Premier’s Deck Chair holds sheep reliably in a relaxed position. Allows the use of both hands to trim feet, tag ears, examine and medicate. Restrains heavily pregnant ewes without injury. Users can walk away for more medicine or tools. Adjusts for width to hold all sizes of sheep (even just shorn ones).
Adjust webbing for smaller animals
We have provided enough webbing for the largest animal. For owners of large sheep (and for most adult sheep with two or more mos. of fleece) the hair webbing will probably work very well as it is. However, owners of goats and small sheep will probably prefer to reduce the depth of the “bag” created by the webbing when the chair frame is used in its narrower positions (squeezed together). To do that, untie the white nylon tie ropes on the sides, adjust the webbing to reduce the effective “bag” to the amount desired and retie it.
We have tripled the amount of “webbing” used in this animal chair to improve its ability to automatically restrain goats, small sheep and sheep with minimal wool. It is now attached to the sides as well as to each end. This means smaller, “woolless” and/or wriggly animals can no longer twist themselves out of the sides of the chair.
To load:
See explanations below.
- Best location is in the corner of a small pen—as this allows catching the animal with the least effort. Drop the top of the chair over a gate or fence at 45˚ angle.
- Catch the sheep by the head. Back the sheep into the chair. As the back legs hit the bottom crossbar, the rump (and most of its weight) will fall into the webbing. (Take care not to catch the rear legs in the 2 vertical chair legs.) NOTE: Recently added to the deck chair design are two small pegs near the top. What are these for? As an animal backs into the lower crossbar, the pegs “stop” the deck chair from sliding up the gate/panel it is leaning against. Thus you are now able to easily tip your sheep into the proper position.
- Complete the process by lifting the head upwards into the sitting position.
To unload:
Tip the chair, with the sheep inside it, forward with one hand. Allow the animal to fall out onto its feet. Hang onto the chair or you may be chasing the animal/chair combination around the pen.
How wide should the chair be? This varies with every flock or herd, but it is usually narrower than new users expect. We suggest leaving about 14–15 inches between the long pipes at the beginning, and then adjusting thereafter to the frame size of your animals. Once adjusted, you will probably rarely need to change it.
What if part of the chair is accidently damaged beyond repair? Call us. Premier will supply any part of this chair as a replacement. And since we don’t like those who “rip us off” with outrageous prices for parts, we promise not to do so to you.
Which side should I leave the excess cross pipe? The excess can be on either right or left side. It’s best to leave the excess on the side from which you do not normally work, so it may be opposite for left vs. right handed people.
Download PDF Deck Chair instructions.
