Versitile cattle panel structures

From shade structures for sheep and turkeys to chicken tractors to green houses it seems there is aways a need for mobile, inexpensive, long lasting structures on a diversified farm. After several prototypes we have found a design we feel is highly versatile, customizable and also storable... There are many takes on this design that we looked at carefully before walking out side and making our own. Cost varies by size of structure and location but we have been able to buy the cattle panels we use for around $30 per panel (they are some of the most universally useful things we own) and the wood has been either scrap or purchased new and could be treated or untreated depending on your fancy. 

The final product could look something like one of the following. 

The basic idea is building a frame to hold 1-3 cattle panels (depending on the size you want) in an arc that holds a tarp as a roof for a shade structure or clear plastic for a greenhouse. ​​

I started this 4'x10' structure with 2: 2x4x12' treated boards, 2: 2x4x10's and 3: 2x4x8' untreated boards I cut the 2x4x8s in half at 4', the 10' boards were cut in half at 5' and then 8" were cut from each of the 5' boards.  Giving me:

• 6: 2x4x4'
• 4: 2x4x4'4"
• 4: 2x4x8"
• 2: 2x4x12' treated

A 4' untreated board was laid across the 2 treated runners in the middle to form an H and screwed down with 2.5" deck screws (not drywall screws, do not skimp on quality screws here). The 4'4" boards were set on top of the treated 12' board, the ends butt up against the 4' cross piece, and they were screwed in place. Next I took two 4' boards, sandwich them around the end of the cattle panel, and screw them together. Repeat this on the other side. Measure the thickness of this 2x4 cattle panel sandwich and attach the 8" board just a 1/16-1/8" farther from the 4'4" board than that on the treated runner and screw it down (repeat on the other side). This creates a slot for the ends of the panel to sit in. Use a few deck screws to attach the cattle panel to the runners. Zip tie on a tarp and you're done. You can tie a rope to a cross piece or add eye bolts to pull the structure, just make sure your rope matches the weight of the structure. I used this design for a sheep shade structure that used 2 panels wide and just added a 3rd runner. 

Additional bracing may be required if your sheep do a lot of rubbing and this design would not be suitable for horses, cattle, or pigs. They are large and destructive creatures. 

We use two of these structures for chicken tractors, one is 12'x8' the other is 8'x8'. The smaller size is easily managed by most adults and holds about 12 birds. The larger size requires some strength for one person to move and holds 25-30 birds when moved twice a day. To accommodate birds we used 2"x4" welded wire on the sides and ends to prevent escapees and predation. A crude door was built, saplings were set spanning the inside to be used as roosts and milk crates were zip tied to the side for nesting boxes. 

Heavy duty clear plastic can be attached to make a cold frame or a greenhouse.