Drowning in mud-help!

[dw123]

Hi Guys,

I'm having a bit of a nightmare at the moment, one of my 4 acre fields in particular is really badly poached throughout, its only got 2 dexters running on it, I've only just taken this particular field over from someone who managed it before (not very well it seems!)

I'm farming in Bristol, UK and our soil has a high clay content, the grass itself in the field is holding out well but the ground just swallows you up (especially in the gateway) its quite a wet field (with water just sitting at the top in one part! ) and i want to even it out, as the tractor ruts are almost knee height by the gate.
I don't know the best way to go about it- do i harrow it then roll and potentially reseed? I'm just concerned because the tractor digs divets and i wouldn't want to start harrowing and completely mash the whole field up with the tractor as at the moment we've only used the tractor by the gateway for this reason.

Basically, what I'm thinking of doing is waiting for the ground to dry out a bit (around march hopefully), harrow it to even the ground and then roll it out- does this seem logical? Coming from a very stressed farmer who's only ever had to manage perfect soil in nice flat fields!

 

[Kildare]

Yes harrow it a few times in different directions to level it when it is dry. Roll and sow grass seeds with some fertilizer. Don't keep stock on it over winter if it's wet.
Simple as that

 

[Midnight plough boy]

You may want to take a spade and dig a few holes to look at the soil structure to check there isn’t a pan which may reduce rooting and drainage. If you’re only going to harrow it, you wouldn’t take it out if there is one, and a deeper cultivation would be well timed with a re-seed. However if this is the case, you may need to wait a bit longer for it to dry so that you don’t smear the soil when you do it.

 

[AndrewM]

When we have created deep ruts as a track accross a field, we wait till mid spring when the ground is dry but not so dry its set like concrete. Then pull a chisel plough or sub soiler through the track to break it up. Leave it a bit, then harrow level roll and reseed. Otherwise you will struggle to filling the rutts. it sounds like a summer field/ needs drainage investment.

 

[Chae1]

Rotational grazing!?

 

[JP1]

Hi Guys,

I'm having a bit of a nightmare at the moment, one of my 4 acre fields in particular is really badly poached throughout, its only got 2 dexters running on it, I've only just taken this particular field over from someone who managed it before (not very well it seems!)

I'm farming in Bristol, UK and our soil has a high clay content, the grass itself in the field is holding out well but the ground just swallows you up (especially in the gateway) its quite a wet field (with water just sitting at the top in one part! ) and i want to even it out, as the tractor ruts are almost knee height by the gate.
I don't know the best way to go about it- do i harrow it then roll and potentially reseed? I'm just concerned because the tractor digs divets and i wouldn't want to start harrowing and completely mash the whole field up with the tractor as at the moment we've only used the tractor by the gateway for this reason.

Basically, what I'm thinking of doing is waiting for the ground to dry out a bit (around march hopefully), harrow it to even the ground and then roll it out- does this seem logical? Coming from a very stressed farmer who's only ever had to manage perfect soil in nice flat fields!

Sorry to say it but it's been so wet there should not have been any stock on it this Autumn. I usually outwinter most of my cattle but a large block came in from early November this year

 

[dw123]

Hi guys- cows have been moved off of it now anyway, but I’ve had an idea and it might sound a bit Irish but I’m thinking of giving it a go.
As I say, the field is 4 acres and poached fairlt badly in places.
we’ve got a flock of around 70 chickens, if I were to move them onto it and rotate them onto a new bit every couple of days surely they’d sort of flatten it out, Harrow it and fertilise whilst they’re there, and then I can taken them off of it and leave it to rest ready for spring grass to come through?
Let me know your thoughts- I’m thinking of trying it as an experiment, we don’t necessarily NEED this field so I’m willing to give it a go to see what kind of results we get.

 

[milkloss]

Rotational grazing chickens! Now there's a thing, where's @unlacedgecko @Kiwi Pete etc when you want them?

 

[GeorgeK]

we’ve got a flock of around 70 chickens, if I were to move them onto it and rotate them onto a new bit every couple of days surely they’d sort of flatten it out

Be careful, I don't know about chickens, but rabbit compaction is a real problem for some forum members. Whatever you do don't try to pull a subsoiler through with a David Brown after those chickens have given it a hammering

 

[dw123]

Sorry I should add in as a disclaimer I’m not professing to have come up with the idea of rotational grazing chickens- I just thought maybe to help with the poaching!
They’d only be on it for a couple of days at a time so would impaction be an issue?

 

[milkloss]

Sorry I should add in as a disclaimer I’m not professing to have come up with the idea of rotational grazing chickens- I just thought maybe to help with the poaching!
They’d only be on it for a couple of days at a time so would impaction be an issue?

move every half hour and should be fine

I'm only yanking a few chains here, to be fair I have no idea whether chickens would work, good luck with it.

 

[GeorgeK]

Sorry I should add in as a disclaimer I’m not professing to have come up with the idea of rotational grazing chickens- I just thought maybe to help with the poaching!
They’d only be on it for a couple of days at a time so would impaction be an issue?

Sorry couldn't resist, it's a reference to a long running TFF debate on wabbit compaction, we still have no conclusive answer as to whether there is such a thing!
Hard to imagine chickens helping that much as won't they scratch up the grass that needs to regrow? If it's in a good enough state that chickens might have an effect, I'd just flat roll it in the spring as soon as the top's dry. The grass will soon reappear even if it's turned to mud at the moment. As for ruts in the gateway, put some hardcore down

 

[ShooTa]

like it - it is unlikely to do harm

 

[Danllan]

...As I say, the field is 4 acres and poached fairlt badly in places.
we’ve got a flock of around 70 chickens, if I were to move them onto it and rotate them onto a new bit every couple of days surely they’d sort of flatten it out...

?

 

[Ukjay]

?

Catchphrase......



I guess :