Working pen/chute

[Kell-inKY]

That looks good too and thanks for the input guys. Was going to buy the "on sale" panels at tractor supply today and just risk it for temporary but I will price the better ones. I will probably go with the first layout as it is easiest for now and will be temporary.

However, after reading all of you guys comments, for a permanent solution it sounds like putting it inside might be the best option if I have room. Here is what I have, has horse stalls on the back half and hay and equipment storage on the front, not really being utilized since we don't do horses. Post to post in the center is 15', sides are 12' and front to back post spacing is 12' so it may be a little tight? I can get 2 14' bull gates and pen them in down where the oak walls are and setup some sort of alley off that, maybe a bud box type arrangement so I keep the gates out of the way most of the time?

I would have to setup a way to run them in from the outside corral (my first pic on page 1), there is a 4' door on the side that is closed but I would have to put corral panels or cut a new door to funnel them in. Anyway, this would allow me to load easier probably as the driveway is on the other side and much easier access when it is wet.

It may be a little tight though since I only have 12' to work with once I leave the middle to get to an outside wall if that makes sense?

my wife's pic

 

[Caustic Burno]

This is the sweep alley way system neighbor got with the headgate.
http://www.behlencountry.com/index.aspx ... uct&i=1087

 

[greybeard]

This is the sweep alley way system neighbor got with the headgate.
http://www.behlencountry.com/index.aspx ... uct&i=1087

That is basically the same core unit I started with, except went with Preifert since McCoy's had it all in stock here in town.

 

[greybeard]

I've altered it quite a bit since these pics were taken a couple years ago. Hard to tell anything about it from a ground level pic:

Looking thru the sort gate-Sweep is on the right--sweep gate is partially closed. Sort gate is set in this picture to exclude one from entering load or working chute--just shunt him back into the outer holding pen. This is a 90 deg sweep--only diff between a 90 and 180 is 2 additional curved panels and one more ground brace are added for the 180.
(I've changed where that sort gate is located too--it was too hard to sort immeditely after the sweep gate closed--they bunched up too bad. I inserted two 8' panels to give some distance between where the sweep ends and where I sorted, moved the sort gate to the end of those 8' panels and added a sliding gate between where the 8' panels ended and the sort gate. The 2 gates on the sort came free swinging--and you had to manually close them against their stops and chain them shut--I added 2 old trampoline springs to each one, so now, they spring close against the stops--all I have to do is let go and they slam shut)

Calf in the sweep area--sweep gate is full open in the back right of the picture. Closing the sweep gate will push her into the sort gate area--either to the headgate chute--back into the pen, or into the load chute.

Basically the same thing--sweep gate is full open on the extreme right foreground of the picture.

Looking up the load alley with the sort gate open to load--I've added some cross ties to the outside of this alley, and some tie beams between the top of the crossties.

It works fine for calves and yearlings and most of my mature stock, but I've had a beefmaster bull in there recently and he really wants to test the 12x36' sweep alley. He's not bad, but if he wanted to (and he might) he could push that sweep gate back open on me and pin me between the gate and the alley panels.