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Author Topic: Sheep wind breakers  (Read 1912 times)

Tracy mayoh

  • Joined Jul 2017
Sheep wind breakers
« on: July 22, 2017, 12:51:37 pm »
Hello
I am new to keeping pet sheep we want to plant some trees/ hedges of some sort to create natural shelters for the sheep
What sort of plants/trees are the best safest and most efficient
At the minute it's a big fenced in field with nothing but grass and there man made shelter

macgro7

  • Joined Feb 2016
  • Leicester
Re: Sheep wind breakers
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2017, 01:18:41 pm »
Poplar or willow will grow by far the fastest and you can feed them to sheep when you are running etc.
Otherwise you can plant traditional hedging plants like Hawthorn
Growing loads of fruits and vegetables! Raising dairy goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits on 1/2 acre in the middle of the city of Leicester, using permaculture methods.

bj_cardiff

  • Joined Feb 2017
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Sheep wind breakers
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2017, 01:37:11 pm »
Willow would be great, remember to fence it off though as the sheep will eat them!

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Sheep wind breakers
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2017, 03:20:55 pm »
If possible I would put holly in as well, slower growing but brilliant winter shelter and  also for birds nesting etc.
We also have birch, it was cut back when it reached about 8ft, ive realised recently it makes a nice windbreak.

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Sheep wind breakers
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2017, 04:02:38 pm »
Our sheep break wind quite effectively without our assistance!

This is an interesting thread though, since we have the same dilemma. The windiest edge of our land has rhododendron bushes planted the other side of the fence to break the wind, which they do very effectively. However, I really want to get rid of them firstly because they are poisonous to sheep, and secondly because they are not native.

We did plant hawthorn along one section a few years ago, but it takes a long time to become hedge-like. In the meantime, can I suggest attaching a couple of thicknesses of scaffold mesh along the fenceline?  It's pretty cheap, and we've found that it works surprisingly well as a wind break.

"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Sheep wind breakers
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2017, 11:27:22 pm »
Our sheep break wind quite effectively without our assistance!



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