BUILDING STOCK YARDS IN NZ FOR SHEEP

& CATTLE

Building yards in NZ on your lifestyle farm is easy. But to start you need to have for easy loading and unloading for stock trucks and convenience to both your self and your beef or sheep. As always the easiest place to choose is where you can march your stock in effortlessly into a corner so its important to check where you intend to build them on your lifestyle farm block. Equally important is to be abIe to truck in an out with minimal truning etc. The ideal size is 9m x 9m but if you want to have 2 holding pens then 10m x 10m is OK especially for sorting out stock to go and to stay.

WHATS NEEDED

LOADING RAMPS:

The minimum length for a ramp is 3 m, but ramps of 3.6–4.6 m are preferable with gradual rise. The width of the straight race is nbormally for allround stock 700mm between the rails or 800mm post tp side post. Rails being inside. A level section of 3 m long at the end of the ramp will allow a smooth flow of cattle onto and off the truck rather than stepping onto a too sloping surface. Some new yards you can buy concrete slabs. Posts min 175mm strainers should be 1 metre spacings on your loading ramp and level section with appropriate gates for odd stock to be ejected along before the loading race.

The above rails are 130cm off the concrete then spacings are 15cm in between the rails. Truck height in the front min height being 1m -1.2metres high. Note the concrete slab on this easy loading ramp above and below pics. The loading race has very well reinforced 4 x4s in front of the posts allowing extra strength to the race.

GOOD STOCK YARDS ARE A ONCER. BUILD USING H3 RAILS = 150 X 50CM treated pine.

You can build a catwalk 950mm down from the top rail to inspect stock using 6x2s.

The above is a holder to stop cattle going back and you can guage the length to what the animal

measures.A bar goes from one side to the other side

POSTS & what to use:

Post should be 2.4min x 175mm or strainers in height with 800cm in the ground & out of the ground 1.8m. Your spacings in the pens can be 2m apart & if you feel like reinforcing it use ex vineyard posts in between for added strength. Timber railings should be 150 x 50 H3 nailed horizontally and exactly level with the rails on the other side with galvanised flatheads on the inside of the posts, keeping the bottom rail well off the ground, at least 300mm. Costs: 6x2 from Foxpine in Foxton around $3.89 a metre and they can deliver cheaper than most yards. Posts also from Mitchpine if in the Horowhenua area: Approx price are indicative only so please check with Mitchpine

"You can build stock yards but make sure they hold OK--do it right first time "

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