How long for pasture to "clean up" from sheep?

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
A friend and I were chatting last week about worm burdens and other sheep related problems on grassland. The new flock here was wormed with Zolvix*, isolated and then did a FEC with a bit fat Zero as a result :) The sheep are now only run on clean land, that has never had sheep before, so keeping them clean and hopefully healthy.

Then started to wonder, how long would it take for a pasture to become "clean" from several years of sheep contamination/use.... Mainly worm issues I guess, but any other sheepy bugs that lurk? Herself's extensive flock was always Heptavacced and wormed.

My take is that the plough is needed, but not an option on PP!


On TFF advice
 
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Tim W

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
From my experience on a mixed/organic/extensive farming system i reckon there is no simple answer but---
The plough /arable cropping is the best way
Leaving a pasture without sheep for a year is the next best thing but to make gains you really want to open up the ground to UV light (worms hate UV)---make hay when there's lots of sun

We did an ADAS study in the late '80's and it always amazed me how fast a clean pasture(no sheep for 12 months) got re-infected ---but when you think how many eggs can come out of the back end of one sheep in a day it shouldn't be a surprise
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
From my experience on a mixed/organic/extensive farming system i reckon there is no simple answer but---
The plough /arable cropping is the best way
Leaving a pasture without sheep for a year is the next best thing but to make gains you really want to open up the ground to UV light (worms hate UV)---make hay when there's lots of sun

We did an ADAS study in the late '80's and it always amazed me how fast a clean pasture(no sheep for 12 months) got re-infected ---but when you think how many eggs can come out of the back end of one sheep in a day it shouldn't be a surprise
I seemed to recall being told at one time (College/Day Release) that hay making was the best way to break the worm cycle... I can well believe the open sward after mowing would help with anything on top.

I have now persuaded Herself of why I do not want my EC girls anywhere near her dirty sheep...!! :sneaky:

But got a couple of really useful paddocks near the buildings, I would like to use next year for lambing.... Sadly, not on for ploughing as PP
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
From my experience on a mixed/organic/extensive farming system i reckon there is no simple answer but---
The plough /arable cropping is the best way
Leaving a pasture without sheep for a year is the next best thing but to make gains you really want to open up the ground to UV light (worms hate UV)---make hay when there's lots of sun

We did an ADAS study in the late '80's and it always amazed me how fast a clean pasture(no sheep for 12 months) got re-infected ---but when you think how many eggs can come out of the back end of one sheep in a day it shouldn't be a surprise
I read an article from the soil association talking about the grass stems, on ryegrass they are smooth, this makes it easy for worms to climb up, while on the other varieties it is hairy, so harder for them to climb up, so a ryegrass dominated sward would increase worm burden more.

I wonder too, if in a rotational or high intensity grazing scenario with the higher covers when the stock start to graze combined with the rest periods longer than the worm cycle, that would reduce worm burden on a pasture.
 

delilah

Member
It is the one and only benefit of horses, we have several fields we are forced to share with horses and the sheep do seem to do better for it.
 

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