[Bumblebear]

We have recently bought a 2.5 acre plot which is attached to our acre (hurray  ). We have been after it for four years or so and for all this time is has been left untouched,  in fact I reckon it's been left untouched for a good time before that too!  Half of it is half a pit, the other half hole is farmed, so it has sides too steep to use a tractor/ride on with but great for walking up.  It is really quite magical in a way, although they is a lot of dead wood, and soft ground where it hasn't been walked on but anything other than foxes or deer.  Scrub is mainly bramble, hawthorn, wild plum and elder.  The bottom of the pit is covered in nettles.  The grass is very tussocky but was cut a month or so ago (just before sale) so soft stuff is coming up now.  My question is....how best to start 'tidying it'.  We will cut the dead wood out but what I envisaged as a starting point was cutting trails through it so we could walk around it comfortably.  But I was really thinking animals to clear nettles and generally graze it.  Oh forgot to mention their are rabbit holes too on the flat bit which we seriously need to fix as they are a hazard.  Do we just fill them in?

Any help and advice gratefully received, as this is a slightly more complicated project than our little acre grassy paddock! Lol

[Stereo]

Goats should hammer the brambles at least. If you can get something to keep eating the new leaves, eventually the brambles will die off. Pigs on the flat bits? They would fill in any redundant rabbit holes quick smart.

[SallyintNorth]

Congratulations!  And how exciting!   

Things that came to mind are:

* Brambles and fleecey sheep are not a good mix

* You'll need to be very sure there's nothing poisonous - rhododendron, for instance - before putting any livestock on.

I'd look to put pigs in, they do a wonderful job in those sorts of circumstances.  And then fill your freezer with yummy bacon and pork    - but I have no experience of goats and it sounds like goat heaven to me!

[Bumblebear]

There's def just wild plum, hawthorn, brambles and elder.  Our two goats looked lost bless them and the other disadvantage of goats is that if it rains they don't want to go out!  Like today   The thing with pigs is that I didn't really want the whole lot turned over.  I just thought, although I say 2.5 acres, the sides of the pit slopes probably add another acre on as the area to clear.  Do sheep not like shrubby/scrubby areas?  Are they more open grassland?   

[SallyintNorth]

* Brambles and fleecey sheep are not a good mix

[Bumblebear]

What about Wiltshires SITN?

[SallyintNorth]

What about Wiltshires SITN?

Well, that's a thought 

[Mammyshaz]

I have no idea whatsoever. Just want to say congratulations on your purchase and good luck with whatever you decide to munch on it  all exciting stuff.

[Treud na Mara]

Well, I thought, the thing with pigs is to 'electric fence train' them so you decide where they do their work for you. It does sound like goat heaven too and shouldn't be too difficult to build them a shelter they have access to if the weather doesn't suit. Or maybe a gate into their present field and I presume shelter at the moment. They should love being able to wander at will. In fact how about a goat holiday camp ? 

[Bumblebear]

The gate is open and they walk into the new bit then turn round and eat the grass in their old paddock!  I think I need some more goats who are a bit more adventurous 

[Bramblecot]

Having just spent 1/2 hour untangling yet another daft lamb stuck in the bramble trails, I echo SITN's comment.  I'm not talking a bramble patch, just the bits from the hedge that hang over the stock netting .  The sheep spin round and round and get in a horrible mess.  Ok under supervision though .  My sheep will not usually eat growing nettles, maybe just the tips, but will clear up any that have been cut.

It sounds a lovely place, enjoy yourselves.

Ooh, and dead wood (standing and fallen) is great for buglife so don't be in a hurry to clear up .