Best animal and breed to clear hay and straw

[Anonymous...]

Sure the guys local to you can advise on cattle breeds, I would have thought most native breeds would out winter down there, but it depends on your ground , you don't want it poaching to death.

 

[theboytheboy]

Anyone local got any suggestions or animals for sale?

Portsmouth area

 

[Extreme Optimist]

I put a roof over the liveries muck heap where they chuck out all their straw (which looks as good as new) and any hay not eaten from the night before (as it must have gone off over night!). I use this for a shed of cattle. It just about supplies the cows with all their bedding and probably 10 - 15% of their feed. It also saves having horse muck so soft that it comes out of the spreader in one lump at a time!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Have you tried sheeting the side of the barn and putting pallets under the bales or do you this as standard practice

 

[theboytheboy]

Have you tried sheeting the side of the barn and putting pallets under the bales or do you this as standard practice

Standard practice. Only exposed is the ends

A bit gets damaged by leaky roofs but am sorting that slowly but surely

 

[Angus]

As your close to Sussex, why not try Sussex cattle? A member on here, Sussex Martin, used to keep them I believe. Perhaps someone could tag him, I'm afraid I don't know how to do that, Angus.

 

[Wendy10]

So if we went down the cattle route are there any breeds that could be kept outside all year round?
How many acres per animal would you need?
Does tb make it more hassle than its worth? Were on the Hampshire Sussex border.

Yes

 

[muppet]

If my nags are hungry enough, they'll eat it as long as it's not mouldy. They aren't allowed to be fussy!

 

[Giles1]

I think you would be making a rod for your own back buying stock.They will poach the ground,die,need paperwork,vets,testing,movement and medicine books,a trailer and towing vehicle complete with another movement book and CPC certificate,handling facilities,tags,replacement tags,herd/flock number,knacker mans number,Assurance scam (sorry,scheme) affiliation,proper fences,understanding neighbours,not forgetting a Firearms cert for the Humane livestock disposal tool(.22),and regular monitoring and feeding.A thick skin is advisable,stock will make a fool of you,check out the stolen calf thread on here from JP1.I could go on but I need to go and put on some silage tainted,damp waterproofs and leaky Noras to feed and check some beasts in the pishing rain.Swan Vestas or some other idiot with stock are the easiest options.

 

[theboytheboy]

I think you would be making a rod for your own back buying stock.They will poach the ground,die,need paperwork,vets,testing,movement and medicine books,a trailer and towing vehicle complete with another movement book and CPC certificate,handling facilities,tags,replacement tags,herd/flock number,knacker mans number,Assurance scam (sorry,scheme) affiliation,proper fences,understanding neighbours,not forgetting a Firearms cert for the Humane livestock disposal tool(.22),and regular monitoring and feeding.A thick skin is advisable,stock will make a fool of you,check out the stolen calf thread on here from JP1.I could go on but I need to go and put on some silage tainted,damp waterproofs and leaky Noras to feed and check some beasts in the pishing rain.Swan Vestas or some other idiot with stock are the easiest options.

Thanks for the honest opinion.....bad day/winter or is this genuinely how you feel about it most if the time?

 

[Giles1]

Like everyone else,I have my moments! The point I'm trying to make is the days when you went to mart every week for a blether and maybe buy a few beasts to eat some excess grass and barley screenings are gone,livestock keeping is getting to be a complex operation and you need to know what you could be up against.If you are up for a challenge go for it,but do your sums very carefully if cash is tight.(And don't count on subs unless you are prepared to turn your farm into a wildlife wilderness).If cash isn't so much an issue,you could have some fun breeding a native breed and doing the show circuit.Lincoln Reds,Sussex,something along those lines.