Sheep grazing rotation

Green farmer

By this I mean teagasc athenry standard. Every field split into 5 acre paddocks, perfectly fenced and well laid out. I do a little bit of fencing every now and again, but I'd describe my level of fencing as ,good enough to stop them escaping ( most of the time ). Also I don't have any field subdivided, which means lots of waste. What's the average setup like out there ?

Cran

Green farmer wrote: »

By this I mean teagasc athenry standard. Every field split into 5 acre paddocks, perfectly fenced and well laid out. I do a little bit of fencing every now and again, but I'd describe my level of fencing as ,good enough to stop them escaping ( most of the time ). Also I don't have any field subdivided, which means lots of waste. What's the average setup like out there ?

This is on of my great failings on farm, I have improved but really struggle at it being part time and under stocked. Worked well last year but growth this year I ve failed at grass management. I test fields, spray, and spread fert according to results and fields split mainly into 10 acres, but struggle to graze off before moving them.

I'm starting to think a mower, baler and maybe wrapper key to proper grass management.

ganmo

the curse of grassland management...odd sized fields.
4 days here 2 weeks there and sheep being the picky madames that they are refusing to eat certain parts of a field because it got dung last year so it heads out and needs toppin so that the grass heads wont tickle them when grazing the next time...theyd drive ya nuts!

Green farmer

Thought I'd report back on some fields I divided up into circa 5 acre paddocks over the winter. I've 100 ewes plus lambs grazing in one group. Early days yet but finding that sheep are cleaning out fields better. I also find that they appear to have a more even spread of dung around field which appears to helps regrowth, and allows for a structured rest period after grazing. Starting to think about some reseeding, but could only afford to do a small few acres a year. Has anybody any simple ideas of things I could do to improve grass ? ( no slurry available )

razor8

At similar here, how many days are sheep on each paddock, finding it hard to keep grass in front of them

Green farmer

I got 7 days out of paddock I moved them out of today. Grass growth is poor at the moment here even though it's getting fert.

solerina

Green farmer wrote: »

I got 7 days out of paddock I moved them out of today. Grass growth is poor at the moment here even though it's getting fert.

same here, no grass growing, bloody weather is too cold, running out of grass and fast !!

Username John

Have 2 acre fields / paddocks here.

35 ewes + lambs are lasting about 8 - 10 days. But they prob should be moved after the 8, but was trying to stretch out what I had a bit.

2 acres they are in now they will be there for 10+ days, most likely 12 days. Was reseeded last year, and good grass after came on it the last week.

gazahayes

Setting up 2 to 3 acre paddocks here using poly wire to get better clean out of grass running 70 ewes and their lambs with some of last year's ewe lambs kept on for breeding clearing 2 acres in about 5 days grass got a bit ahead as it was sprayed with eagle to kill docks. All is in index 1 so trying to bring it back up with pig slurry and dung. Thinking of putting kale or stubble turnips into a field that needs reseeding

ganmo

Singles on the outfarm were moved into fresh grass yday, where they were had plenty of rough grass left but the next 2 fields are growing well so no point in forcing them to graze out and losing quality in the coming fields

Twins still set stocked in 2 fields, will be merged this week and put with the singles next week.

Home place all set stocked, singles will be goin to the hill in about 3 weeks

AnFeirmeoir

Have done rotation for the past 3 years now. but it always ends up changing to set stocked at around this time due to lack of regrowth. /weather. I end up letting them roam and its hard to get back into the rotation again once you do that.
Hoping to do some serious liming this autumn which might improve growth next year.

I suppose I dont have enough land in one spot to do it right. but it does really work well for me in march and april when letting out lambs and you know where you stand with grass and if meal is going to be needed or not

Bullocks

ganmo wrote: »

Singles on the outfarm were moved into fresh grass yday, where they were had plenty of rough grass left but the next 2 fields are growing well so no point in forcing them to graze out and losing quality in the coming fields

Twins still set stocked in 2 fields, will be merged this week and put with the singles next week.

Home place all set stocked, singles will be goin to the hill in about 3 weeks

Will you top the stemmy stuff now ? I'm in the same boat with grass getting ahead of them and the father said not to bother topping the tranneens that's left .
A garden that only saw nitrogen for the last 20 years totally busted into life after I gave it gran lime and 0-7-30 . It was grazed all winter and is passing out fields that weren't ate since last Oct, unfortunately the thistles are responding well to it too !

ganmo

Bullocks wrote: »

Will you top the stemmy stuff now ? I'm in the same boat with grass getting ahead of them and the father said not to bother topping the tranneens that's left .
A garden that only saw nitrogen for the last 20 years totally busted into life after I gave it gran lime and 0-7-30 . It was grazed all winter and is passing out fields that weren't ate since last Oct, unfortunately the thistles are responding well to it too !

No that ground would make ****e of a topper, but ya we would top the traneens if the ground is travelable we'd top them. I blame them for causing and spreading pink eye

Username John

Bullocks wrote: »

Will you top the stemmy stuff now ? I'm in the same boat with grass getting ahead of them and the father said not to bother topping the tranneens that's left .
A garden that only saw nitrogen for the last 20 years totally busted into life after I gave it gran lime and 0-7-30 . It was grazed all winter and is passing out fields that weren't ate since last Oct, unfortunately the thistles are responding well to it too !

ganmo wrote: »

No that ground would make ****e of a topper, but ya we would top the traneens if the ground is travelable we'd top them. I blame them for causing and spreading pink eye

Ah "traneens" ?

Bullocks - I found cutting the thistles, they die out over a few years. I think the sheep pick at the regrowth when its young...
That's what I found with one field in particular anyways...

Green farmer

Username John wrote: »

Ah "traneens" ?





I find them hard to top Because the f***kers are so soft and fine that the topper doesn't get them all. cannt Stand em.

Username John

Username John wrote: »

Ah "traneens" ?





I find them hard to top Because the f***kers are so soft and fine that the topper doesn't get them all. cannt Stand em.

What are they?

I have never heard the word before...

Green farmer

Username John wrote: »

What are they?

I have never heard the word before...

Your missing the apostrophe over the a, and have to pronounce it in a Munster type accent.

Bullocks

Username John wrote: »

What are they?

I have never heard the word before...

Like an old grass stem with a brown soft tip on it

AnFeirmeoir

Green farmer wrote: »

Your missing the apostrophe over the a, and have to pronounce it in a Munster type accent.

you mean fada i thinkg

ganmo

bionn se deachar a scriobh ar an iderlion i ngaelige

red spell check lines all over the shop

Username John

Savage growth here the past while, great mix of rain and sun to drive grass on.

How are the rotations going lately?
We could prob do with reducing the rotation time - but with fields not suitable for machinery, and no topper, the options are limited...

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

Savage growth here the past while, great mix of rain and sun to drive grass on.

How are the rotations going lately?
We could prob do with reducing the rotation time - but with fields not suitable for machinery, and no topper, the options are limited...

bit of a salvage operation going on here, as I said before, only for the mower I'd be in trouble

razor8

rangler1 wrote: »

bit of a salvage operation going on here, as I said before, only for the mower I'd be in trouble

Envy envy, and isn't that despite you increasing stocking rate this year?

Read in journal this week that growth down the South is 60% ahead of us further up north, I firmly believe it, impossible to grow good covers in this weather

rangler1

razor8 wrote: »

Envy envy, and isn't that despite you increasing stocking rate this year?

Read in journal this week that growth down the South is 60% ahead of us further up north, I firmly believe it, impossible to grow good covers in this weather

That's the flaw of my system, I'm not taking out any land for silage, its hard to control the grass this time of the year, mowing the paddock when they're in it a few days speeds up the grazing and the sheep love the cut grass in nice wilting weather, (whenever that is)

Just edited to say that this is not textbook grassland management

Username John

rangler1 wrote: »

That's the flaw of my system, I'm not taking out any land for silage, its hard to control the grass this time of the year, mowing the paddock when they're in it a few days speeds up the grazing and the sheep love the cut grass in nice wilting weather, (whenever that is)

Just edited to say that this is not textbook grassland management

No - but it's seems to be working good enough too Rangler.

It's hard to know what to so - looking at the grass this morning, I was wondering should i invest in a topper?
I am a bit loathe to do so, mainly cos I'm 'mane'
And have plenty other places to spend money first (and am not super with machinery really)

Tis either feast or famine isn't it....

Username John

razor8 wrote: »

Envy envy, and isn't that despite you increasing stocking rate this year?

Can I ask what your stocking rate is this year Rangler?
If you dot want to answer, no bother. (I don't know if this is too direct a question maybe)

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

Can I ask what your stocking rate is this year Rangler?
If you dot want to answer, no bother. (I don't know if this is too direct a question maybe)

Short answer is 560 ewes on about 120 ac
But it's been a funny year, I've two blocks of 40 acres that got 100kg 18 6 12 to the acre on first week march and these have about 190 ewes and 320 lambs on each. the remaining 40 acres has 100 dry ewes/ hoggets/pedigree ewe lambs plus 100 hoggets with lambs and as yet I haven't had to put any manure on that block this year yet.
Using 18.6.12 this year because even though I haven't been cutting silage off the land the indexes have dropped two point in four years, which was huge surprise. The experts tell me that every kilo of meat off the farm brings some P+K and lime with it, I can agree with that now

Bullocks

How long after spreading fertiliser or gran lime can you graze with sheep ?

razor8

There's no problem leaving them in field when you are spreading.

AnFeirmeoir

Anyone else have too much grass?

I have lambs in a field of good grass for 3 weeks and they havent made a dent on it. Its gone a little bit stemmy but theres too much quality leafy grass in it to just top it. Have another field i'd like to move them onto as well.

Ewes are in less quality fiellds but they aren't short either. If i had the cash i would have bought a few more stores a few weeks ago... it would have paid , they way prices improved in the past fortnight


I suppose growth could slow soon with all this wet weather.

ganmo

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

Anyone else have too much grass?

I have lambs in a field of good grass for 3 weeks and they havent made a dent on it. Its gone a little bit stemmy but theres too much quality leafy grass in it to just top it. Have another field i'd like to move them onto as well.

Ewes are in less quality fiellds but they aren't short either. If i had the cash i would have bought a few more stores a few weeks ago... it would have paid , they way prices improved in the past fortnight


I suppose growth could slow soon with all this wet weather.

We've a few fields closed for silage so not too much extra grass, where the sufflk x lambs are now looks like theres plenty of grass in it but walking through it they'll only get the rest of the week out of it. but there's a nice leafy field ready for them.

Green farmer

I had 3 x 6 acre paddocks closed off for silage, but got enough to keep me going over the winter out of 2 of the paddocks, so instead of making surplus silage, I put the lambs back into it at weekend in the uncut paddock. Not textbook stuff, but was very leafy so hopefully the lambs will thrive ahead on it. They haven't come up for air since going in. Might have added bonus that the land isn't being drained of the p&k's that the silage would have taken off it. A few weeks ago would have been the time to buy stores alright, especially when their making near same money as slaughter fit ones at the moment.


On a different note, anyone got plans in place to try and extend winter grazing ? Resting or fertilising paddocks for autumn grazing ?

sea12

Grass very tight here at minute as allot of meadows to cut. Although just keeping ahead of them and grass is good and leafy for lambs and ewes are following to tidy up.

Username John

I think having as many paddocks as you can is prob good, but what is the optimum size?
Let's say 50 ewes - what would lads say is the right paddock size?

Most of mine are 2 acres or so, and with 35ewes+lambs ewes this year, I found they were in the field too long (over a week) I'd like to move them every few days if I could...

Will hope to go to 50ewes this coming lambing (I know numbers are v small, and some lads might wonder why bother, but anyways)
So wondering if 2acre is a good size or not?

What ye think?

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

I think having as many paddocks as you can is prob good, but what is the optimum size?
Let's say 50 ewes - what would lads say is the right paddock size?

Most of mine are 2 acres or so, and with 35ewes+lambs ewes this year, I found they were in the field too long (over a week) I'd like to move them every few days if I could...

Will hope to go to 50ewes this coming lambing (I know numbers are v small, and some lads might wonder why bother, but anyways)
So wondering if 2acre is a good size or not?

What ye think?

The journal recommended 5 acre for every 100 ewes. so your 2 acres for 50 should be about right.
My problem is not taking out paddocks for silage when there's too much grass and those paddocks really slowing up the rotation and then every paddock goes out of control. At peak of growth, 16 or 17 days is long enough before you get back to a paddock

Green farmer

rangler1 wrote: »

The journal recommended 5 acre for every 100 ewes. so your 2 acres for 50 should be about right.
My problem is not taking out paddocks for silage when there's too much grass and those paddocks really slowing up the rotation and then every paddock goes out of control. At peak of growth, 16 or 17 days is long enough before you get back to a paddock

I reckon not taking silage can only be a good thing. A quick run around with the topper should see them right. I've two adjacent fields recently split into paddocks here. One gets used for hay / silage every year in addition to grazing, the other is grazing only. Got them both tested recently. Both are low in p&ks but the silage field is run out of lime whereas the grazing only field is ph perfect.

UJ, moving them every few days might get a pain after a while, with work commitments etc. I try and move mine every 10 days, depending on how grass is

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

I reckon not taking silage can only be a good thing. A quick run around with the topper should see them right. I've two adjacent fields recently split into paddocks here. One gets used for hay / silage every year in addition to grazing, the other is grazing only. Got them both tested recently. Both are low in p&ks but the silage field is run out of lime whereas the grazing only field is ph perfect.

UJ, moving them every few days might get a pain after a while, with work commitments etc. I try and move mine every 10 days, depending on how grass is

topping won't improve grass quality anything as good as taking a light cut of silage, have found that from the dairy side of the business here

in an ideal world paddocks should be grazed for 48 hours & then closed
re growth would be a lot faster 'cos after 2 days you are actually eating regrowth

however for most of us ideal & reality are 2 different kettles of fish

saw the 4 strand electric fence at athenry & again at Brian's last tuesday
might look in that for sub dividing some larger plots next year...but my sheep grazing terrain is a lot different from athenry & kilkenny :rolleyes:

Green farmer

orm0nd wrote: »

topping won't improve grass quality anything as good as taking a light cut of silage, s:

In fairness, there's always a lovely clean regrowth after the contractors have mowed the field. In an ideal world I'd love to mow instead of top, but at the cost of a mower, I'll have to make do with my humble little 15 year old topper for the forseeable future:pac:

Username John

rangler1 wrote: »

The journal recommended 5 acre for every 100 ewes. so your 2 acres for 50 should be about right.
My problem is not taking out paddocks for silage when there's too much grass and those paddocks really slowing up the rotation and then every paddock goes out of control. At peak of growth, 16 or 17 days is long enough before you get back to a paddock

Thanks rangler. We'll stick with the 2 acres so

As for silage / mowing / topping - not really an option for me...

Might try to increase stocking rate, not sure how it'd work out in autumn, think I'd be ok in the Springtime. We'll see how we do this autumn I guess...

Green farmer

You going to introduce some of your llyen x ewe lambs into the flock john ?

Username John

Green farmer wrote: »

You going to introduce some of your llyen x ewe lambs into the flock john ?

That's the plan yeah Green... If they make the grade, they're lighter than I'd like at the minute. But there is still some time between here and next October.

Wouldn't mind getting another few ewe lambs if I could, as I woulsnt have enough of me own to keep I think... Will see...