Man-made shelter

Like everything, you get out what you put in. Trees provide far more than just shelter for your stock. They extend your soil biological systems, provide food and habitat for a huge number of birds and insects, and can have an end use as timber or firewood.

But they take maintenance. They need to be planted, protected, fed and released from weeds for the first couple of seasons. Branches may fall in storms and eventually trees may need to be felled or thinned. If this is not for you, consider investing in a shed your stock can access.

I have a dream. It is for a three-sided shed open to the morning sun in winter. The back half will be a hay shed, the front half shelter accessible from three different paddocks, the two separated by a small race I can use to run the stock through.

But a shed doesn’t have to be so elaborate. Hay bale walls and a couple of sheets of corrugated iron (secured so they don’t blow away) can provide shelter for sheep, goats or pigs. You can buy great kitset and movable shelters.

Bird droppings can carry bacteria and disease detrimental to your stock so ensure a shelter has rafters that are flush with the ceiling so you don’t create big perches.

For winter warmth, site your shelter on high ground with good drainage. Position the opening away from prevailing winds and preferably towards the sun.

A base of sand, old woodchips, or straw with a gravel base adds a layer of insulation and drainage, but this may need annual maintenance.

Above: This three-sided low shed is easily closed off with a gate and divided up with old hay bales in winter to make a snug enclosure for lambing. At other times of year, sheep can access it as needed. You can build something permanent, or utilise hay...