A new cattle corral and bunk line was needed because the old one was between 40-50 years old and it was falling apart. The broken gates, dilapidated fence boards, and broken fence posts made working cattle difficult and cumbersome. It was time to invest in something that would last and be more functional for us and our operation.
Adam has built fence with Andy and Corky Cook, of Cook Logging and Fence, since he was in high school and he still helps them out when he is able to. I would venture to say that the Cook brothers are the best livestock fence builders out there. They do an awesome job and the they build a fence that is going to last a long time. They took time out of their packed schedule (they are in such high demand in this area that they have jobs booked for at least a year in advance) to come to our house for a few days to help Adam with setting the new hedge posts for the corral. Their help was greatly appreciated and Adam wouldn't of gotten the corral done as quickly without their help and expertise.
A big thank you goes out to the many family members, friends, and neighbors who helped with completing this huge project. We couldn't have done it without you. The finished product looks awesome and it's a lot more functional that what we had before! We are now ready to wean calves in style with our new cattle corral!
Below are the before and after pictures of the cattle corral and bunk line. There are a lot of them because I wanted to show off all of Adam's hard work!
Before pictures of the cattle corral:
The lane for unloading and loading cattle. The loading
chute is on the right.
The old sorting pens.
The old sorting pens. This picture is taken looking north.
The old pens that were made of railroad ties and cattle
panels.
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Looking west. You can see how much the fence is
leaning from years of wear and tear from the cattle.
The old fence along our yard.
Tearing out all of the old fence.
Adam had to pull out all of the railroad ties with the
Bobcat.
This is where the old sorting pens, alley way, and loading
lane were.
The fence along our yard is gone.
After everything had been cleared away.
Looking west. We are ready to start the building
process.
North view
East view
The fence building supplies are here!
The semi trailer of hedge posts for the new corral.
Let the construction begin!
Adam and Andy are working on setting the corner posts
for the corral.
After setting a corner post.
Using tamping rods to pack the dirt into the post hole
in order to hold the post in place.
The guys working on another corner post.
The corner posts set for the loading chute.
Using the Bobcats to drill the post holes and move the
huge hedge posts.
Making progress with setting all of the posts.
The posts for the alley way and lane.
South view of the lane.
Getting the posts set for the sorting pens.
Top view of all the posts for the sorting pens.
Addition of the gravel in the alley way.
(This picture was taken by Adam's cousin, Eric Armstrong)
Adam working on welding the panels to go around the cattle
waterer.
(This picture was taken by Adam's cousin, Eric Armstrong)
The panels are here!
(This picture was taken by Adam's cousin, Eric Armstrong)
After the panels were put on, Adam trimmed off the tops
of the hedge posts to make them all even.
(This picture was taken by Adam's cousin, Eric Armstrong)
Adam was covered in yellow sawdust by the time he got
done with this job. Not my idea of a fun time on a 100+
degree day!
The after pictures of the new corral:
The completed lane with the new panels.
North view of the completed alleyway and sorting pens.
East view of the sorting pens.
New concrete pad and cattle waterer.
The new fence along the yard.
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A picture of the clips that hold the panel in place.
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Top view looking south at the completed pens.
Pictures of the bunk line remodel:
The old bunk line.
Demo day- Adam tore out the old posts and wire.
(This picture was taken by Adam's cousin, Eric Armstrong)
Adam moved all of the concrete bunks out of the way so new
pipe could be set. This is a picture of him putting the bunks
back in place.
(This picture was taken by Adam's cousin, Eric Armstrong)
Close up of the welding job. Adam had to weld each
vertical piece to the horizontal piece.
Adam always likes to leave his mark on a welding job.
This way he has a record of when it was done.
Getting close to being done.
Adam welding the wire clips to the metal pipe.
The portable welding rig.
The clips Adam welded to the post.
After all of the clips have been put on.
After the wire has been strung through the clips.
The after picture of the new bunk line.
The new bunk line is DONE!