2 things:
1. I feel that no matter how many head you have, whether it is one or one hundred or one thousand - you need at least a corral and way to get them into it. You also need some sort of alley way to get them down to single file. You may not need a headgate right away. My vet has a Foremost chute with palp cage and scale on trailer wheels that he can back up to the alley. It costs $25 or something like that extra for him to bring his chute. Many vets have one they will bring. But you do need a corral and alley. You can probably build one for $500-1000 dollars to start or less depending on materials used. There are lots of plans on the web.
Eventually even with 20 - 30 head you will want some sort of working area. Personally I like RR ties and steel guard rail (make sure you space the ties to match the std rail hole distance). Allow maybe 30 sq ft per head you think you might have in the next few years or make it so you can enlarge it.
2. I haven't been reading this thread very regularly but did today and really don't think the personal derogatory remarks between hopalong and TN master are called for nor add any thing to the discussion. If you guys don't like each other why not just get along on the board and keep the inflammatory sdtuff to yourself. And TN, if you are ever in a car accident etc or need to call 911 that can sometimes change your opinion of most police officers. We all have our good days and bad days, them and us. And I can share some DOT weigh station stories too. But having travelled in a number of other countries, I think if I needed help it would be a USA police officer I'd call first. Some other countries if you were in a car accident, etc I wonder if anyone would even come to assist, much less risk their life for a stranger as many do in this country every day.
In any case this board is a lot more useful and enjoyable to read if we treat each other with respect regardless of personal feelings. jmho.
