[Backinwellies]

I've just read a write up of a recent  trial on cattle breeds and  reducing rushes by grazing.....

http://www.farminglife.com/news/could-a-traditional-breed-of-irish-cattle-become-another-weapon-in-the-farmer-s-arsenal-1-4917598

anyone have any experience of any particular breed actually reducing rushes by grazing?    I am still deciding what breed of cattle to add to my smallholding... .. a rush grazer could be ideal!  Pasture all unimproved and quite wet with areas of rushes.        I intend mixed grazing on lowish stocking density and would like a traditional breed.

[Rosemary]

The Moileys are nice but the only one I've met had a kind of wild eye 

Shetlands will also graze rushes and are widely used for conservation grazing. For information contact Ruth Dalton at RBST. She's the Northern Field Officer and also keeps Shetland cattle ruth@rbst.org.uk

[HappyHippy]

Yup, my Shetlands (cattle & pony) are doing a great job of munching the rushes 
But they've only been at it for a couple of months, ask me again at the end of the year 

[shep53]

Highlanders certainly eat rushes and dead grass

[VSS]

The Moileys are nice but the only one I've met had a kind of wild eye 

I've only met one too, but she looked very gentle to me. Lovely cows - this would be my choice if we were to keep a rare breed of cattle.

Re the rushes, the only thing here that eats them is the pony, and I think that is only because we don't keep him anywhere that has grass as he is such a fattie!

[SallyintNorth]

Our sheep and our ponies - the Fells in particular - seem to eat the rushes to a greater extent than do our cattle, including our Blue Greys (Galloway x Whitebred Shorthorn), Angus and Hereford cattle.  However, the Blue Greys live on our 'fell' (rushy boggy area) with only a little hay over winter, so must be finding something to keep them alive.

They all particularly enjoy eating new growth.   So if you can top regularly, you'll get more grazing off.

As Dot says, the ponies probably eat rushes as much as they do because, being very good 'do-ers', they are always on very poor grazing. ;  And we probably don't see much damage to rushes on the 'fell' as we've just a handful of cattle up there and it's a massive, and very rushy, area.

Irish Moiled look gorgeous - if there's a conservation reason to keep them, that's great, innit?

[VSS]

Irish Moiled look gorgeous - if there's a conservation reason to keep them, that's great, innit?

Some strains are pretty milky too - I believe there is still one herd in Ireland being milk recorded.
Sadly heifers for sale are as hard to find as hen's teeth.