Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

Logsdon talks about his sheep on rotational grazing in "All Flesh is Grass".

Another reason to get that book Bee.

I looked for it at both our libraries and neither had it, wouldn't you know! I may have to purchase it from Amazon to be able to read it!

 

[Farmfresh]

It worth the price!

 

[Beekissed]

It worth the price!

Just bought it off of Amazon for $15.98 including S&H! Can't wait to give it a read!

Thanks, FF!

 

[me&thegals]

I love my library!!! It's in a tiny town (2000) but has access to all surrounding libraries, so I actually have this book on my bedstand! Thanks for the recommendation

 

[freemotion]

ETA: If you lived close, I would show you how to process a chicken for free!

You'll process a chicken for ME???

 

[Farmfresh]

Bee - I learned of another little trick that I thought I should share with you. A pasture specialist was teaching this.

It is about over seeding a pasture with clover. I think it should work with other legumes as well, too - but I heard it in reference to clovers.

It seems that cattle do not digest clover seed, so if you want to over seed you simply feed the seed (probably un-treated) to the cattle. As the seed passes through the cow it is deposited with the cow patty - all over the pasture. This one way how clover is said to naturally spread.

This does several things. First the cow patty smothers the grass and weeds directly around and under it providing open space for the clover to get more sun with no competition. Since it is in poo, grazing animals tend to stay away (called the area of repugnance) Obviously it provides nutrition for the clover as well. They say seeding in this way you end up with big clover patches the following year and even bigger patches the year after that.

Interesting?

Of course it makes me wonder about feeding clover seeds to other grazers. (sheep? - horses?). It also makes me wonder about other legumes (lespdezia? - alfalfa?)

 

[Beekissed]

FF, I like that concept! I will try it with the sheep, though I had intended to let the clover kind of take over on its own, I don't know why that wouldn't work well. I'm wondering if my chickens wouldn't eat the seeds out of the patty but would find it difficult to pick it out of sheep raisins!

Salatin says, that with this type of grazing, it encourages the growth of the good perennials anyway but I don't see anything wrong in giving it a little.....boost.

 

[TanksHill]

ETA: If you lived close, I would show you how to process a chicken for free!

You'll process a chicken for ME???

Uhhhh, no shes going to come to Ca. and hep me!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

If I had DSL.....I tell ya what, if I can get the batteries to last in the camera, I might do a pic tutorial of the butchering this week and try downloading pics on the pc at work. Can't guarantee the results, but I may try it. I have dial-up or I would do the whole thing, step-by-step and download it to the forum.

I don't pluck but I do skin mine, as we don't normally eat the skin. I may pluck a few in the future to freeze as roasting chickens, but for now I usually use skinless chickens. Not to mention, its faster, easier and just less stinky!

 

[lorihadams]

I was just wondering about that! When Chad did Big Boy he plucked him and I was wondering if it would just be easier to skin them. Do you ever cut them up and freeze them or do you can them all? We are not much on the dark meat but my kids do like the legs. Hubby is not too keen on canning meat and I wouldn't even know how to begin to do it...never canned before but it is on my "to do" list!