# Stockyard - Why the extra boards?



## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I recently rode the train on the Cumbres & Toltec. During our lunch stop at Osier there was a stockyard that had been restored. After my sand house is complete this will be my next structure for my layout. I noticed that there were two pens. One looked like the typical stockyard pen while the other had extra boards at the bottom. My only guess is that pen may have been used for smaller animals, like sheep/pigs? So they couldn't squeeze through the slats?

Here is a pic a took: https://goo.gl/photos/CxEAcmzi6wMoTKxe9

Anyone know?

Thanks,
Jim


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim

My guess is sheep. The railroads in southwestern Colorado moved a lot of sheep. I think that I read somewhere that they moved more sheep than cattle. A lot of sheep were moved to and from the high country for different summer and winter pastures.

The stock cars used for sheep had two floors, so they could move twice as many animals per car. The second floor was about halfway up.

Chuck


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Chuck wins the prize.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Jim
Sheep in all reality are not very smart, and are hard to drive. When herded they will stick their head in any hole or between two boards, get hung there, and if not quickly removed, will die. So the boards are virtually next to each other to prevent sheeps head from sticking through, And if sheep see commotion on the outside of a pen they will push to the other side, Pushing hard enough to kill several on the other side.
Probably was not very many hogs raised out there, but if so it was needed then too.
Dennis , AKA raised on a cattle farm


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

my guess is, perhaps, to keep legs from getting wedged in slats.

the comment about smaller animals seems applicable as well.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Sheep?


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