Sheep rotational grazing

[cowboysupper]

I always thought we were at a disadvantage with lots of small fields but it's useful for the sheep. I haven't got a single field over 10ha. Our average field size is only 3.14ha. Downside is the amount of permanent fencing and dry stone walling that has to be done.

We only have a small flock compared to some on here but the small fields our forefathers established are great for setting up rotational grazing. Fields around our yard range from 3-7 acres and we have them split into 1.5 acre blocks. Moving every 3-4 days just depending but I think in general rotational grazing provides so many benefits...better grass, better growth/weight gain, less feet problems, lower worm burden and all round easier management once the sheep get used to it.

Took a bit of water pipe and some electric fencing to split paddocks up buts well worth it.

 

[beltextexel]

Are the people that are rotationally grazing ewes and lambs set stocked at lambing time? If so what age are the lambs generally when you start grouping up sheep?

 

[CopperBeech]

If looking to maximise ewe performance / out put etc (and thats why you're rotationally grazing) i'd say you need to set stock at lambing, and would probably mob up and rotate from 2 weeks to 4/6/8 weeks, depending upon mob size, ewe type, etc.

 

[Bones]

Are the people that are rotationally grazing ewes and lambs set stocked at lambing time? If so what age are the lambs generally when you start grouping up sheep?

My lambs would have been set stocked for at least 5 weeks before I started rotational grazing , main reason no grass ,

 

[neilo]

Are the people that are rotationally grazing ewes and lambs set stocked at lambing time? If so what age are the lambs generally when you start grouping up sheep?

Yes, set stocked here over lambing to give them space. I start to mob them up from a few days old I guess, with mobs getting bigger and bigger as they get older/as it works into the system/as grass starts growing ahead of them. Every year is different, depending on how soon the grass gets going.

Everything gone t*ts up this year, as gone from famine to feast in a short time. Not wanting loads of silage, and seeing little value in baling for sale, I ended up taking the top off grazing blocks and topping the residual. Now back to a decent rotation on the twins, but singles are wandering round overgrown cr*p, taking what they can (& looking well enough on it).

 

[CopperBeech]

I'll tell you something for nothing, rotating them as they lamb is tough

 

[GreenerGrass]

I'm smaller flock, but smaller paddocks too so same principles. I keep moving mine all the time every 3-5 days. All you're doing is giving them fresh bite of grass and they know the system. If you size the paddocks and time the moves right when rotational grazing the sheep move themselves. Perhaps different if your land isn't continuous in a block or ewes less maternal? I move them early afternoon, I find almost all my ewes lamb at first light.

 

[CopperBeech]

We found a lot of miss mothering issues, partly the ewes, but partly the space, 6H blocks, starting at 1500 ewes. For a while we were getting about 200-300 lambs born a day, throughout the day, too much movement, had lambs wandering everywhere.

 

[neilo]

One downside I find, is that the sheep expect to be moved every time I go into the field. Never a problem to move them though, just throw the gate open and holler. The dogs really aren't happy sitting on the quad while they run past.

The ewes soon get out of the system again after weaning, when they are left to bare fields off to nowt before moving.

 

[Global ovine]

I'll tell you something for nothing, rotating them as they lamb is tough

I bet. It will be tough on the stock too as young lambs are like cats to muster and good mothers are all over the place chasing everything that bleats. After 3-4 weeks they shift easily, especially once they have done it a few times.

 

[CopperBeech]

A fair summery. There are issues with lamb stealing and lambs wandering off into the mob after a passing ewe. It worked better with a little more space. Trying it with 2000 again this year and will probably go up to 14h paddocks, but still daily moves.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

One downside I find, is that the sheep expect to be moved every time I go into the field. Never a problem to move them though, just throw the gate open and holler. The dogs really aren't happy sitting on the quad while they run past.

The ewes soon get out of the system again after weaning, when they are left to bare fields off to nowt before moving.

Yes 100% agree with that. And where you're trying to divide fields with electric fencing, it'd better be good, else theyll move themselves (generally a day or 2 before you want them to.).

 

[mezz]

Over the years I permanently fenced up the 600 acres into fields averaging around 3.0 ha. with lane ways for fast access. I could then shift all mobs easily in 2 hrs leaving the rest of the day for other activities. But the economic benefit was in sheep performance by maintaining highly digestible pasture.

I'm a bit late to the conversation. However, I'd be interested to hear more about your paddock design and what you regard as ideal.

Do your paddocks tend to be deep and narrow to minimize the amount of laneway required, or is there a benefit to keeping them squarer? What do you regard as the optimum width for a laneway, to facilitate stock movement? Have you surfaced the laneways, or are they grass runs?

Thank you.

 

[Global ovine]

I'm a bit late to the conversation. However, I'd be interested to hear more about your paddock design and what you regard as ideal.

Do your paddocks tend to be deep and narrow to minimize the amount of laneway required, or is there a benefit to keeping them squarer? What do you regard as the optimum width for a laneway, to facilitate stock movement? Have you surfaced the laneways, or are they grass runs?

Thank you.

Hi Mezz
My farm quoted was largely sloping sunny faces with almost vertical shady faces. A series of this topography made up much of the farm except for 4 paddocks of flat alluvium from the creeks that ran through the farm. Therefore topography dictated the paddock design entirely. Sunny and shady aspects were subdivided off separately to get good grazing and weed (gorse) control.
Ideally if the farm was flat or rolling, the paddocks would be rectangular (ie. longer than wide) to facilitate easy portable fence subdivision when needed.
Laneway width depends on mob size. I had up to 2000 ewes rotating post weaning, so my lanes were quite wide being at least 9 metres (30 ft).
All lanes were rocked (had numerous rotten rock quarries on the farm) down the centre of each lane as this allowed all year fast travel with vehicles and bulk fertiliser spreaders. The lanes had gates periodically where stock could be held, grazed and areas where portable yards could be used for reducing the time and health risks of returning stock to covered yards for routine handling jobs such as drafting up mobs and drenching etc.

 

[beltextexel]

Started putting up the electric fence for rotational grazing. Grass will be grazed hard over the next couple of weeks then left empty until lambing in march/april. Got 440 gimmer hoggs with the tup on a 10ac paddock at the moment then they will have four more similar paddocks and a 30ac field with good cover to graze before going on to turnips in the middle of December. Used 4 strands of wire as hoping it will keep lambs in next spring.

 

[romneymarsh]

View attachment 425646

Started putting up the electric fence for rotational grazing. Grass will be grazed hard over the next couple of weeks then left empty until lambing in march/april. Got 440 gimmer hoggs with the tup on a 10ac paddock at the moment then they will have four more similar paddocks and a 30ac field with good cover to graze before going on to turnips in the middle of December. Used 4 strands of wire as hoping it will keep lambs in next spring.

So what sort of covers do you think you have there?

 

[beltextexel]

Not a clue unfortunately! I'm just getting my head round rotational grazing without working out kg/DM Ha! Roughly though, not a lot!

 

[Old Tip]

Finding this thread really interesting, going to have a bash next year with a couple of bits of land and see how we go, have been doing a similar thing for a fair few years now but on weekly or fortnightly moves and the land has improved drastically. Biggest improvements have been with mixed stocking though so will see how we go with the just sheep blocks, unlike most folk my biggst issue will be with effin tourists, as soon as a field is empty they see it as fair game for camping, fires and picnics, set stocking does have its advantages.

 

[exmoor dave]

Finding this thread really interesting, going to have a bash next year with a couple of bits of land and see how we go, have been doing a similar thing for a fair few years now but on weekly or fortnightly moves and the land has improved drastically. Biggest improvements have been with mixed stocking though so will see how we go with the just sheep blocks, unlike most folk my biggst issue will be with effin tourists, as soon as a field is empty they see it as fair game for camping, fires and picnics, set stocking does have its advantages.

Leave the electric fence in place after the stock have moved

 

[Old Tip]

Leave the electric fence in place after the stock have moved

They would just nick it @exmoor dave had a few disappeared over the years, haven't a clue what they do with them