe corrals to house our bulls. They are located around our corral, calving barn and loafing sheds. they are 54" high and very safe for the bulls.

[arlen]

Nov 9, 2014 18:25:16 GMT -5 littlecowfl said:

No electric because of our young son. It's actually dangerous for little kids.

I guess me and my brothers are lucky to be alive then.

[copperhead]

I just saw the post, We used cattle panels, (like you can get at tractor Supply or any farm store) 16 ft long and put pipe posts every 8 feet and a pipe welded to the top of the post, about 6 inches about the panel. the top pipe is about 5 and a half feet tall. We got used oil field pipe pretty cheap. You want it high enough that he can't get his chin over the top.

[RedRidge]

We have an area we use 10 cattle panels in. I've never had trouble with keeping bulls in but had a 24 month old dexter steer lift the entire thing and get under.

The only thing I've never had a problem with any pressure on with bulls and heifers is poultry electronetting.

I suspect everyone's situation is different... the lay of their land, the temperament of their animals, and the temperment of their children. As my husband said... he and his 6 siblings were told not to touch the electric. Some didn't touch it... some did anyway... But only once. Kids are bright, they won't touch it a second time without holding their brothers hand. LOL

[zephyrhillsusan]

Electric is a whole lot better here in the US than in France where they have 220/240 voltage. My daughter was standing in a puddle at the riding stable once when she accidentally touched an electric wire. It blew her backwards through the air off her feet and left her tingling all over. We use it here, and we keep a very close eye on our grandkids, but it's just solar. The animals respect it, though--although I wouldn't put a heifer or open cow on the other side of it and expect our bull to stay on his side. We're just using it now to divide the winter sacrifice pasture in two for horses and cattle. We also have a small area wired off that I need to finish cleaning up from the demolition of a trailer that used to be there. They don't try to get in it, even with a muck bucket full of debris sitting inside it. Of course, they have everything they need on the outside . . .

[littlecowfl]

We're looking at feedlot panels (5 feet tall) and heavy pipe gates. We don't have access to pipes so they will be nailed into heavy wooden posts. Any ideas on what to top it with? Barbed wire or a wooden board on top?

[dexterfarm]

not sure what feedlot panels are. Are you talking about the heavy welded panels that are semi flexible? If so top with a board to make them ridged. Barb will not help you. No way they are going over a 5 foot but they will push on it.