Texas Farm & Ranch Services offers a number of possibilities for small game pens, both pre-constructed and design-your-own. Since the main purpose of pens is to keep birds in, and predators out, this requires the use of certain types of materials that are durable enough to keep predators from chewing through the fencing and its cover and high enough to keep them from jumping over.

Gaps and holes in the pen need to be avoided in order to not only keep the birds in, but also to keep them from sticking out their heads and getting them bit off by a predator such as a fox or coyote. Also, posts and fencing need to be placed deep enough in the ground (at least two feet) to keep predators from burrowing in.

The design of a small game pen depends on the location, the terrain and the type of bird you are raising. Each bird needs a certain amount of space to avoid overcrowding which can lead to cannibalism among the birds—a problem that can be hard to control. Also, some types of game birds need flying room. And remember you need to make room for feeders, water troughs and shelters. Texas Farm & Ranch Services can help you plan for a truly functional small game pen.

Regular maintenance will further protect your birds. It should be done at least yearly, leading to replacement of any fencing, posts, or netting needed to keep the birds in and predators out. Texas Farm & Ranch Services also does this maintenance for you.

Texas Farm & Ranch Services designs and builds practical, attractive, and safe cattle barns for both the animals and people. Cattle barns come in different versions—the stall barn and the loose-housing barn are two of them. In a stall barn each animal basically lives in a stall where it can rest, be fed, be milked and be watered. Usually the stall barn has two rows of stalls and in older barns, straw and hay are kept in an overhead loft. Modern barns usually use an adjacent building for storage of hay and straw. Also, in warmer climates like ours, barns are often left open on one or both sides for the sake of ventilation.

Another type of barn is the loose-housing barn—a metal- or wood-framed shelter set up so that the animals can move about freely inside the barn and also move outside to a yard to enjoy the sunlight, graze or exercise.

It’s important to make the best choice for your cattle, since studies have shown that when cattle are more comfortable in a more predictable environment, they are less stressed. This means fewer immunity issues which means healthier cattle.

Texas Farm & Ranch Services can help you decide what type of cattle barn you want and then design and construct it. Contact us for an appointment to discuss your needs.