- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Two, by two.... just as well there was no EU in those days, life would be extinct.
"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..
- Thread starter Kiwi Pete
- Start date
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
No worries!
Yes, he says it "straight from the hip", I also enjoy his column, as I see natural selection as being the natural way to manage livestock - none of the mollycoddling and expense as with selecting what we can make work... see what I did there?
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Interesting. I wasn't thinking of wheels, just a steel frame from 3 inch box built to take 2 of our 8 foot troughs side by side with a reel on it to wind the pipe up.
I'll draw out my thoughts and share them on here for comment before I build anything.
Seems a switched on chap.
https://www.facebook.com/2238904609658311/posts/2298535340361904/
https://www.facebook.com/2238904609658311/posts/2298535340361904/
The homemade one I put a picture up of has the best way of spooling up pipe I've seen, its very easy to roll it up around the trough. I wouldn't worry too much about rolling the pipe up, I just have a selection of 50-150m lengths of MDPE that I heave on the headland or along fencelines when I'm not using, you soon know what needs to go where, and its cheap, fairly frictionless and easy to repair & add too.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Are your troughs fed from the mains? (All ours are via 20mm lines hence needing a large trough to buffer demand)
We've not yet been inspected for water regulations compliance but I'm sure it'll come so I avoid feed valves below the tank overflow level. It would be a large investment to replace our current network with a pumped one independent of the mains, not with it with our plans to leave.
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Sounds like a nice setup. Any idea who runs it?Bad news travels fast around here!!
Welcome, Ross!
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It runs itself, by the look of it.Sounds like a nice setup. Any idea who runs it?
Boy's land
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Yes, 2 boys to be preciseIt runs itself, by the look of it.
Boy's land
I suspect that BJ could keep it running for at least a few months without you both if disaster struck
Looks like he has loads of unfair advantages and the grass grows all year round. It’ll never work hereSounds like a nice setup. Any idea who runs it?
- Location
- Devon
The first pic with the cat I couldn't decide if it was cat, dog or albino fox! It looks huge compared to your boyBad news travels fast around here!!
Welcome, Ross!
Can't get over the difference between your paddock and the neighbour's one with the thistles...It runs itself, by the look of it.
Boy's land
Mostly borehole and gravity fed, anywhere from 3' below tank level to 180'. I am considering installing a pump as in summer, and with the cows at peak yield I sometimes have to use 2 troughs, although currently I am running a single 25mm pipe and some of 20mm, which is why I will probably install a 32mm main probably on the surface for the most part.
A tank and a decent pump would probably be done for less than £1k. A borehole was originally put in here in the 90's as the mains was very unreliable, and the cows were smashing the troughs up when they went dry.
What size are your mobs? If you can put a trough right next to the cows you will probably find peak demand is a lot lower as they will drink as individuals, rather than all going to the trough at the same time.
@Kiwi Pete - Those pictures tell 1000 words and your place is looking smashing, your clearly doing it right
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
That's Gru. He's awesome, mostly seen draped over my shoulder or somewhere within a 3 mile radius of home, being so visible you see him all over the place.The first pic with the cat I couldn't decide if it was cat, dog or albino fox! It looks huge compared to your boy
He has a massive range, and a good big fluffy tail. A good cat.
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Grand looking heifers you have there @Kiwi Pete
What breeds you got.
There’s a blue looking one that looks a belter.
Are these the ones you are planing on breeding from?
What breeds you got.
There’s a blue looking one that looks a belter.
Are these the ones you are planing on breeding from?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
The neighbour has a semi rotational system, just a few lambs and they roam around in each paddock for a few weeks.
All that's needed is to change the animals behaviour, plenty rotationally graze but aren't tough enough at the right time, and then maintain that weed control can't be achieved.
Of course it can!
But it doesn't just happen, we have to make it happen.
Sometimes I just walk around and the animals follow me, and we walk round and round on a thistle patch and then things change. It doesn't have to be done with fences and 15,000 volts.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Yep they are mostly all shorthorn crossed with dairy, other than a limmy cross and a couple of little herefords.
But yes, the intention is to borrow a speckle park bull and get them bred, they are not huge but that's no issue.
But yes, the intention is to borrow a speckle park bull and get them bred, they are not huge but that's no issue.
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
just come across this - might help anyone going into paddocks with little cover over the winter..shelter ideas.
http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/rmfres/windprot/protect.html
http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/rmfres/windprot/protect.html