Animal shelter, wind and shade???

[Sheepwheat]

Quick question for the animal guys on the treeless plains. I am going to a mob grazing scenario this year which means my sheep won’t always have access to the shade of the bush.

What do you do for wind and shade shelter where there are no trees?

Thanks as always.

[Partners]

Seen some tall board fences in the middle of nowhere in cattle land..
No trees in site.

[seldomseen]

A guy here gets big round flax straw bales for around his over wintering honey bees.
Places then two rows high on three sides and leaves the south side open.
I know if you go in with the hives on a cold but sunny winters day it is warm and cozy in there.

[AC man]

A neighbour would bale my flax straw and use it for a cattle wind break. This works good for a few years and then the cattle will start eating it. He would just replace the wind break with fresh flax straw. I am not sure if sheep will eat flax straw.

[Sheepwheat]

Thanks guys. I guess I wasn’t clear enough tho.

I will be moving the sheep daily. The paddocks will be about 1.25 acres each. So I was wondering if the treeless grazers don’t worry about shade much, or storms etc? Maybe they do nothing? I’ll maybe move this to beef section.

[tweaker101]

We use portable pannels with wind break boards... 30' long and 10' tall. When we need to move them just pick it up with the tractor and run with it then pin them back together.. next fall/winter I might be better informed on how they work for sheep as we are planning on getting some this year.

[Rinker]

Thanks guys. I guess I wasn’t clear enough tho.

I will be moving the sheep daily. The paddocks will be about 1.25 acres each. So I was wondering if the treeless grazers don’t worry about shade much, or storms etc? Maybe they do nothing? I’ll maybe move this to beef section.

How does this work exactly? Do you fence off the area that they already grazed so they don't eat there again? Is there a central point in the field that has water that they can visit whenever or are you moving water daily as well?

[WiltonRanch]

Could drag along a windbreak made from a pipe frame with second cut slabs screwed on. All kinds of ideas. Ones on angles so doubles as windbreak and shelter. Built mine with 4/1/12” staters (3/8” wall pipe with rubber inside) so wind doesn’t blow them away. Seen where a guy had a harrow drawbar made into one. Could tow it along and it remained in its transport position to give animal wind protection from 3 sides.

[Blaithin]

In the summer?

Nothing, they’re on their own. But usually somewhere in the pasture there’s a low spot they can go hide in. Some seem especially unlucky on some days though.

How many sheep are you talking? I’d say a three sided calf shelter on good skids would be the best, above a portable wind break, unless it’s too many sheep and they’d just jam in and cause issues.

[Sheepwheat]

In the summer?

Nothing, they’re on their own. But usually somewhere in the pasture there’s a low spot they can go hide in. Some seem especially unlucky on some days though.

How many sheep are you talking? I’d say a three sided calf shelter on good skids would be the best, above a portable wind break, unless it’s too many sheep and they’d just jam in and cause issues.

That’s what I’m thinking. Not the shelter so much, but the fact they maybe don’t need one in the first place. On hot days they always lounge around in the trees. I guess if they have no tree access, they’ll just have to learn to deal like the treeless areas livestock! Yes, too many sheep for that type of shelter!

[Sheepwheat]

How does this work exactly? Do you fence off the area that they already grazed so they don't eat there again? Is there a central point in the field that has water that they can visit whenever or are you moving water daily as well?

Some people use a back fence. Some don’t. Once that many animals have thrashed that paddock they don’t have much desire to go back. I have a water truck. Sheep don’t need a pile of water so I would have it set up to move the truck when it needs refilling once a week.

[jazz]

Solar panels.

We had two 3 sided pole sheds and a lot of windbreak when we had cows, but that was mostly to block the NW winds.

[shtferbrains]

We are not very hot and only a few days a yr. Cools off great in the evening.
Bush does give some relief in horsefly season.

In the winter spruce bluffs make the best windbreak for cows here. They have to be fenced out or they don't last more than a few yrs.
Feeder pens I stacked round bales on outside of fence on north side.

I did have some big square bale windbreaks on a few pastures but they never used them much.

[Sheepwheat]

We are not very hot and only a few days a yr. Cools off great in the evening.
Bush does give some relief in horsefly season.

In the winter space bluffs make the best windbreak for cows here. They have to be fenced out or they don't last more than a few yrs.
Feeder pens I stacked round bales on outside of fence on north side.

I did have some big square bale windbreaks on a few pastures but they never used them much.

Yeah that’s like here. But here it’s a wet heat compared to Regina or swift current. Obviously the animals in the prairie survive with no shade, why wouldn’t they here is suppose?