- Location
- Lincolnshire
After some deliberation I think I’ve decided sheep would be a more sensible and practical option than cattle. Think I’d go for an easy lambing and wool shedding breed like easy care, had any experience?
Outwintering cattle on herbal leys
- Thread starter JoeHodgey
- Start date
After some deliberation I think I’ve decided sheep would be a more sensible and practical option than cattle. Think I’d go for an easy lambing and wool shedding breed like easy care, had any experience?
- Location
- Fife
- Location
- Yorks
Wet winters with cattle could be a right mess.
I do half arable, half herbal leys
single suckler (Stabiliser) mob grazed, I live on low lying ground
works a treat, I would love to outwinter, we have seriously shortened our housing time but it is weather dependant
we are planning a bark pad to push the heifers onto when wet, then graze when the conditions are right.
last year would have been a nightmare. My halfway house for this winter is a poly tunnel
everything still out at present hoping to stay that way for at least another month (or two).
PS I find they need some supplementary feeding which causes logistical problems
single suckler (Stabiliser) mob grazed, I live on low lying ground
works a treat, I would love to outwinter, we have seriously shortened our housing time but it is weather dependant
we are planning a bark pad to push the heifers onto when wet, then graze when the conditions are right.
last year would have been a nightmare. My halfway house for this winter is a poly tunnel
everything still out at present hoping to stay that way for at least another month (or two).
PS I find they need some supplementary feeding which causes logistical problems
- Location
- Essex
In my experience sheep require more attention than cattle, especially a breeding flock.
If you buy dairy bred beef calves, you have the advantage of the breeder paying for the upkeep of the cow (albeit you are still paying for the calf).
If you run a suckler herd and manage to keep everything outside year round, you could get your expenses down to virtually zero. The cost of baling and carting straw and forage is the main cost of housing. If you have built up cover crops in front of them, you can move, feed, bed up, check and spread the muck, all without starting an engine.
I'm not sure whether you could grow enough on a herbal ley to outwinter cattle. With sheep you just might.
If you buy dairy bred beef calves, you have the advantage of the breeder paying for the upkeep of the cow (albeit you are still paying for the calf).
If you run a suckler herd and manage to keep everything outside year round, you could get your expenses down to virtually zero. The cost of baling and carting straw and forage is the main cost of housing. If you have built up cover crops in front of them, you can move, feed, bed up, check and spread the muck, all without starting an engine.
I'm not sure whether you could grow enough on a herbal ley to outwinter cattle. With sheep you just might.
- Location
- roe valley
My neighbour is talking exactly this. His only problem 400acres of unfenced land. If he fences half of it he'll have no money for cattle, if he buys cattle he'll have no money for fencing.
- Location
- Fife
Single strand poly wire is 15p per metre, including plastic posts.
Including labour and wooden corner posts and energiser I reckon you could do the lot for less than £1/m
- Location
- Essex
Easily.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Buy fencing, people will pay you to use their cattle
or more importantly, buy a fit-for-purpose water system, the benefits in terms of extra carrying capacity will soon finance infrastructure
- Location
- Essex
The advantage of electric is that it's easy to put up and take down and has a good second hand value.Buy fencing, people will pay you to use their cattle
I regret the thousands I have spent on permanent fencing. Well most of it anyway...
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Sorry for hijacking, but on a similar theme. I'm hoping to reduce housing time for my sucklers next year. Have 17 acres of winter barley adjoining our pp (7 & 10 acre fenced fields). What would be the best cover crop to establish after wb, in early August? Also would it be better to leave the whole herd out (35 cows + spring born calves), just the cows or just the weaned calves?
- Location
- Essex
- Location
- Derbyshire UK
- Location
- Ceredigion
Im doing some experiments with Frost Seeding in the early spring if we get any that is . which may be of interest for those who out winter
No regrets on perm fencing on boundaries!!! 25 years ago, I bought a post knocker, got a lad in who would thrash back the hedges and we started a new fencing project. So nice when the phone rang at 2am to say that there were cattle on the road, and I knew they were not going to be mine!!
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
I have some to repair tomorrow; funny how trained cattle will look at a piece of polywire (dead or alive) and decide "it's a no" but will then climb through a 9-wire HT fence with 2 electric ones zapping them as they pass
and lambs are the same. I have lambs that will already stay behind a polywire at eyelevel, but climb through netting like it's a sport to them
- Location
- Derbyshire UK
Frost seeding?
Broadcasting seed into frozen ground?
- Location
- Ceredigion
Yes- legumes mainly
ollie989898
Member
Do not put Perun in a 4-5 year grazing ley an expect it to be there in year 5.
Lucerne and red clover? WTF? It's not gonna stick being pounded in the winter.