[straush]

Hi,
We are in the process of buying a large plot (2 acres of paddock)  with a view of a few sheep and some chickens.  There has been no animals on the land for a few years and the grass is over grown.   As sheep likes short grass someone suggested I get either a horse or a cow in the first year to mow the grass.   I have some questions on this:
a)   Is it viable that cows will eat the long grass
b)   Can I keep one ?  I read they should not be kept alone – and in that case will it work to keep them company with a couple of sheep ?
c)   Will I have problems if I don’t milk them ?
d)   As we are only two and want to grow for our own (plus friends) consumption – any suggestions on breed – Dexters has caught my eye as they are a small breed

Hope this make sense
Thanks

[Dan]

Welcome to TAS. 

I'll let others more knowledgable that me answer your questions, you might find the cattle guide on the main website useful reading too:

http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/livestock/cattle/

HTH,

Dan

[Rosemary]

The rule of thumb for cattle is one per acre and a second acre if you want to make your own hay for winter feed. And yes, you should have at least tow of a similar age - ie a cow with a calf at foot isn't two.

If a cow doesn't have a calf, she doesn't produce milk so unless you breed cows it's not an issue.

You could perhaps try and find a couple of Dexter weaned calves to fatten for beef - they can be wild though, especially if their mammys are unhandled.

Or you could buy a couple of young calves to raise on artifical milk then run them on for beef.

Two acres is tight though.

If the grass is reasonable quality, you might be able to get a local farmer to take it for hay or you could get a contractor to cut and bale it as hay for you.

[SallyintNorth]

Two acres sounds a lot, I know, but it really isn't.

Whereabouts is the land?  2 acres in Dorset is a different kettle of fish to 2 acres in the Cumbrian uplands.

All herd animals need company of other animals of their own species, so no, you cannot keep one on its own or with just sheep for company.  The Welfare Code for cattle states that all cattle should have company of their own species and stage.  (Ie., two youngsters together is ok, one cow with her calf is not ok.) 

I think it unlikely you have enough ground to rear two youngsters to slaughter weight.  As a rule of thumb, 1 acre per horse or cow if it's excellent ground, drains well, not in a very wet area.  Otherwise 2 or 3 acres per horse or cow, and you may still need to bring them in over winter.  They may be hardy enough for the weather, but their hooves will trash wet ground. 

If I were you, I would find a local farmer with cattle who can put some youngsters on your plot to graze it off for you - if he puts 4 or 5 on, they'll eat it off in a month or less - and then get your sheep on.  Depending on the breed you choose and the ground, 8-10 sheep would probably be plenty.  Get store lambs to fatten, not breeding ewes, at least for the first year.  (And if you do want to have a breeding flock, then remember to account for the lambs when planning your stocking levels.  If you chose a slow-maturing breed, then 4 breeding ewes would mean carrying 10-12 animals over winter - which might be too much for the ground, depending on how wet it gets.)

Were you thinking of getting livestock on straight away, or waiting till spring?  If you can find a local farmer who's willing to graze it off for you, be guided by his/her advice on timing.

On growing your own beef, I really think you need to have a barn and more land to think about that.  You could maybe contemplate getting a couple of castrated male weaned calves from your local dairy farm and rearing them for 'rose veal' - but you'd need to plan it out, have them going away before the wet winter weather comes.

Have a read of the info on the site that Dan linked for you, and a think, and come back to ask some more questions 

[Buttermilk]

I do not think you have enough land for any cattle. I would strip graze the sheep to get the grass down.

[devonlad]

I agree with others. Doesn't sound like a set up for cows. Our 4 acres was overgrown and too long for sheep when we started. We had it topped for starters.      " borrowing" a couple of cows to tackle it is another option for next spring

[Marches Farmer]

I agree with the recent posts.  Cattle and sheep don't just need grazing, either.  They need a permanent clean water supply, hay if the weather turns bad, additional feed if they're pregnant, kit for vaccinations, foot trimming and worming and so on and so very on.  You'll also need some means of containing them for treatment, including bTB testing for cattle, and shelter in case they become ill or injured.  Starting with store lambs that you can get away to market before Winter, or finding a smallholder who needs some extra grazing for their sheep, would ease you into responsible livestock keeping. 

[Bionic]

I have 2.5 acres and it certainly doesn't seem enough land for cows to me.


I have 6 sheep, we did have 8 lambs last year too, but we are back to 6 sheep now. Although the grass gets out of hand in the spring/summer and OH needs to cut it, it seems to be about the right size of land for the sheep, especially when the winter comes and grazing is poor.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

personally I wouldnt purchase a cow (two cows) or a horse just to trim grass to an optimum length for sheep.


If you keep cows you will need a handling system, suitable strong fencing, parasite control, tb testing, shelter for winter, supplementary feeding in the form of hay, concentrates etc. Borrowing a couple of cows or horses is an option for a short period, It wont take them long to shorten an acre. They will test poor fencing though and potentially poach the land in wet areas.


Although sheep have a prefered length the will eat whats on offer and although they dont want it stemmy and seedy that wont happen until later in the year. I 'm not sure when you are planning to put them in it but at this time of year sheep will happily eat long grass in addition to good hay.


If you are trying to make the most of your pasture when resting it from your sheep then you can cut and mulch it with a ride on garden tractor or flail, this will put nutrient back in if your grass or land is poor. Or you could take off a single hay crop as loose hay if you have somewhere to store it.

[Fleecewife]

There's sheep and then there's sheep    A few primitives such as Hebrideans won't bat an eyelid at long grass.  Were you to match up with someone who needs a bit of winter grazing for hoggs, then they would keep the grass down from now on, and be ready for slaughter in August.  Then you bring on a handful of ewes as the basis of your flock.
I always advise to start with smaller numbers than you think.  The max number of sheep is six per acre, but this is for lush lowland grass, managed by an expert.  Three is plenty for average conditions, once you have lambs too, plus you have your hens to fit in somewhere, and you're bound to want to grow some veg too.

[straush]

Thanks for all the advice -  we are still in the process of buying the property.    there is 7acres but a lot of that is woodland and I would need to measure the paddocks when I get in as well as look at the fencing, grass etc as recommended in the various posts.

The property is in Surrey, on a slope with chalky ground - I don't think wet will be a problem.

Lots of things to think about and plan out.

thanks again for the comments.

[harmony]

Lots of good comments about cattle. Horses are not efficient grazers. They leave long patches where they dung and with too much grass and not enough work there are potential problems with laminitis. They need exercise and more land than you think.

[Rosemary]

Lots of good comments about cattle. Horses are not efficient grazers. They leave long patches where they dung and with too much grass and not enough work there are potential problems with laminitis. They need exercise and more land than you think.

Disagree abou the horses and grazing - if they are managed. We used the ponies to strip graze one of our poor paddocks a couple of winters ago. Lifted dung and grazed it tight. They grazed off all the crappy grass and rushes and it's much improved.

[Marches Farmer]

Your challk ground will dry out rapidly in Summer.  You may be able to thin the woodland and raise the tree canopy to give grazing with standards but that'll take a while to sort out.

[harmony]

Lots of good comments about cattle. Horses are not efficient grazers. They leave long patches where they dung and with too much grass and not enough work there are potential problems with laminitis. They need exercise and more land than you think.

Disagree abou the horses and grazing - if they are managed. We used the ponies to strip graze one of our poor paddocks a couple of winters ago. Lifted dung and grazed it tight. They grazed off all the crappy grass and rushes and it's much improved.

If that's what they have got to eat then they will eat it but generally people wouldn't consider horses as an option to improve pasture. In this case it wasn't about improving but managing the land and horses have a similar grazing pattern to sheep.