- Location
- Lincolnshire
2.5 ewes to the acre is all it will carry outdoors through the winter here, with reasonable under drains but some sticky land. Could maybe have increased numbers by housing through the winter as some do just north of here with success but very careful management needed. Too high a stocking rate through the winter and the grass will be too slow to get going in the spring just when you need it most. Granted we ended up with surplus grass in the summer as the lambs came away but this was baled for horses.
High stocking rates frighten me. We have had near disasters with that. And once your in that corner there is no cheap way out.
The cattle/ sheep combo worked well here back in the old days. The cattle kept on top of the summer grass as the lambs went, then we spread the sheep thinly over all the grass in winter when the cattle came in. This last time round with livestock here we had too many sheep and not enough cattle IMO but. I’m not really in charge. We could never find a reliable source of calves when the local dairies went, dabbled in sucklers but didn’t get on that well with them. It’s a specialist job.
High stocking rates frighten me. We have had near disasters with that. And once your in that corner there is no cheap way out.
The cattle/ sheep combo worked well here back in the old days. The cattle kept on top of the summer grass as the lambs went, then we spread the sheep thinly over all the grass in winter when the cattle came in. This last time round with livestock here we had too many sheep and not enough cattle IMO but. I’m not really in charge. We could never find a reliable source of calves when the local dairies went, dabbled in sucklers but didn’t get on that well with them. It’s a specialist job.