"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

10th May still seems sensible enough, We aimed for 1st May but put the tups out a couple days early as ewes were gathered in, and knowing in-bye grass was finite decided to just get on with it. we'll have plenty ewes lambing after 10th May ourselves, probably including one ewe who travelled a couple of miles to find a neighbours tup yesterday. The only real downside to later lambing we had were younger and thriving sheep doing a little too well on the May flush and later lambs being bigger than we'd like, this year we plan to condition score and run leader-follower groups whilst in for lambing.

True I haven't been posting much, we've just been busy, a new baby in November and workload have kept me on the go. also if I'm really honest I'm still just getting over a ridiculous conflict that some local dog walkers started with us over Christmas. it's just left me a bit tired and deflated, I've been following the thread but unfortunately I haven't had many positive or constructive things to say.

Everything's just ticking along here, Grass growth has been quite good up till now, The ewes are in reasonable but not fantastic condition, they should do fine out on the heather though. The hoggs are working their way through the last of the in-bye grass left after tupping. they're a bit on the small side but fit and healthy. We're just waiting for spring really. At this time of year for us it's just chores, there's not that much managing to do.

Having unborn lambs with developing horns is a worry I do have, I guess much depends on the type of year it turns out to be. If we get a good Spring I may have regrets by the end of June! Recent history suggests to me that's less likely to occur. Moving ewes and young lambs in a paddock system is still a ball ache I have to find a solution to.

Congrats on the new human! They're fantastic, even when ya wanna murder them - secretly I admire the gumption to get that far under my skin. I'm having people issues as well. I've got a multi year solution that involves "f**k off" fences. In day to day operation I've decided not to engage, calls and texts go unanswered. If a message of importance is left I act, but I never respond.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
10th May still seems sensible enough, We aimed for 1st May but put the tups out a couple days early as ewes were gathered in, and knowing in-bye grass was finite decided to just get on with it. we'll have plenty ewes lambing after 10th May ourselves, probably including one ewe who travelled a couple of miles to find a neighbours tup yesterday. The only real downside to later lambing we had were younger and thriving sheep doing a little too well on the May flush and later lambs being bigger than we'd like, this year we plan to condition score and run leader-follower groups whilst in for lambing.

True I haven't been posting much, we've just been busy, a new baby in November and workload have kept me on the go. also if I'm really honest I'm still just getting over a ridiculous conflict that some local dog walkers started with us over Christmas. it's just left me a bit tired and deflated, I've been following the thread but unfortunately I haven't had many positive or constructive things to say.

Everything's just ticking along here, Grass growth has been quite good up till now, The ewes are in reasonable but not fantastic condition, they should do fine out on the heather though. The hoggs are working their way through the last of the in-bye grass left after tupping. they're a bit on the small side but fit and healthy. We're just waiting for spring really. At this time of year for us it's just chores, there's not that much managing to do.
Congratulations on the addition to your flock. Is he/she your first?
 

Guleesh

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Isle of Skye
Congrats on the new human!

Thankyou.

As for people problems, Like you I just don't get involved, better to ignore and walk away. Non engagement is the usual course of action here but when they're rounding up your sheep with a dalmation and moving them into the next field to clear the first field for group dog exercising, engagement is unavoidable.

Just another downside of having a disjointed place and leasing fields away, it leaves us vulnerable, it's very hard to police it all, and stressful to have animals a few miles away and be constantly worried about what spiteful people might be doing to them.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Thankyou.

As for people problems, Like you I just don't get involved, better to ignore and walk away. Non engagement is the usual course of action here but when they're rounding up your sheep with a dalmation and moving them into the next field to clear the first field for group dog exercising, engagement is unavoidable.

Just another downside of having a disjointed place and leasing fields away, it leaves us vulnerable, it's very hard to police it all, and stressful to have animals a few miles away and be constantly worried about what spiteful people might be doing to them.
Congratulations

goodness knows where some of these people get off
 
Thankyou.

As for people problems, Like you I just don't get involved, better to ignore and walk away. Non engagement is the usual course of action here but when they're rounding up your sheep with a dalmation and moving them into the next field to clear the first field for group dog exercising, engagement is unavoidable.

Just another downside of having a disjointed place and leasing fields away, it leaves us vulnerable, it's very hard to police it all, and stressful to have animals a few miles away and be constantly worried about what spiteful people might be doing to them.
It wouldn't surprise me hearing a story like that from the urban fringe somewhere but I would have thought that folk on Skye might be a bit more clued up and considerate?
 
Thankyou.

As for people problems, Like you I just don't get involved, better to ignore and walk away. Non engagement is the usual course of action here but when they're rounding up your sheep with a dalmation and moving them into the next field to clear the first field for group dog exercising, engagement is unavoidable.

Just another downside of having a disjointed place and leasing fields away, it leaves us vulnerable, it's very hard to police it all, and stressful to have animals a few miles away and be constantly worried about what spiteful people might be doing to them.

That's what my .223 is for.
 

Guleesh

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Isle of Skye
It wouldn't surprise me hearing a story like that from the urban fringe somewhere but I would have thought that folk on Skye might be a bit more clued up and considerate?

People here can be just as inconsiderate as anywhere, doesn't matter whether they're 'incomers' or 'locals'. I've found the most dangerous are the recently retired as they have nothing better to do than cause grievance and have all day to do it.

Just an hour ago we watched a loose dog chase one of our ewes a hundred yards or so before its owner called it back, we just drove past, not worth the aggro as round the next corner there's another dog walker, then round the next corner there will be another.

They've got the right to roam.

That's what my .223 is for.

I don't want one as It's not the dogs I'd be tempted to use it on.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Best book ever.
The section on the pleasures of rumination is outstanding.
It's the first book I read that made the point that we test all the new plants "in the lab" and not in the animals that will actually be fed with them. Just because a lab test shows high digestibility doesn't automatically mean that the animals will want to eat it. Obvoius really once it has been pointed out to you. :facepalm:
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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