“We currently have 500 ewes with 300 lambs, but we want to expand  to a thousand ewes,” says Phamy van Vuuren, leader of the all-women sheep farming team on the farm Onrust near Christiana in South Africa. Phamy, her daughter-in-law, Monique van Vuuren, and daughter, Jacqueline Botes, have great plans to develop the sheep farming component of the farm into a strong, viable business, and Bonnox fencing stands central in these plans.

Phamy says they are fully aware of the fact that no expansion is possible without proper camps and handling facilities, and the three husbands jumped in to help with building crips, laying water pipes and, of course, erecting fences. Fortunately it is quite easy and fast to work with Bonnox, says Phamy. It had to be Bonnox, she explains, and not just because it is quick and easy to erect: “Bonnox always looks neat and we know from experience that it is strong and will last a long time. At one time we had some boer goats in Bonnox camps and the Bonnox kept them inside and their enemies outside!”

She shows a photo of a lamb that had to be destroyed after being attacked by a jackal. She is confident that the lambs will now have a much better chance of survival due to Bonnox fencing. “The jackal can’t get in, and the lambs can’t get out.”

Safety is one concern. Managing  a thousand ewes and their lambs in an intensive farming system, is another.But once again, Bonnox provides solutions. The groups can all be kept separately and take turns to graze un- der the pivot. The green pasture under the pivot has been divided into sections with removable gates in the fences for the pivot wheels to pass through.

There are also more extensive river camps for grazing, but Jacqueline says they must watch out that the ewes do not eat too much green pasture and get too fat. She says when they are  pregnant and too fat, they cannot get up after lying down. This is one of the reasons for their need to able to move the sheep to different camps.

The ladies handle the sheep by themselves, performing dosing, vaccinations, tagging, hoof trimming and any other treatment. They have only two workers to help them with the sorting and catching, and therefore their handling and camp facilities must make it as easy as possible.

“Bonnox is even used for our gates to make sure the sheep stay on the right side,” says Phamy. The camps are all neatly enclosed, but one of the other advantages of Bonnox is that you can also use it to make temporary camps or pens if you need to handle sheep that are kept in larger areas. A few droppers and a roll of Bonnox can make your life instantly easier.

“Talking about rolls of Bonnox,” says Phamy, “last time I bought 10 rolls and got one for free. Next week we shall be driving to Pretoria with my bakkie to buy 20 roles, and I am sure I will come back with 22!”

It is easier than you think to manage your animals and to Bonnox your farm. Be sure to contact Bonnox directly and beware of imitations that are not of the same high quality as Bonnox. Bonnox has a complete range of fences for various animals and needs, and you also have a choice between the fully or lightly galvanised ranges.

Contact the friendly sales team. Their numbers are 076-169-9068 or +27-012-666-8717, or send an e-mail to gerda@bonnox.co.za, linda@bonnox.co.za or zane@bonnox. co.za, or visit their website at www.bonnox.co.za

The sheep farming team of Onrust in the Karoo: Phamy van Vuuren, Monique van Vuuren and Jacqueline Botes are expanding their operation from 500 to a 1 000 ewes by using Bonnox
for their camps.

Bonnox is used for all the new camps, also under the pivot, making it easy to separate and manage the
sheep.