Pasture Management

[freemotion]

Cool, Ice!!!! (Pun intended.....)

 

[miss_thenorth]

Here is a picture of my rotational grazing setup. It consists of a 5' x 12' x 6' chain link dog kennel, an axel, two wheels, two lambs, and by the end of the summer, strong arms.

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/658_barn_005.jpg

I put the sheep in the pen, and pulled it to a different area 3 times a day. I added organic untreated pasture seeds to their creep feed, and in theory, they re-seeded my small pasture. All in all, my set-up worked really well. My sheep were secure, even when they were tiny, they couldn't eat enough to get bloat, but they got enough to gain weight at a regular rate, and I didn't have to spend an arm and a leg in fencing.

Plus, once I built their large winter pen, I could run my fall chickens in the kennel.

Do you breed these sheep? and if so, what do you do about when lambing time comes around? Very cool, I will have to show this to hubby. We do happen to have an unused dog kennel hanging around waiting to be repurposed, too.

 

[valmom]

Cool- a sheep tractor! Love it.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I like it too. If I made one, I might want to make it a hoop house shape, though, just because I could use it for other purposes besides sheep. It is a great idea. I don't have sheep mostly because we have predators around right now.

 

[ducks4you]

problem with pasture management is most people don't have enough land..LOL

I did laugh at that one. I would LOVE to own the 50 adjoining farm acres in back of my property. However, I am behind on my maintanence of my own 5 acres right now!! Here are some pictures of my property. When I first moved there 10 years ago, I had 5 horses. I'm at 2 right now, and soon will have 3 or 4 this year.

This is my 5 acre rectangular property. The photo was taken in the Spring of 2008, a few months after we had new fencing put it. I'm reluctant for Google to change it--the tracks from fencing equipment (almost ALL filled in NOW)--make it look a little like a war zone!!

This is my original "North Pasture." When we first looked at the property, I couldn't imagine the size was correct because ALL OF THIS was in corn. Also, it was all in 40 year old cattle fencing, in various states of disrepair.
When you re-fence you get the opportunity to fix things.

I made this area rectangular, with a gate large enough to drive a truck through, another large enough for a tractor and 25 foot disc (east fence) and with a 13 foot west gate. My horses reseeded everything in this pasture that they graze on, including clover and rye grass. (THAT amazed me.) They get to spend the majority of their turnout here. I ride/train here--property is flat as a board--so I don't mind if they chew the living daylights out of it. Where I live, you can maintain 1 horse/1 acre grazing, so it all grows back in the spring, anyway.

I re-fenced THIS area, which is west and north of the barn and includes my shelter (Attached to the west side of the barn,) so that ALL my horses could be turned out without damaging the North Pasture, South Pasture, or my training area and still have plenty of room to run.

This is my South Pasture. I pushed the fencing about 15 feet further south, so that my "orchard" could be separated from my horses, and be part of the fenced in area in front (east) of my barn, that was originally there. Also the east fence that begins going south from my North Pasture is now straight to the edge of the property, instead of the original jogs. The previous owners planted about 30 pine trees, each 12 feet from the fencing. They are a terrific wind break. I'm picky about horse access to this pasture. I don't want them chewing it down to mud, so they're allowed on it ONLY when it's dry, or if the ground has snow.

I had tried to make a big garden before I fixed my fencing. Since I had to measure it I know the exact size--55 ft x 65 ft. (This is the blacked out square right in the middle and NE of the black roof on my barn.) Gave up on the garden, but put in 2 gates for this area which is my OWN version of a "Round Pen." It's working out very well for me, plus it will be great place to introduce a new horse to the herd, OVER the fence, of course.

 

[Iceblink]

is that a Dorper I see in there?

Yes, that is Portia. She was supposed to be in the freezer by now, but since she was born so late (Mid June) it wouldn't have been worth processing her in Nov, so I decided to keep her and breed her this fall.

I am planning on fencing in my pasture and using electronet fencing for small interior paddocks. I will use the sheep tractor for my little ram lamb all summer, then turn him out with the girls in the fall.

 

[valmom]

I love the google earth pictures- last time I looked at our property, it was more than 4 years out of date. I don't think they look at our corner of nowhere very often

OK, I downloaded google earth and I was right- the last picture of our area was July 2003. How did you get such good resolution on you photos? Did you do aerial pictures?

 

[Wifezilla]

problem with pasture management is most people don't have enough land..LOL

TELL ME ABOUT IT! I am working with .167th of an acre TOTAL. The house, garage and shed cover half of it

 

[Farmfresh]

problem with pasture management is most people don't have enough land..LOL

TELL ME ABOUT IT! I am working with .167th of an acre TOTAL. The house, garage and shed cover half of it

OOOH you have a shed I am jealous! Total is .123 of a acre at my house.

 

[Wifezilla]

I figure we are the gardening equivalent of a haiku.