A STANDARD WOOL-SHED FOR NEW ZEALAND CONDITIONS.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVI, Issue 3, 20 March 1923, Page 139

A STANDARD WOOL-SHED FOR NEW ZEALAND CONDITIONS.

PLANS AND MATERIAL REQUIRED

J. G. COOK,

Wool Instructor, Live-stock Division.

In different parts of the Dominion the writer has frequently noted the necessity for a good standard wool-shed, designed to fully meet the requirements- of the sheep-farmer while having due regard to economy. With these considerations in mind the accompanying plans have been prepared, together with a list of material required. The plans provide for a four-stand shearing - hoard, a capacity suitable for fair-sized flocks, but the size of the shed, can be increased or decreased according to individual requirement.

When choosing a site for the wool-shed a piece of ground on the crest of a slope, having a long gradual rise from one side, and a short steeper fall towards the other, should be selected if possible. .With such a site the sheep-yards are constructed on the rising ground, this allowing rain-water to get away quickly and providing good drainage. On the highest part of the site is placed the end of the shed where the woolly sheep will enter, this portion being built on the short piles. The rest of the shed is built so as to extend out oyer the fall in the ground,

and rests on the longer piles. Placing the. shed in this way serves a twofold purpose : (i) The height of the wool-room floor and loadingstage facilitates the loading of the wool wagons or lorries ; and (2) the space under the wool-room floor may be used as a yard for holding woolly sheep,' so as to give the shearers a fuller day's work in the event of broken weather occurring during shearing-time.

When making 'this yard under the wool-room floor the inner fence should be erected so that the yard does not extend under the grating forming the floor of the holding and catching pens. The yard is completed by wiring battens on the outside row of piles, leaving a door as shown. It is best to concrete this yard, as the bare ground would soon become contaminated with filth, and form a breeding-ground for disease. On the concrete floor gratings in sections should be put down. They are then easy to handle, and can be stacked up to allow. the floor to be cleaned. A good bevel should be put on two sides of the battens forming the gratings, so that the bottom of each batten is. narrower than. the top. • This allows manure to drop through readily, and keeps the surface of the gratings cleaner.

It is . also advisable to concrete the counting-out pens, as these are then easily kept clean, so obviating the danger of an outbreak of bloodpoisoning during shearing-time, which is always liable to happen when pens get into the foul condition inevitable with bare earth. The larger the number of sheep shorn, the greater is the danger of blood-poisoning, unless the pens are regularly cleaned- out and either spread with lime or sprayed with a powerful disinfectant.

To bring the sheep from under the wool-room floor into the shed without taking them outside, a trap-door is cut in the grating of the inside holding-pens, as shown in the ground-plan, z opening on - to. a battened race leading up from the lower yard, as shown in the south elevation. The dotted lines in the latter represent the trap-door raised to let the sheep come up. There is a small gate in the fence at the lower end of the race to keep out the sheep until required. ■

The shed shown in the. plans is 32 ft. wide and 64 ft. 5 in. long, exclusive of the engine-room, which is 10 ft. by 14 ft..; but these measurements may be altered to suit requirements. The size of the wool-table should not be altered, unless to add length if the sheep are cutting big fleeces: A good bevel should be put on two sides of the battens forming the top of the . wool-table, similarly to those of the gratings previously referred to. Any second cuts or other small pieces of wool which go between the battens will then immediately fall clear. If the battens are placed crosswise on the table greater strength is given than where they run from end to end. The wool-table can be fastened to the wall by strap hinges, and fixed, so that the side next the wall will be somewhat higher than the outer side : a cant on the table makes the work easier. Instead of nailing the two legs on, it is better to bore an auger-hole through the table and legs and put a bolt through ; or the legs may be strapped on with hinges ; ■ then after shearing-time it can be tipped up against the wall and tied, leaving the floor clear for other purposes. - To keep the locks under the table two fairly wide boards are nailed on the inner side of the legs close to the lower end. Placing the boards on the inner side .will make it more comfortable for the worker at the table by allowing more room for his feet.

The door of the bin marked Belly-wool is 4 ft. by 5 ft., and s hung on strap hinges. In the bin marked “ Pieces ” the door is 4 ft. by 4 ft., and is also on strap hinges.

The wool-bins are 3 ft. wide, 5 ft. deep, and 7 ft. high, and this width and depth should not be altered. The tops of the bins may be boarded over, and the space above made use of at any time. The number of bins may be increased if necessary, and some used for pieces. All timber with which the wool comes in direct contact must be planed on one or both sides as required, this including the flooring-boards, the. outer wall of . the catching-pens, . the back wall of the wool-bins, the partitions between the bins, and the whole of the wool-table. The studs of the shed are 9 ft. high, and on the shearing-board are .of 4 in. by 3 in. timber. This is to give extra strength to that part of the wall where the machines are. placed. The remainder of the studs are 4 in. by 2 in., and all corners are braced with 4 in. by 1 in. The dotted line in the ground-plan is for the centre beam, and an additional stud should be put in where the black square is shown.

The holding-pens in the shed can be altered to suit requirements, but should never be too large, because if . the sheep get startled and crowd towards one end the whole pressure comes on to the animals against the rails at that end, and in a big pen these get badly bruised. The medium-sized pen will prevent serious results from this cause ; there will also be less danger of smothering, especially at night-time. The plan shows single'catching-pens—that is, one for each shearer. The reason for having these is that they do away with any cause of friction among the men ; each shearer can suit himself whether he picks an easy shearing sheep or a more difficult subject In the plan these pens are 6 ft. by 9 ft. . '

Slip-up gates with weights attached are the most convenient form, and, if desired, they may be made wider than is indicated in the plan. Those nearest the sheep entrance should be of a good width ; the sheep will then enter better than if they had to come through narrow gates. The .gates should never be placed in the middle of the side of a pen, as this makes it harder work to get the sheep through. In the plan they are put in the corner, so that, the sheep come along a fence and go 'straight through the gateway. The height of the sheep-pens in the shed is 4 ft.

In the . engine-room the grinding-wheel is situated at the point marked “X.” The belt comes down off a pulley on - the main overhead shafting, and should be near the wall at the end of the shearing-board. '

Plenty of light is required in the shed, and the plan therefore shows six windows 3 ft. by 4 ft. in size, four 2 ft. by 3 ft. (one over each of the counting-out-pen doors), and a large window. (4 ft. by 8 ft.) placed by the wool-table to enable the workers there to do their work thoroughly and expeditiously. A. poor light at the table is. a great .handicap on clean, fast work. A couple of battens may be nailed across the lower part of each window in the sheep-pens in order to ■prevent breakage by the sheep.

The opening in each end of the shed shown as being louvred is so built that the louvres can be opened or closed as required. This enables the highest part of the shed to be thoroughly ventilated, especially during the night, which means a great difference in the state of the

air when work commences in the morning. As a further means of promoting good ventilation the sliding-door where the sheep enter the shed may be left open during fine weather, its place being taken by a hurdle which, after the shed has been filled, is put across the doorway and secured so that it cannot be shifted except by hand. At night as many doors, windows, and louvred ends should be left open as is consistent with safety, so as to allow a free passage of air through the shed to keep it- cool and fresh.

In too many places it is found that the holding- for woolly sheep is too small in proportion to the number of shearers on the board, so that in broken weather there is a good deal of time lost. By keeping the sheep close up to the shed, and making use of all available cover in the event of wet weather, the farmer can reduce to a minimum the time and money lost through wet weather. .

A concrete manure-trough is provided as shown in the south elevation. This will be an incentive to clean out the manure from under the shed, thus keeping the ground floor clean and making the manure readily available for use in the garden, orchard, or elsewhere, instead of allowing it to go to waste and to poison the ground, as is too often the case. . • . -

The total cost of doors, windows, gates, and louvred ends made at the factory is approximately £5O. The estimated cost of the other materials listed, together with sundries such as nails, &c., is estimated at £275, Wellington prices in each case. The cost of. materials for concreting floor of engine-room, sheep-pens, under shed, and the counting-out pens must be added.

Number.' Length. Description. ■ Superficial Measurement, Ft. \ Ft. 42 ■6 Piles . ., ... ... 6 5 Piles . . .'. . . . . 36 2 1 Piles ... ■ . . . . ... 12 19 Sleeper-plates, 4" X 3", V.D.L. 220 12 4 3 Sleeper-plates, 4" X 3", V.D.L'. 156 80 16 Floor-joists, 5" X 2", 20". centres . . 1 , 066 24 16 plates, 4" X 2' . . » 56 16 9 Studs, 4" X 3" . . . . ' 144 102 9 ' Studs, 4 // X 2" < . 612 13 12 Studs, 4" X 2" . . . , . . 104 12 16 Braces, 4" X x // . . . . 64 • 17 18 Ceiling-joists, 4" X 2" ' . . ... 204 17 16 Ceiling-joists, 4" X 2" . . . . : . 181 17 16 Collar-ties, 4' X ii" . . . . 156 17 10 Struts, 4" X 1" 56 . 38 18 Rafters, 4" X 2 // . . . . . . ... 456 4. . 16 Ridge-boards, 4" X r|" . . . . ... 56 ' 32 16 Purlins, 3" X 2' .. . . ... 256 8 16 Purlins, 4" X 2" ...... . . 85 4 10 Angle-stops, 3" X 2" . 20 8 20 Fascia-boards, 3" X 1" ... . . ~ : 80 3 -14 Door-facings, A" X 1" . . ' . . ... 14 - 2 16 Door-facings, 4VX 1" . . ... 10 2 18 Door-facings, 4" X i"12 Weatherboards, 8" X f . .. 2,400 Flooring-boards, T. and G., 6" X i" 1,150 67 10 Sheets, galvanized corrugated iron, i-|- lap 67 9 Sheets, galvanized corrugated iron, i| lap 9 8 Ridging-iron, 16", or, if exposed to heavy wind, 18", with lead tip 138 3" spouting, with 3" downpipe to lead on to roof of engine-room to allow water to run into tanks

Number. Length. . Description. Superficial Measurement. I Ft. Framed sliding-door, 7' x 7' .. . . Ft. I Framed sliding-door, 6' x 7' I Hinged ledge door 2| z X 6| ■ .. - I Ledge sliding-door, 2 J z X 6 Z 4 Counting-out-pen doors, 2 Z X 2-J 4 Catching-pen doors, 2 Z 4" x 4' 7 Windows, 3' X 4' 4 Windows, 2 Z X 3', one at each shearer’s stand i Window, 4' X 8 Z , at wool-table 2 Louvred ends .. . . . . .. 5,200 lin. Sheep-pens in Shed. Battens, 2" X i zz 870 440 lin. Plates, 4" X 2" . . 293 72 9 Studs, 4" x 2" . . .. ■ 432 4 12 Braces, solid, 4" x 2" 32 650 lin. Dressed division for pens, 5" X i zz Partition separating pens from shearing-board 500 9 and back of wool-bins, 6" X 1" 3 Z X 4' gates, with weights attached .. 5 4' X 4' gates, with weights attached 6 7 Partitions for Wool-bins (Dressed Timber). Studs, 3" X 2", for front of partition 21 6 7 Studs, 2 // X 2", for back of partition 14 18 5 Battens, 4" X i zz , lodging for partitions 30 60 7 Battens, 6 ZZ X i zz , partitions for bins 210 I 14 Engine-room, 10 ft. X 14 ft. Sleeper-plate, 4" X 3", V.D.L. . 14 I 10 Sleeper-plate, 4" x 3", V.D.L. .. . . IO I ■. 4 Sleeper-plate, 4 X 3", V.D.L. .. .. 4 2 ' 10 Wall-plates, 4" X 2" 13 I 14 Wall-plate, 4" X 2" 9 . 14 12 Studs, 4" X 2" .. 112 6 14 Studs, 4 X 2" . . ... 56 2 12 Braces, solid, 4" X 2" 16 4 14 Purlins, 3" X 2" . . ■ 28 6 io| Rafters, 4" X 2" . . . . . 42 . 7 11 Sheets, galvanized corrugated iron, i| lap I 14 5" spouting, with downpipe to tank. . Weatherboards, 8" x|" .. 420 2 3 Z X 8 Z framed hinge doors Concrete floor .. . . Tank and stand (outside) .. .. . • • Sheep-pen Gratings under Wool-room Floor. 5,000 lin. 1 Battens, 2" X 1" 833 400 lin. Plates, 4" X 2" . . .. . . 266

Material required, for Wool-shed shown in Plans.