Very interesting sallyintnorth. Thanks a lot, I don't think I'll give up yet.
I found a comment on another forum "...Hi, we are moving towards this system – not with Highland cattle, but with Highland ponies, but I guess a lot of the same problems and solutions apply. We are in Scotland, where it can be pretty cold, pretty wet, and pretty windy…this is what we do:
We have enough acreage to exclude animals from some fields during the summer, to allow the grass to grow long to create foggage or ‘hay on the stalk’. During the winter, we use electric fencing to allow them a new strip of foggage every two days (every day if weather really bad). The horses jump on the new strip like locusts, and graze it clean down before the next move. They are moved before they break the sward and make it muddy (to stop weeds seeding)
The factors we have found is, obviously, time to move the fence – we’re pretty quick at this now and it takes about 20 mins with our system (and you’re going to be checking animals every day at least once anyway);
Protection from the weather, ESPECIALLY the wind. Rain and snow/cold less of an issue;
We do buy in SOME fodder, hardly any compared with what we used to do but it is for welfare reasons ie should the weather really close in and they need some supplementary feeding – you don’t want to be trying to buy hay or silage (or have it delivered) at that point!
The animals have never looked better! My partner is a veterinarian and has been monitoring the condition of the horses closely. They are a hardy breed, and will dig in snow, have thick natural coats etc…trying to do it with unsuitable less hardy breeds would be very unkind.
We are total converts ( with the provisos mentioned above). Far healthier for stock than being in barns or feedlots too."