Weekend Project - Building a Corral

One thing that we’ve seen a need for that we didn’t have was a smaller fenced-in area that we could put smaller calves out to run around for an afternoon, or to put a cow that was going to be calving soon into so that she wouldn’t be calving in the barn, or even a place to put a slightly lame cow so they’d have a place near the barn that they could walk around in until they got better.

An ideal area seemed to be behind our barn, it was shaded, and was already an area we would tie animals out in, so it seemed the logical place to build a wooden fenced corral.

We knew this wouldn’t be an easy…or cheap project, but we wanted it to be done, so we went to Lowes and picked up the supplies we were going to need. The posts are 3.5 inches X 3.5 inches X 6 feet, and pressure treated - solid posts that should last for years. We went for cheaper 1×4 for the slates knowing that these would need to be replaced every few years.

The first thing that needed to be done was measuring out the area, and then digging the post holes. Each one needed to be about 2 feet deep (or about 1/3 of the length of the post).

Once the hole was dug, we put in a round cardboard form, set the post in, and poured some fast-setting concrete into the form and then added water. We made sure the post was level and then let it sit for 20 minutes or so.

Once we had let the concrete set, we could fill in the dirt back into the hole and pack it down nice and firm.

Digging the holes was by far the longest and hardest part of the project. Our backs and legs and shoulders and just about every other part of our bodies are still sore. New Hampshire isn’t known as the Granite State for nothing! There were plenty of rocks, tree roots, and other treasures in the soil. About two feet down, we found a garden hose that must’ve been there for at least 20 years! We ended up needing to plant 16 posts in the ground this way.

After we had done a few posts, we were anxious to see what they would look like with boards on them. So we put a few on:

Here’s a look at our first corner (with a lovely shot of the manure spreader in the background).

After a number of hours, things were starting to take shape.

When we got to the other end, we needed to come up with a solution for a gate. We really didn’t want to build one, although we could have if we really wanted to. We needed something pretty lightweight, yet sturdy enough to hold in the cows in the corral. It also needed to be able to easily hang off of the posts.

We found the solution in a pair of chain link 4 foot gates, which we put side-by-side, allowing the tractor to drive into the pen in case it is ever needed. The mounts to hang the gates just needed to be screwed into the post, and then the gates were hung.

Then we had our corral:

Amber is due to calve in a couple of weeks, and she’ll be a good candidate to be put out here for the few days before she calves.