I posted this last year and thought I would do it again on how I build feed pens. It is quick and easy to do. I use hog panels and make it round. I pick the spot I want the feeder then drive in one T-post to start. I use concrete wire ties and wire tool to speed the build up. I then tie the first panel to the T-post.

I then lay the rest of the panels in a circle shape or close to it.

I then wire all the panels to together and overlap one spacing.

I then put the last panel in place and use it as a gate. I do not put a T-post in the middle of it. I then pull the pen into a round shape.


I then drive a T-post at each splice and in the middle of each panel, except for the gate panel.

I go around the pen and wire each panel in 3 places at each post and each splice for strength.

Finished shape in deer season.(I fed the area in front with a roadfeeder early that morning)

After I built 4 pens I went back to retie all the panels to all the T-post with 14 gauge tie wire. I used to be able to build a pen like this in around 40 minutes if all the area was open enough and the materials were in place. These took my about an hour more or less on each. Out of practice and older now.

Nice tutorial.

Man I can relate to the older and slower.T post don't drive as easily as they did in the past for some reason.

That's a nice looking feeder there sir

I think the ground gets harder.

Stxranchman - thanks for sharing, nice writeup.

I'm good for about 25 slams with the t-post driver before a 5 minute rest now days. Used to be able to go longer and recover faster when I was younger. My wife says she remembers me that way too.

Do you use 8 panels or 10?

That one was 12 panels.

I have built pens of 8-10 panels for a protein feeder only. If you are putting in a protein and spin feeder then I would go larger with 12 panels minimum. With a corn feeder only I would still build it larger to keep all the corn that hits the ground when the feeders spins inside the pen.

Just did this very thing this weekend based on the last time you posted these instructions...works like a charm. Between 3 of us, we built the pen, tapped the posts, assembled our new feeder platform and filled the feeders up in a few hours.

i will prob get in trouble for say this..but all in good fun..."I'm good for about 25 slams with the t-post driver"is that what they are calling it these days..lol

Those are awful quality pics compared to what you usually post STX

Do cows or hogs not try to jump over? Those seem short.

Cows will if they have drought stressed pastures or you have stocker calves since this pen is shorter than normal as an experement for hogs. It 26" tall-cut 52" cattle panel in half. Rest of my pens are 34" tall and never had a cattle problem or hog problem yet.
At this point no large hogs have gotten in but I did get pics of some pigs this past week one night only. I am not sure if they went over or thru the panels squares.

Look who's popular!

It was not 12 but 10 panels I counted them this afternoon when I checked the hog traps

So a 40in high fence should be fine? Also, I can't see the pics and don't know why.

I'm debating on doing either a welded wire fence or a few strand barbed wire fence around a couple feeders I want to put in next week at my FIL's place.

Thinking hogs will push right through welded wire

A 40" high fence will turn all the hogs and probably almost all cattle away. Would not want to be on turning goats though.
Problem with welded wire or barbwire is you have to set really stout corner posts to keep the fencing tight. If not it will be a train wreck in short time on most I have seen. Panels get really sturdy on their own when you make the pen round in a circle. T-post just keep it standing up and from being moved around or up by unwanted animals.

Great thread again.

Tried it, save yourself the time and money. Did it years ago and it was a bomb. Ended up putting hog panels over it. Stx was exactly right about keeping wire tight and the hogs will push their way up under it. You think it is cheaper but in the long run you will be redoing it so spend money on hog panels. I only use 5 panels and have never had any issues with not having enough room for the deer, besides an old bossy doe or buck occassionally.

Hogs will go through a barbed wire fence without a problem.