• Welcome to The Farming Forum!

    As part of this update, we have made a change to the login and registration process. If you are experiences any problems, please email [email protected] with the details so we can resolve any issues.

Shrubs and trees that cattle eat

ladycrofter

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
I was told to stick willow cuttings in a drum of water, then once they've rooted, the water becomes a liquid version of hormone rooting powder. Haven't tried it yet though.

Ours get branches off a corkscrew willow but only seem to go for the leaves. I believe aspirin was made from the bark, I've often wondered if there is an unpleasant taste to it. I have in the past cut branches if I've had an unwell animal but no idea if it helped.

I'm surprised animals would eat holly - seems painful! But the sheep often go for creeping thistle and nettle tops, so maybe their mouths are tough inside.

Seems a great idea this to vary the diet and maybe eek out the grass.
 

Kevtherev

Member
Location
Welshpool Powys
IMG_5941.jpg
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Trees and shrubs arent just useful feed in droughts either. Farm near me had ewe lambs trapped on a mountain in really heavy deep snow and no way of getting to them with feed. So he walked up with a chainsaw and some petrol to his ewe lambs all mostly there and accounted for and started cutting down all the small trees and gorse and anythig he could find for the sheep to have something to nibble on. When he ran out of petrol he left them till he could get up eith a tractor and walk them down. They ate every twig and all the bark and anything they could get their teeth around iver a couple of days. In the bad spring of 2013 my and other peoples sheep stripped bark off hedges and ate the twigs off the hedges before we could get hay to them. Ill always remeber what that old farmer told.me about cutting things down with a chainsaw to feed his ewe lambs. Hopefully ill never be in that desperate a situation to have to do it though.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer

How is your SFI 24 application progressing?

  • havn't been invited to apply

    Votes: 29 34.9%
  • have been invited to apply

    Votes: 17 20.5%
  • applied but not yet accepted

    Votes: 29 34.9%
  • agreement up and running

    Votes: 8 9.6%

Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

  • 2,498
  • 50
On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
Back
Top