Here are just a few  "Helpful Hints for Shepherds"!
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We have found that a  REAL time-saver on our sheep farm has been "lambing pens".
Not only are they handy for containing the mom w/lambs for a day or two following delivery of her lambs, but they come in handy for a variety of other uses as well.........
We have found them to be useful for:
  
*  Catching a sick or injured sheep without overly-stressing it by undue "chasing",
* Creating isles for moving selected sheep
* Lamb-proofing under otherwise large openings
* Sorting gates during "shearing"
* Used to "crowd" roudy rams following breeding when they're reintroduced to each other
* Temporary pen for any sheep that needs to be kept "separate" from the flock for any reason
*  Great "haul-along" temporary pens when traveling to/from a fiber event (in case of breakdown)
* Easily stepped over, so handy to surround off a heavily trafficed doorway to
eliminate the constant need to "latch" the door each time.
*Animal "escape-proofing" a barn door allowing ventilation without closing the actual door
* As friendly "barricades" to post a bio-security note reminding casual visitors to ask before entering
..........and whatever else we can think of!

Building lambing pens is simple, but is easiest if done in groups.  We like to build several at a time so that an "assembly line" type operation can be utilized.  We started out with 10, and then finally built another 10 a few years ago.  This spring we broke down and managed to build 20 more!  Finally, I believe we might have enough though I'm not positive. The "experts" state that shepherds will need approximately 1 "lambing jug" per 10 head of sheep.  I have found that estimate to be very low, but I am a definite fan of them and find MANY other uses other than simply penning up a new mother with her lambs.

1 x 4's are cut to the correct length before starting to assemble.
For Icelandic sheep, we prefer to build our lambing pens approximately 32 inches high.
One side of the jug is 4 feet, and the other is 5 feet.  When lined up along the lambing barn during our lambing season, each ewe will have a 4 x 5 foot pen.


We use a piece of plywood on saw horses for a work table.
2 x 4's are screwed on the table to create a "jig" for multiple piece assembling.


Various wood pieces are screwed into place using lag screws, following the drilling of pilot holes to prevent the excessive splitting of the wood. A diagonal wood "brace" is installed on each panel for stability.  When the "panels" are finished, a set of 2 hinges is attached to make them "foldable" onto themselves for storage.

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