Alright I'm looking to build a feeder pen or 2. Should I make it Square or Circle? A 30' Diam. circle would take a few less panels than a 30'x30' square. I don't think it would matter; however, looking for opinions. Thanx for suggestions.

mine is square, but my next will be octagon ish....

I build all of mine round, I just like how they go together and they are easy to build that way.

I've heard that deer feel more comfortable since they can't get cornered, don't know if that's true...

I use 16 ft hog panels 36in tall. Use at the least 7 and put a t post at each intersection and middle of each pen.

made all of mine round, pigs have left them alone, when I had corners the pigs would try to root under them, after making them round, no more pig issues.

I've built over a dozen octagon pens. The key element is the angle to and from the T-post. It needs to be 62 to 63 degrees. I see no advantage in octagon or round over square or rectangular pens.

A deer might get cornered in a high fence situation, but in the real world using cattle or hog panels the intimidated one will jump the fence (everytime) before he gets cornered. Think about it. If you've watched deer in a feed pen, the dominate one will tolerate others once in awhile. But when the dominate one has had enough, usually all it takes is a look or a step toward the inferior deer and it will haul azz.

Square or rectangular are much quicker to put up for me.

On feed pens trying to cut corners by going light on panels will usually work against you. The bigger the better. Eight panels on a square pen (using 16 foot cattle panels) would be the absolute minimum that I would recommend to any customer. Smaller than that and you will end up with only one deer in the pen hogging the majority of the corn. The rest will be outside the pen and once the spill over is gone they will leave.

X2

Also make them as large as you can afford. Most experts recommend 80 to 100 ft dia. Mine are 50ft and wish they were bigger.

45 X 60

I have never heard that about the hog and the round pens. But i have always wondered why no hog has ever tried to root under our round pens. go figure

I make mine square. Never had a problem with hogs rooting under or any deer hesitant to enter. They want to eat, they go in. I don't make the pen large either, just four 16 foot panels, with a string of barbed wire around the middle and top. Works fine...

Round is the way to go! I used 8 of the 34"X16' panels with 2 strands of barb wire over the top.

No more piggies, but i do have 1 superstar bovine that can still get over it!!! Freaking COWS i hate them unless there on the grill!!!

I just try to avoid using pens. We are moving away from pens at our lease. If hogs are the problem than just start shooting them. I use a 22 mag because it does not scare the deer. We had corn growing and going bad in our pens this year. We finally had to just open them up anyway.

If I am using hog/cattle panels, I make them round and overlap each panel a foot, securing them with wire rope clips. The pen will pretty much stand up by itself, but driving a t-post every 16ft or so is plenty to give it structure and keep the pigs from shoving it around. If I am hanging regular fencing wire for a pen, I typically go bigger and run straight lines so I can 'pull' the fence tite.

Ya'll that are using wire on your pens, especially on top, it is just a matter of time before ya catch a deer. I'm just sayin'.

Killing the hogs when you see them is dandy but when protein is around without a pen the hogs just seem to multiply faster or atleast more move into the area and you cannot stay ahead of them in the kill to birth ratio.

Have any of you that use hog panels, the ones that are 30"-36" in height, had a problem with hogs jumping over them to get to the feeder?

I have plenty of panels, but also about 30 10' hog panels that I can use just for the feeders if hogs won't jump or attempt to jump them...no livestock on the place.

My other panels are 60" 16' with a few cut down for deer, especially the fawns to access them as well, but was planning on using those on a large corral-type hog trap.

Suggestions?

I have a protein feeder with the lower hog panels around it. Hogs and sheep were draining it in a week before penning it in. In the 2 years since enclosing it I've only caught 1 hog inside there on cam, but tons outside. Have a cam there all the time. Don't have any idea how that one got in there. Only a 50 pounder. In short, they work pretty good, but nothing is 100%. I'd have no problem using those hog panels.

Maybe, but they have been there for some time and it has never happened. The deer clear 34" hog panels easily. I will say this, it may be in the way that the piece of wire is installed. I put mine around the outer edge of the hog panel. It doesn't, in general, rise above the panel. The object is to deter the cows from leaning over to scarf some corn. As previously stated, I run another string of barbed wire around the middle of the panel. Seems to work.



Nope, never had a hog or cow get in. In fact, I haven't seen evidence of them trying. They just leave it alone. Further, when we didn't have pens the hogs were there eating corn continuously no matter how many we shot. Once we put the pens up we rarely see them in the area. I think it is because they realize there isn't anything there for them and they spend their time elsewhere.

The deer go in these pens pretty much every single day, particularly the does.

Awesome, I think I'm going to build it round and try it out. Probly going to go with a 40 or 50' diameter pen and am going to use the the standard hog panels.

On another note, this is going to be the test pen, the other feeders will get barb-wire strung up for the simple purpose of keeping the cows out. I love huntin hogs all year and if they can get to the other 2 feeders I'm not worried about it just yet.

We made some this year in the shape of a 6 and left it open where they come together. That haas made some great hog traps as well as feeder pens. The hogs can just push in, but not back out.

same here, but we are getting more cattle this year, so in order to feed year round, I gotta go to a pen. Going to enlarge the one currently on the ground with the hog panels

Best place to get hog panels?

Tractor Supply or most feed stores.

We use a system that is easy to install and requires no T post driving. You can put it up in about 10 minutes and move it in about the same amount of time. Also you can make it as large as you need. It pins together.