I don't know about sheep (In fact I was suprized that electric fence was even used on sheep I would have thought the wool would insulate them) but horses,cattle, hogs, and even deer learn to avoid the fences unless scared or there is something on the other side of the fence that they really want (not used alone on intact males for example). When my neighbor used to turn his milk cows into a new pasture the fence would only be on for a couple weeks or if the cows had gotten out, the rest of the time he kept it off since he found it inconvient to himself.~gd
ADVENTURE'S DOWNUNDER OR FARMING IN PARADISE:An Old Rams view.
- Thread starter The Old Ram-Australia
- Start date
dragonlaurel
Improvising a more SS life
The electric fence would mostly keep other critters out.
Thick wool will insulate sheep, but if their noses touch a hot wire once- they remember it later. People have been pretty creative with ways to make sure they touch it before they are big enough to give it a real challenge.
Thick wool will insulate sheep, but if their noses touch a hot wire once- they remember it later. People have been pretty creative with ways to make sure they touch it before they are big enough to give it a real challenge.
- Thread starter
- #153
The Old Ram-Australia
Lovin' The Homestead
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2011
- Messages
- 199
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 54
G'day,how"yer"goin,todays will be a short one as it has been showery rain for most of the day and the rain is so cold that it is almost snow..........Laying the "paver's" went well today and it should all be done to morrow,I 'm sure I am confusing some of you about this task.The paving stones are like concrete bricks that I am using to make a floor in the conservatory attached to the back of the house.
Q & A:..Yes DL,that was the reason I suggested the electric fence as the windrow hedge will keep the stock in OK.Here's another tree you can consider for your hedgerows,the pods are great stock-feed(especially for the goats)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratonia_siliqua
Here's another one,it needs good drainage though ,you can grow it in a plot and cut and carry for the stock
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/field/field-crops/forage-fodder/crops/tagasaste
IMO,you are far better to have as mixed a pasture as you can get,rather than a mono-culture,as all manner of weds and odd grasses will be appreciated by the stock,even buying your grains and mixing them yourself is much better than pellets.
~GD...I nearly fell off of my chair ,we are even the "same"age .That few acres will be an asset in the future as tows don't get "smaller".....Sorry to hear that your health is not the best though.
As I said a quick one tonight,so til next time ,best wishes to you all .................T.O.R...................................
Q & A:..Yes DL,that was the reason I suggested the electric fence as the windrow hedge will keep the stock in OK.Here's another tree you can consider for your hedgerows,the pods are great stock-feed(especially for the goats)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratonia_siliqua
Here's another one,it needs good drainage though ,you can grow it in a plot and cut and carry for the stock
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/field/field-crops/forage-fodder/crops/tagasaste
IMO,you are far better to have as mixed a pasture as you can get,rather than a mono-culture,as all manner of weds and odd grasses will be appreciated by the stock,even buying your grains and mixing them yourself is much better than pellets.
~GD...I nearly fell off of my chair ,we are even the "same"age .That few acres will be an asset in the future as tows don't get "smaller".....Sorry to hear that your health is not the best though.
As I said a quick one tonight,so til next time ,best wishes to you all .................T.O.R...................................
dragonlaurel
Improvising a more SS life
The St Johnsbread/Carob would have been great but I Googled how to grow it, and they would get winter killed here. Wish I'd tried growing it when I lived in Florida. It would have been happy there.
The tagasaste could work. I'll have to keep an eye out for that one.
The tagasaste could work. I'll have to keep an eye out for that one.
framing fowl
On a mission
Morning TOR. I love your philosophy of woodland grazing and creating habitats for the wild animals. One of my favorite stories of all time is called "My 90 acres". The guy had 90 acres and he let the fencerows grow up naturally and every Sunday he spent the day walking and observing his land. Everyone initially thought his place looked "junky" because the fences were overgrown but it provided habitat for the wild animals and diversity.
Do you do anything else special for the cockatoos other than encouraging the trees that they like? When I was a kid we had a lighting struck tree in the cow pasture that a pair of bald eagles would nest in. We didn't do anything other than leave them be. They're a lot more common now but they were just starting to recover in the early 80's. We always felt so special that they chose our tree year after year.
Do you do anything else special for the cockatoos other than encouraging the trees that they like? When I was a kid we had a lighting struck tree in the cow pasture that a pair of bald eagles would nest in. We didn't do anything other than leave them be. They're a lot more common now but they were just starting to recover in the early 80's. We always felt so special that they chose our tree year after year.
The time difference betweem TOR is quite a bit our eastern time right now is -4 hours from greenwich England (-5 hours in winter when we are off Daylight savings time. Where TOR is is +10 when they are off Daylight time which I think they are now. So one way around the world he differs by 14 hours and the other way it is 10 hours but the date is different. The last I knew they were still debating daylight time There was even a political party founded "Daylight Saving for South East Queensland' What always confused me was that most of central Australia was 9 and a HALF hour differen from greenwich time.t
TOR I suspected that you were about 5 years younger than me. The stress and soft living (siting behind a desk for all those years) are the major causes of my health problems. I never got as much exercise as I should have. I gained too much weight which in turn stopped me from being able to exercise. I finally got that under control and my weight is declining at the rate of about a pound/month. It is speeding up some and I hope to get it up to a kilo/month. The more I lose the better I feel and feel like exercising more, just the reverse of the sprial that got me here. I have high blood pressure to and that is also slowly going down for the same reason. my primary response to stress and inactivity is to cook and eat more, The answer is to keep busy, grab a simple meal like soup or a salad and get back it again. Speaking of which the local rainstorm has passed, time for my walk before it gets hot again. Catch you next time...~gd
- Thread starter
- #158
The Old Ram-Australia
Lovin' The Homestead
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2011
- Messages
- 199
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 54
G'day Gang,I'm "dammed" if I can work out the time difference between us and yourselves,in spite of ~GD's best efforts(I changed the profile again ,so I hope I have it right now).......
So today(monday) set about getting the floor finished,it was fine until about lunch and then the showers started again ,the sheep are well and truly "wet" now and I can forget "shearing" until next weekend at the earliest.....Well the floor is all done (photo to come later)
Q & A:..DL.I would not give up on the Carob just yet,I think if you can get some seed and start them off in a pot ,plant them out and protect them for a couple of years you might be "surprised" (after all you are taking on challengers larger than that).The Tagasaste works "really "well in WA on their sandy soils.
~GD: I'm so glad to hear that you are on the road to "better health".I find that the constant "walking" (about 6km's) to check the sheep,not only keeps me "fit",but stops the "dogs ' from getting to fat as well....Its also my "thinking time",and my chance to observe whats going on at "ground level".The one job I have to get onto is taking the photo's for this month(first fine day).
THE WILD LIFE SPOT.....I thought I would address the Q&A from FF here.....I have a saying "If the wildlife have NO value, then you will not value the wildlife".....Of all the native animals on our place the only one that has "no redeeming feature" is the Wombat.Everything else has a place of value in our production system.
The reptiles eat rabbits and rodents.
Many of the birds consume Beetles and Grubs
Even the Kangaroo's and Wallaby's trample and knock down the "Woodland Grasses" ,thus improving the soil carbon and "feeding the soil biology".
The wild ducks eat the "native snail"that harbor the Liver Fluke"
Even the "native quail" spread grass seeds as the move about the pasture.
When we first started I set up a simple spreadsheet to record what we had on our place.Over each month I would note what I saw as I walked around carrying out my normal work.After one year of sightings I was able to "determine " what was a resident and what came to breed/feed.
We have three main species of Eucalypti on our place,but its not until they are quite old that they provide "hollows" as breeding spots for the various parrot species...Standing "dead" trees are known as "Stags" and these contain many "breeding hollows",so the "trick"is DO Not cut any of these down,instead collect "firewood" from fallen timber of which we have "tons" to choose from.....The key to "grazing Grassy Woodlands " is to "muster"
QUIETLY the grazing stock,otherwise all you end up with is a "lot of broken legs"as the sheep"gallop" through the "fallen timber".
We have quite a number of Raptors that "hunt" our country,from the Wedge-tail Eagle's,plus a variety of large and smaller hawks.
http://www.birdphotos.com.au/Wedge tail Eagle/default.html
We seem to have a couple of "breeding pairs"and they are often spotted close by the house,searching for a "feed" and in late summer they can be seen "teaching " the young one's to hunt.
Well I think that "concludes" our chat for tonight,we hope you have "enjoyed" your visit with us again and you will return again in the future,as you are most welcome,don't forget Q&A is a big part of this "journal",so your "input" is considered "essential" for us to benefit from the exchange,so til next time our "best wishes" to you all.....................................T.O.R..............................
So today(monday) set about getting the floor finished,it was fine until about lunch and then the showers started again ,the sheep are well and truly "wet" now and I can forget "shearing" until next weekend at the earliest.....Well the floor is all done (photo to come later)
Q & A:..DL.I would not give up on the Carob just yet,I think if you can get some seed and start them off in a pot ,plant them out and protect them for a couple of years you might be "surprised" (after all you are taking on challengers larger than that).The Tagasaste works "really "well in WA on their sandy soils.
~GD: I'm so glad to hear that you are on the road to "better health".I find that the constant "walking" (about 6km's) to check the sheep,not only keeps me "fit",but stops the "dogs ' from getting to fat as well....Its also my "thinking time",and my chance to observe whats going on at "ground level".The one job I have to get onto is taking the photo's for this month(first fine day).
THE WILD LIFE SPOT.....I thought I would address the Q&A from FF here.....I have a saying "If the wildlife have NO value, then you will not value the wildlife".....Of all the native animals on our place the only one that has "no redeeming feature" is the Wombat.Everything else has a place of value in our production system.
The reptiles eat rabbits and rodents.
Many of the birds consume Beetles and Grubs
Even the Kangaroo's and Wallaby's trample and knock down the "Woodland Grasses" ,thus improving the soil carbon and "feeding the soil biology".
The wild ducks eat the "native snail"that harbor the Liver Fluke"
Even the "native quail" spread grass seeds as the move about the pasture.
When we first started I set up a simple spreadsheet to record what we had on our place.Over each month I would note what I saw as I walked around carrying out my normal work.After one year of sightings I was able to "determine " what was a resident and what came to breed/feed.
We have three main species of Eucalypti on our place,but its not until they are quite old that they provide "hollows" as breeding spots for the various parrot species...Standing "dead" trees are known as "Stags" and these contain many "breeding hollows",so the "trick"is DO Not cut any of these down,instead collect "firewood" from fallen timber of which we have "tons" to choose from.....The key to "grazing Grassy Woodlands " is to "muster"
QUIETLY the grazing stock,otherwise all you end up with is a "lot of broken legs"as the sheep"gallop" through the "fallen timber".
We have quite a number of Raptors that "hunt" our country,from the Wedge-tail Eagle's,plus a variety of large and smaller hawks.
http://www.birdphotos.com.au/Wedge tail Eagle/default.html
We seem to have a couple of "breeding pairs"and they are often spotted close by the house,searching for a "feed" and in late summer they can be seen "teaching " the young one's to hunt.
Well I think that "concludes" our chat for tonight,we hope you have "enjoyed" your visit with us again and you will return again in the future,as you are most welcome,don't forget Q&A is a big part of this "journal",so your "input" is considered "essential" for us to benefit from the exchange,so til next time our "best wishes" to you all.....................................T.O.R..............................
TOR Time difference, to be honest I dont really understand it myself! I think I mentioned I used to maintain email contact with an Aussie woman and since email is fairly quick we had many discussions of the time difference. All we ever worked out was that if I sent between 8-5 US Eastern Time, not to expect a reply until the next day. She used to go on and on about her new ute from the context I knew it was a motor vehicle but if it was so good why had I never heard of one in the US? (Ute=utility vehicle=pickup) Her father had taught her the rhyming slang he had learned in England but I never got the point). Footy was good for about a month (there are at least 4 different games) until I asked who she rooted for. (Evidently a rude word for the act of sex at least in Vic?)
Walking is my main exercise too. Now about 2 kms/day. I finally convinced my doctor to cut back on my blood pressure medicine. I would take it first thing in the morning and go out to walk in the morning while it was still cool. When the pill kicked in my pressure would drop and I would be light headed and dizzy from lack of blood to the brain. I had to show him twice before he cut the dose and switched to a time release form. Reason The generic brands only comes in one size treats all and he assumed I was covered by the Government plan but I used to work for a major Drug co. Anything they make I can get for free. Free is much cheaper than the government crap that was causing a lot of my problems.
Wild life what place of value does the rabbits hold? I thought they were considered introduced pests that are now under control of an introduced virus. Do you have fox in your parts they will take lambs in the US (and domestic waterfowl and chickens. What reptiles eat rabbits I dont think I would like to meet one! The woman mentioned above sent me seeds from something she called a mountain ash but was loaded with eucalyptol oil in the leaves. It took off fast straight up until I cut it down because I was afraid it would fall on the house. She said it would grow tall but I planted it too close to the house.
Gday! ~gd
Walking is my main exercise too. Now about 2 kms/day. I finally convinced my doctor to cut back on my blood pressure medicine. I would take it first thing in the morning and go out to walk in the morning while it was still cool. When the pill kicked in my pressure would drop and I would be light headed and dizzy from lack of blood to the brain. I had to show him twice before he cut the dose and switched to a time release form. Reason The generic brands only comes in one size treats all and he assumed I was covered by the Government plan but I used to work for a major Drug co. Anything they make I can get for free. Free is much cheaper than the government crap that was causing a lot of my problems.
Wild life what place of value does the rabbits hold? I thought they were considered introduced pests that are now under control of an introduced virus. Do you have fox in your parts they will take lambs in the US (and domestic waterfowl and chickens. What reptiles eat rabbits I dont think I would like to meet one! The woman mentioned above sent me seeds from something she called a mountain ash but was loaded with eucalyptol oil in the leaves. It took off fast straight up until I cut it down because I was afraid it would fall on the house. She said it would grow tall but I planted it too close to the house.
Gday! ~gd
dragonlaurel
Improvising a more SS life
I don't worry about the time difference for internet. I figure people will see the post when they have time, no matter when I write.
The gardening websites said Carob would need to be kept inside for the first couple winters, then it could start producing around 7 years old. But they said it doesn't handle 20 F well for more than a few hours. That's the part that worries me. Some trees can be grown in a container, maybe . . .
Tagasaste looks pretty good.
Here's one to check out - Honey Locust (gleditsia triacanthos) It is native here, fixes nitrogen, the pods are good fodder, and the thorns would help my fences very much.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust
Q & A - "Of all the native animals on our place the only one that has "no redeeming feature" is the Wombat.Everything else has a place of value in our production system."
You might not like this sometimes, but maybe their role is to loosen up the soil and probably also to open up paths for the all the animals to use.
Unfortunately, they may do it in all the worst places.
The gardening websites said Carob would need to be kept inside for the first couple winters, then it could start producing around 7 years old. But they said it doesn't handle 20 F well for more than a few hours. That's the part that worries me. Some trees can be grown in a container, maybe . . .
Tagasaste looks pretty good.
Here's one to check out - Honey Locust (gleditsia triacanthos) It is native here, fixes nitrogen, the pods are good fodder, and the thorns would help my fences very much.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust
Q & A - "Of all the native animals on our place the only one that has "no redeeming feature" is the Wombat.Everything else has a place of value in our production system."
You might not like this sometimes, but maybe their role is to loosen up the soil and probably also to open up paths for the all the animals to use.
Unfortunately, they may do it in all the worst places.
