And We Were Swingin'...

Yup. I HATE that song, too.....

But the title seemed appropriate.

I am 90% done with the stalls in the "new" part of the barn. I still need to fasten a few ends and add a few clamps, but I have started to build gates for the stalls. I also have decided on "Half Gates" so that the aisle between stalls is not shut off completely by all those gates hanging open. I also have decided on wood gates, instead of wire ones - for the most part.

I still MIGHT go with wire ones - we'll see.

Either way, a gate needs a hinge. There is NO way I was going to be able to afford enough new hinges (or even used ones) to finish the project, so I decided to MAKE my own.

Today, I cut out the hinge plates and got them ready to install (I'm going to install them in stalls....). These hinges are similar to what you would find on a freezer door, or a refrigerator. They are basically a piece of angle iron with a pivot hole on one flat, and two screw holes on the other flat.

Here is a photo or two:





I am going to TRY to get at least one done tomorrow to see if I like the wood gate. I can also use these same hinges on a wire gate (ones made from a wire cattle/combo panel...). Either way, it will be nice to have permanent gates in there, instead of
a panel tied with twine and baling wire....

The three mom's and their babies camp out at the gate every night to be let into their stalls. They all troop right in, and go to the proper ones. Every once-in-awhile, there is a "side track", but 98% of the time everyone knows where their bed is.

Now the chickens - that is a DIFFERENT story...