The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Nikkijw on September 01, 2024, 07:36:30 am
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Hi all, I wondered if you can please advise me. I have a small flock of 8 suffolk cross pet sheep. My grazing is very poor and I desperately need to move them. I have been offered a paddock of approx 1.5 acres which previously homed 2 horses. It's been empty for approx 6 months and the grass is very overgrown, knee high, hay like but flattened by the winds. I can see the fresher green grass underneath. I really want to take on the grazing as I'm desperate but can I put them straight in as it is and just let them work through it or will I need it topped? I'm hoping it will see me through the winter. Appreciate your thoughts. Thank you
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It won't do them any harm
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Well, going from very poor grass to very rich grazing will probably make them scour. I wouldn't worry about putting Primitives on there, but I don't know enough about Suffolks to know how well they naturally restrict their own intake.
You could use an electric wire to restrict them to grazing strips to be sure they don't get bloat, staggers or whatever commercial type sheep get from too much green grass. It would be cheaper than getting it topped if you can't do that yourself.
We have just cut a pasture which sounds exactly like that for hay and in spite of cow parsley which has gone to seed and the thatch of the earlier hay, the crop is looking fair. It is currently getting utterly drowned in a daylong downpour, but we have several days of breeze and sunshine to come, so I think we'll get something 'to fill their bellies' as my neighbour puts it ie not good hay but we're no longer breeding anyway so quality is not so important. Perhaps making hay is an option for you?
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Strip graze it.
My 9 Wiltshires are On 2nd run down little craft, it's stripgrazed, then they'll get the bottom left for 2nd time. The grass is lush green. Both fields total about 1.5 acre.
These 2 fields are not hay suitable due to sizes (awkward sizes, rushes etc).
My 10 Shetlands are loose on a field of about the same size of crappy grass that the Wiltshires would turn their noses up at. The ground is different, it's 2.5 miles away. They are slowly munching their way through it. It's long in places but ok at the bottom.
They are also looking good, I expected them to be lean so I'm pleasantly surprised!