Leader follower grazing

[beardface]

Anyone practising leader follower grazing with sheep(leader) and cattle(follower)? For those that are, are you doing in on herbal/diverse leys?

 

[beardface]

No one doing it?

 

[YELROM]

Never heard of it before but would it not work better the other way round,cattle(leader) and sheep (follower)

 

[StormurShepherd]

I've yet to find anyone I know doing it (mind you I'm new and no few people.) One person I asked said they won't do it because they've no worm burden.

The only way I'd like to do it would be Cows, then sheep, then chickens.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Used to. Worked out better to put the sheep and cattle together, and cut down the graze time, otherwise the follower mob eat the regrowth and you grow less feed

 

[case 5140]

Someones doing it in last weeks farmers gardian.
Says they run 200 ewes in a 1.2ha paddock for 2 days then let 20-25 cows and calves in for 2 days.

 

[beardface]

Someones doing it in last weeks farmers gardian.
Says they run 200 ewes in a 1.2ha paddock for 2 days then let 20-25 cows and calves in for 2 days.

Yeh I saw that one. Thought I'd see if there's any others doing it.

 

[Big_D]

Yes, do it here, the sheep do fantastically well and the lambs don't need wormed, but it does restrict the growth rate of the cattle a bit and as kiwipete says, you do risk your follower mob grazing regrowth which will check the grass, if your mob size is big enough/field size small enough to make 24hr shifts work then it will work well

 

[beardface]

What

Yes, do it here, the sheep do fantastically well and the lambs don't need wormed, but it does restrict the growth rate of the cattle a bit and as kiwipete says, you do risk your follower mob grazing regrowth which will check the grass, if your mob size is big enough/field size small enough to make 24hr shifts work then it will work well

What size paddocks are you working on and how many head? Do they get 24 hour each.

 

[topground]

Cattle and goats here, run together.

 

[Woolless]

Saw that article. Very interesting. Farm just a few miles from where I grew up.

Sounds like he has a great system in place for his farm. I was particularly impressed with the high conception rates for the cows and calf growth rates. But my observations would be as above, two days extra on the paddock will mean two days less recovery time. @Big_D's system would be preferable but obviously needs more paddocks and infrastructure.

Having recently established a small suckler herd, I am wrestling with how to integrate them with the sheep or graze them more intensively on their own system a la @Kiwi Pete. And then there's the difference between non-selective grazing and 'graze a third, trample a third, leave a third'. A lot of food for thought on the drive to work...

I think Mr. Ritchie is on here, @redcoo235 ?

 

[Sid]

Wasn't there an option under CSS for mixed grazing?