A practical guide to planning a sheep yard that works — how to size it to your mob, the parts that make sheep flow, and when portable beats permanent. Written by the team at Super Fence.
A well-planned set of sheep yards makes every job — drafting, drenching, crutching, loading — faster and less stressful for you and the mob. A poorly planned one has sheep baulking and backing up at every turn. The difference usually comes down to three things: sizing the yard to your mob, laying it out the way sheep naturally move, and choosing the right mix of permanent and portable. Here is how to get each one right.
The number that matters most is the biggest mob you will ever yard at once — not your total flock, but your peak muster. Everything is built around that. Sheep need enough room in the holding pens to stand and move as a mob without crushing, and enough forcing-pen and race capacity to keep them flowing steadily forward.
Because our panels pin together as a modular system, you are not locked into one size — start with a core set for your usual numbers and add panels for peak times or as your flock grows. Tell us your typical and peak mob size and we will help you land on the right layout.
Whatever the size, an effective sheep yard is built from the same building blocks, each doing a specific job:
Every panel connects to the next with a simple pin — no tools, no digging, no concreting. That means you can set up a holding yard in an afternoon, add a forcing pen or drafting race when you need one, and move the whole lot to another paddock when the job changes.
If you run both sheep and goats, tell us — many of our panels suit both, and we will point you to the configuration that works for your stock.
Sheep move best as a mob toward light and open space, and away from dead ends and shadows. The strongest yards use that instinct: a forcing pen that funnels the mob forward, a race that keeps them single-file and moving, and a clean path from the holding pens through to the drafting race and loading ramp without backtracking. Get the flow right and the yard does the work for you.
The loading ramp is where a good yard pays off — sized and positioned so it connects straight off the race, it turns loading from a wrestle into a walk-on. Matching it to your race and gates means sheep keep moving forward all the way onto the truck.
Both have their place, and plenty of producers run one of each:
A permanent yard at the homestead plus a set of portables for the outer paddocks or peak musters covers most operations comfortably. Not sure which way to go? Tell us how and where you work your sheep and we’ll help you decide.
Sheep move best in mobs toward light and open space, so effective yards use a forcing pen feeding a race, with holding pens sized to your mob. Plan around your biggest muster, then add a drafting race and gates for jobs like drenching, crutching and loading.
Many of our panels suit both sheep and goats, though goats need closer-spaced or taller rails since they climb and squeeze through gaps. If you run goats, tell us and we’ll point you to the panels best suited to holding them.
Portable sheep yards pin together and move between paddocks or properties — good for agistment and flexible operations. Permanent yards are fixed for a main working area. A portable set also makes a handy add-on to an existing yard at peak times.
It depends on how many head you yard at once and the panel length. Give us your typical and peak mob size and we’ll help estimate panels for the holding pens, forcing pen and race.
Yes, we freight sheep panels and yard packages across Australia from Brisbane. Send your postcode and quantities for a delivery estimate.
Tell us your mob size and how you work your sheep, and we’ll help you spec a yard that flows — from holding pens through to the loading ramp.
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