By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Mastering these skills helps you build safe and sturdy sheep structures, which is essential for protecting your animals and supporting successful sheep farming.
Compiled by: Charles Ochieng
Construction of appropriate sheep housing and related structures is essential for effective sheep production in Kenya. Well-designed sheep structures provide shelter from harsh weather, protect animals from predators, and facilitate management practices such as feeding, breeding, and health care. This chapter explores the necessary tools, equipment, and materials used in constructing sheep housing, focusing on practical considerations relevant to Kenyan animal production professionals.
Building a sheep house, handling pen or fenced paddock needs three things: hand tools for accurate work, equipment for heavy or repeated jobs, and materials that are strong, affordable and suited to the climate. A technician who knows what each item does can plan the work, estimate the cost and avoid mistakes that would later cost the flock its comfort and health. This topic describes the tools, equipment and materials used to construct sheep structures.
Tools are hand-held implements used to measure, cut, join, shape and finish building materials. Much of the work on a sheep house, such as framing a roof, fixing slatted floor boards or hanging a gate, can be done with a small set of hand tools.
A hammer drives nails into timber and, with a claw, pulls bent nails out. A claw hammer is the usual choice for roof frames, partitions and gates of a lamb pen. A hammer with a loose head is dangerous and must be repaired or replaced before use.
Screw drivers turn screws into timber and metal fittings. They are used to fix hinges on pen gates, latches on doors and feeder brackets to walls. The tip must match the screw head, flat for slotted screws and cross-headed for Phillips screws, otherwise the head is damaged.
A tape measure is used to take lengths, widths and heights so that the pen, house or feeder is built to the planned size. Tapes of 5 m to 30 m are widely used, and a long tape is useful for setting out the sides of a house on the ground. Measure twice before cutting to avoid wasting timber.
A 3m (10ft) measuring tape (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A spirit level shows whether a surface is flat (level) or a post or wall is upright (plumb) by the position of a bubble in a vial of liquid. It is used to check foundations, floors, troughs and the posts of a sheep house so that walls do not lean and water does not collect in corners.
A traditional spirit level tool (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A saw cuts timber and boards to length. Handsaws and bow saws are used on small projects, while a circular saw is used on larger ones. The saw is chosen to suit the material, since blades for timber cannot be used on metal or plastic.
A drill makes holes for bolts, screws and wire in timber, metal and masonry. A hand brace or cordless power drill is used to fix roof sheets, to bolt the frame of a shearing platform and to make holes for fence wire.
Cordless power drill on workbench (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Pliers grip, bend and cut wire and nails. They are used when stretching and tying wire mesh to the sides of a sheep enclosure and when twisting binding wire around posts.
A chisel is a sharp-edged tool struck with a mallet to cut grooves and joints in wood or to remove small pieces of timber. It is used to fit hinges, make joints in gates and trim door frames.
Proper care extends the life of tools and keeps them safe:
Injuries on a building site often come from careless use of simple tools:
The choice of tools depends on:
Equipment means powered or mechanical machines that do heavy or repetitive work which hand tools cannot do economically. Smallholder sheep structures can be built with hand tools and a few simple items. Heavy machines are hired for larger commercial units, where clearing, levelling and moving large quantities of material are needed.
A bulldozer is a tracked machine with a front blade that clears bush, removes topsoil and levels ground. It is hired for preparing a large site for a sheep house or handling yard on rough or sloping land.
A crane lifts and places heavy loads such as precast concrete slabs, steel roof trusses and water tanks. It is used where materials are too heavy for workers to lift safely.
A dump truck carries bulk materials such as sand, ballast, quarry dust and stones to the site, and tips them out at the point where they are needed. It saves time compared with moving the same materials by wheelbarrow.
A concrete mixer rotates a drum to blend cement, sand, ballast and water into uniform concrete. It gives a better and faster mix than hand mixing, and is used for the foundation and floor of a sheep house and for troughs.
A forklift lifts and carries palletised loads such as blocks, bags of cement and roofing sheets, and places them close to where they will be used. It is found on large construction sites and in building supply yards.
Simple equipment is used on nearly every site. A wheelbarrow moves sand, stones, blocks and mixed concrete. A plate compactor presses soil or gravel into a firm base for floors and foundations. A ladder gives safe access to the roof and upper walls.
metal wheelbarrow with one wheel (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Materials must be strong enough for the load they carry, resistant to weather and termites, affordable and easy to obtain nearby. The right materials keep the sheep dry, ventilated and safe from predators.
Cement is the binding material in concrete, mortar and plaster. It is sold in bags, kept dry and used within a short time of purchase, since damp cement hardens into lumps and loses strength. It is mixed with sand and ballast for foundations, floors and troughs.
Sand is the fine aggregate in mortar and concrete. It should be clean and free from soil, clay and salt, which weaken the mix. River or pit sand is used, as available.
Blocks are used to build walls and are laid in mortar. Concrete blocks and stone blocks give strong, durable, rain-resistant walls for a permanent sheep house, and they are easy to clean and disinfect.
Quarry dust is the fine crushed-rock powder left from quarrying. It is used as a cheaper partial substitute for sand in mortar and block making, and compacted under floors as a firm, drain-friendly base. It should be dry, clean and free from large stones.
Other materials are used in nearly every sheep structure:
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Create a free accountThis chapter covered the essential tools, equipment, and materials required for constructing sheep structures, highlighting their specific roles and suitability. It emphasized the importance of selecting an appropriate site for sheep housing, considering factors such as drainage, accessibility, and protection from harsh weather. The chapter then explored the principles of designing sheep structures to ensure functionality, durability, and animal welfare. Detailed steps and considerations in the actual construction process were outlined, focusing on efficient use of resources and safety. Maintaining sheep structures was discussed as a critical practice to prolong their lifespan and ensure a healthy environment for the animals. The chapter also addressed the importance of keeping accurate construction and maintenance records to support management decisions and compliance. Finally, effective waste management within sheep production facilities was presented as a key component to uphold hygiene and environmental sustainability.
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