More gate building

[jon f mn]

Spent the weekend building more gates in my barn. Finished the crates first. The one side piece had to be made to follow the cement ramp so that made it a bit more difficult. Then made the other gate to close the rear of the crates off for easy sorting.

Then I made a gate for the next pen. These are longer, so this one I made in 2 pieces so one can block the ally and the other will work to help with sorting.

This allowed me to get rid of another wood gate that was badly eaten and heavy and awkward to move for cleaning.

Here is the latch for that gate. I used 2x2x3/16 tube for the outer slides and 1 1/2" for the slider. That's one size bigger and heavier than the other latch to take the extra stress.

Then built another gate for the next pen. This one is 11"4" long so the long tubes needed to be spliced as the tubes are all 7'9" long.

To make it stronger I staggered the splices, alternating from right and left. Then added the upright near the splices to stabilize it. Seems to be strong enough.

The posts are a bit further apart the lengthwise direction of the barn than across the barn. So this gate can't swing both ways, but will close off the next post. That way when cleaning I can lock the pigs behind the gate.

Sure is nice to be done with another heavy wooden gate.

I have enough of the tube left to split the far pan with the growers in it in half so I can keep the pigs closer in size together.

 

[Hoofer B]

NICE JOB

 

[Janicholson]

Spent the weekend building more gates in my barn. Finished the crates first. The one side piece had to be made to follow the cement ramp so that made it a bit more difficult. Then made the other gate to close the rear of the crates off for easy sorting.

View attachment 6343

Then I made a gate for the next pen. These are longer, so this one I made in 2 pieces so one can block the ally and the other will work to help with sorting.
View attachment 6344

This allowed me to get rid of another wood gate that was badly eaten and heavy and awkward to move for cleaning.

View attachment 6345

Here is the latch for that gate. I used 2x2x3/16 tube for the outer slides and 1 1/2" for the slider. That's one size bigger and heavier than the other latch to take the extra stress.

View attachment 6347

Then built another gate for the next pen. This one is 11"4" long so the long tubes needed to be spliced as the tubes are all 7'9" long.

View attachment 6348

To make it stronger I staggered the splices, alternating from right and left. Then added the upright near the splices to stabilize it. Seems to be strong enough.

View attachment 6349
The posts are a bit further apart the lengthwise direction of the barn than across the barn. So this gate can't swing both ways, but will close off the next post. That way when cleaning I can lock the pigs behind the gate.

View attachment 6350

Sure is nice to be done with another heavy wooden gate.

View attachment 6351

I have enough of the tube left to split the far pan with the growers in it in half so I can keep the pigs closer in size together.

You are innovative and do a marvelous job of partitioning that space. Jim

 

[john in la]

Not to throw this post off topic.

But looking at that group of pigs it always amazes me how easily you guys sell all that you can produce.

If you think about it a whole pig or half a cow really doesn’t fit into the average American week by week budget and storage capacity. On top of that you need to take a lot of cuts of meat that normally don’t sell well at the store while paying a premium price per pound.

Do people really hate factory farm meat that much and is 10 pigs eating corn in a barn really that much different than 10,000 pigs eating corn in a barn.

 

[EFV]

Not to throw this post off topic.

But looking at that group of pigs it always amazes me how easily you guys sell all that you can produce.

If you think about it a whole pig or half a cow really doesn’t fit into the average American week by week budget and storage capacity. On top of that you need to take a lot of cuts of meat that normally don’t sell well at the store while paying a premium price per pound.

Do people really hate factory farm meat that much and is 10 pigs eating corn in a barn really that much different than 10,000 pigs eating corn in a barn.

The flu that can't be mentioned changed lots of people's way of buying food especially meat. The difference between 10K and 10
hogs in a confinement area when it comes to taste is very noticeable. There have been postings on this forum from people who could
taste that a hog spent it's finishing above a below barn manure lagoon. Don't think customers hate factory farms as much as they like
the alternatives. Doesn't your local diner serve a hamburger way better than any large franchise one ?

 

[jon f mn]

Not to throw this post off topic.

But looking at that group of pigs it always amazes me how easily you guys sell all that you can produce.

If you think about it a whole pig or half a cow really doesn’t fit into the average American week by week budget and storage capacity. On top of that you need to take a lot of cuts of meat that normally don’t sell well at the store while paying a premium price per pound.

Do people really hate factory farm meat that much and is 10 pigs eating corn in a barn really that much different than 10,000 pigs eating corn in a barn.

I sell both pork and beef. The beef is easy to sell, I sold 7 head this year and never placed an add. Beef is so high at the sale barn now that there is not a lot of extra money in selling direct, but most that buy beef also buy pork. The pork takes more effort to sell as I have many more in numbers, this year will be 28 fat hogs if they all sell. But on hogs I make a lot more money than selling commercially. I also sell feeder pigs for the ones not fat in the spring and they also sell very well, I have a waiting list for 75 of those so far.

I clear $3-400each on the fat hogs and get $100 each for feeders. When I get the barn finished I'm going to try doing bottle calves as well.