Building A New Sheep Shed

In this blog, we look at the sheep housing solutions we have available when designing your sheep shed, along with the requirements that need to be considered. we will be covering sheep slats, walkthrough troughs, sheep feed barriers and drinkers. We are not just writing about the products and specs, we have videos on each item to show you them in situ. Jason will talk you through some of the benefits and key features of each giving you a 360 overview of each product.

Sheep Feed Barriers

Our NEW sheep feed barriers are designed with an adjustable horizontal bar and 9mm stock board, all gates are height adjustable and have stock proof latching. The hangers are also height adjustable to suit 80 x 80mm box poles which are 5mm thick and are designed to last. We can also sleeve the with our stainless 80 X 80 box sleeve so you can use the clear floor space all year round. Our standard gates are 10ft and 12ft but we also make to order. The adaptability of our gates is what sets them apart from all the other options available to you. All sheep dividing gates are also height adjustable with stock proof latching. We design a solution to suit your needs.

Here Jason will talk you through the key benefits 

Always ensure sufficient trough space so that all ewes have room to eat meal at one time – for larger breeds up to 500 – 600mm per head is required, with the medium-sized ewe requiring a little less.

The floor space required per ewe is 1.2 or 1.3 square metres in a straw bedded house.

Walkthrough Troughs

A walk through trough is ideal for separating sheep pens as it allows the farmer to walk between pens while also providing extra feeding space for sheep when needed. Our walkthroughs are designed with an adjustable horizontal bar. The walkthrough is very simple to install, we even sell the walkthrough angles as a flat-pack set. The angles are pre-drilled and all the nuts and bolts needed are included, all you need is timbers and two lengths of 33OD pipe.

Here Jason will talk you through our walkthrough options

Build your own sheep walkthrough with our galvanised angles!

MIK Sheep Slats – Europe’s Number One Sheep Slat

Spec Sheet

The MIK stepper slat has been specifically designed for Sheep, goats, calves and pigs. Manufactured in Ransbach-Baumbach Germany to European standards, it is 800mm X 600mm wide. The knobbed surface ensures high step safety and foot stability. The fact that manure can easily pass through the slots guarantees a clean and dry surface which supports general animal health. Easy fitting on galvanised, Stainless steel or fibreglass runners. We prefer fibreglass as it lasts much longer them galvanised flat and is miles cheaper them stainless steel. The slats simple clip and interlock together in rows, making them quick to pick up and put down. The videos below show the slat being taken up and put down.

MIK Slats Replacing Old Timber Slats

MIK Slat Video ( in German with subtitles) 

The floor space required per ewe is 1.2 or 1.3 square metres in a straw bedded house.

Water Bowls For Sheep

Babylac Drinking Bowl

Sheep will consume anywhere from 1 to 5 gallons of water per day, depending upon their physiological state, the content of water in their feed, and environmental conditions. Requirements increase greatly during late gestation and lactation. A lactating female needs at least 50% more water than a dry animal. On average it takes 4 – 5 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk. This does not take into account the requirements for the maintenance of the animal. A Teagasc study estimates, Dry ewes drink 8-12 litres/day, ewes with lambs drink up to 10 litres/day, and finishing lambs need 5-7 litres/day. These are also the water requirement you need to keep in mind when building a sheep shed. To avoid soiling, water troughs in group pens should be 400 – 600mm above floor level dependent on size and breed.

We stock a wide range of La Buvette Drinking Bowls. La Buvette has been manufacturing drinking equipment for framers for more than 75 years. We have been supplying La Buvette bowls in Ireland for over 35 years, their cast iron drinker has one of the longest life spans on the market. Some of our first bowls sold are still in use and going strong. We have frames to suit our penning solutions or you can bolt the drinkers to the wall if suits. For more drinking options CLICK HERE 

We also have a wide range of feeding equipment. From hayracks to clip on throughs, clip-on or wheeled creep feeders and round bale feeders depending on your needs. We have the sheep housing solution for you. To talk to one of our team today call 021 7334066 or browse through our products: Sheep-Housing-Equipment

The quality and finish of your Sheep shed is what matters to us and our staff. Many of our staff are from an agricultural background so have first-hand experience in dealing with livestock. We have built our name through providing a great service, be it designing custom made products for your needs, solving problems that arise during construction or just good solid advice from our experienced sales team. We strive to provide uncompromising quality in everything we do. By placing the customer at the core of our business we deliver the perfect solution to suit your needs.

At O’Donovan Engineering, our motto is “quality and innovation give us the edge” – and this is the standard we hold ourselves to.  We are proud of the fact we manufacture our products in Ireland and that we employ staff from our local community. O Donovan Engineering is  CE Certified to EN 1090 – Execution Class 2, with all sales, design, manufacture and support teams working to ISO-9001-2015 standard. Quality Lasts

1 Year Old Sheep Shed

Sheep Products