Feeder Pen ?’s

What height hog panels?

How many assuming they were 16’?

Does anybody sell 8’s

How big?

Hog panels at tractor supply.....34 or 36in high. 8-10 minimum in a circle. Some 8 foot sections available but the 16s are better.

I think mine are 34 inches tall x 16’ long. I went with 9 panels and 18-5ft t-post. Got everything at Tractor supply.Cost around $300. I don’t know of any 8’ panels but they might have them. Only other things I think you’ll need are a t-post driver and a roll of wire. Imo the bigger the pen the better for deer.

At least 8 16x34 hog panels preferably 10.....

Ours are 12 or 13 panels plus a 8’ gate for easy access.

Circle - 11 16 footers 34 inches high plus a scavenged 12 ft gate


Square 3 16 footers per side

Anyone have any problems with cattle going right over top of the hog panels?

No, but some will lean in on them and bend the tops. I overlap the panels 2 squares minimum and that helps some with the rigidity of the tops.

If not overgrazed, nope. The square pen set up is much more conducive to a practice which somes on here despise. We can stretch a stand of barb wire two inches above the top of the panel and get it very tight. Had to do that when the grazing lease operator stocked too many of them long legged white cows and they ate everything up.

I know the guys on my new lease said they didn't have any problem with their hog panel pens until they put cottonseed baskets in them. They said once the cows got wind of that, the went over the panels like they were there. They even mangled another pen made out of the 48" cattle panels to get to it.

Ours ain't used to cottonseed and see comments about being overgrazed. If they are getting in, make square pens with stout corners and fence them out.

34",

Minimum 10, 12 is optimal, preferably in a circle.

Believe 8'ers are sold

10-12 in a circle, overlap at least one square on each end of each panel.

I used hose claps on the t-posts to secure, about $1/each or so on Amazon easy on and will come off easy.

I also ran a row of barbed wire 2" above the top of the panel just to keep cows from pushing down on them.

Had cows get in once, they were after a sweet smelling deer block. They layed on one panel then got in...5 of them. Have barb wire about 2" above panel like Thunter65. so far good.

Never say never, lol.....never until this year when we put alfalfa bales out......had a few get in......we ran a hot wire around the top and solved the problem....

We have regular Brangus cattle and they'll laugh at a 34-36" hog panel if they really want in. A 48-50" will turn them, though. If you go short with a barb, put the barb at least 8" above the panel so a deer can't hang their leg.

The minimum I use is 10, 16', 34" hog panels arranged in a circle or close to it, T posts every 8', overlap panels by at least one square.
Tie panels together at overlap in at least 4 places top, bottom, 2 in between, tie panel to T posts in at least 3 places top, bottom, middle.
I don't mess with the 8' panels.

Bigger is better, normally my pens are 14 or more panels, one of ours is 18 panels.

Don't over think it. 34", 52", square, round, small, or big. They'll eventually use it unless you're in East Texas for the most part

Big pigs and goats/sheep will jump anything shorter than 34" and that includes 34" panels that have slight bends in the top square

Agree that larger the pen the better, but I've made it by with a 30' diameter pen (six 16' panels w/12 T-posts). I see plenty of deer in my pen every season.

Curious why everyone seems to recommend overlapping panels by one or two squares? I did it when I built my lat three pens - just because everybody said to do it - but had no idea why. Why not just wire the end of each panel securely to a t-post where the two panels meet?

Agree the more the better. We use 12 in a circle and have nice pics where multiple deer will bed down inside. Plus keeps one from pushing the others out of the pen.

[quote=Klinker]Curious why everyone seems to recommend overlapping panels by one or two squares? I did it when I built my lat three pens - just because everybody said to do it - but had no idea why. Why not just wire the end of each panel securely to a t-post where the two panels meet?[/quote

It seems like overkill to me but Im pretty sure they do it to make it stronger against aggressive(and hungry) and big cattle and hogs. I think its unusual to be needed but many on here, I assume, will tell you stories about how their pen got destroyed. Its probably rare but better safe than sorry would be their advise I bet.

From experience- if you have cows build it square so you can top with barb wire easier.

My pen does need maintenance from time to time. Really just replacing the wire clips that hold the panels to the t posts. I don't overlap the panels. Only tie each end to a t post.

We have cattle that get rotated, and I've seen pens after a cow wants in for some alfalfa or even the corn. If we didn't have cows, I would do 36" hog panels in a heartbeat and not over-engineer it. That said, we have what we have so we use 52" panels and cut some squares out of a few spots to let doe in. I haven't had a cow make it into one of our pens yet that has been built round, 3 overlapping squares, and a t post on the ends and in the middle. No barb wire needed

I use 10 panels/pen 50’ across I had 1 cow jump in the pen after several years but she was a corriente she was sold
I haven’t had anymore problems.

I use the hog panels as well and have been on 3 leases so far with cattle. So far have not had 1 jump in yet. Also the bigger the better. My current pen is 10 panels.

I built one this weekend, 12 panels, 16', round. I had a source for the higher ones, I cut them down with bolt cutters. I have a t-post every 8'. The pieces that I cut down were wired to the bottom at the locations where it looked like an opportunity to dig underneath would be likely.

Hose Clamps!

Double over bailing wire wrapped caddy corner. I don't think I've every used a tpost clip

hate t posts clips

Easy Peasy......

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091UZPC8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

knock yourself out

I always used doubled tie wire and overlap the panels one square for strength.

Yep, now someone is talking easy

Also easy, use rebar instead of t-posts. They pound in easier.

Try these, they work well. https://youtu.be/s9iYATZjkGI

Now THAT is cool!

I discovered metal zip ties on this forum. I'm using them to attach panels to pipe gates to build a large pig trap/corral. We'll see if they hold up to the boar(s) from hell.

The rebar is also a great suggestion. I'm scrounging rebar from all over the ranch, at old feed pen sites. Whoever was hunting this place must have been involved in concrete somehow. I almost named it "The Rebar Ranch".

Man that there is sharp city. How could you not like it?

Looks like chain link fencing left-overs might do a similar weaving together. I've got a bunch of them and will try next time I'm at the ranch. Might not be as slick, but cheaper.

Ahh hell, now you're gonna make me waste an afternoon trying to make that work. There's some chain link at the dump in my not-quite-ready-to-go-in-the-pit pile.