Keep a few sheep to trim the grass?

Car99

Hi,

I've a half acre or so plot beside the house , i'm tired of wasting petrol and time cutting it once a week from march through October.

Could i buy a couple sheep end of march to eat the grass and flog em off again or stick em in the freezer end of october early November ?

Would they need much looking after or extra feed bar water for those months?

Would they graze it well or are they selective eaters?

I know nothjng about farming but live in a rural dairy area.

148multi

Car99 wrote: »

Hi,

I've a half acre or so plot beside the house , i'm tired of wasting petrol and time cutting it once a week from march through October.

Could i buy a couple sheep end of march to eat the grass and flog em off again or stick em in the freezer end of october early November ?

Would they need much looking after or extra feed bar water for those months?

Would they graze it well or are they selective eaters?

I know nothjng about farming but live in a rural dairy area.

Nooooooooo

Hard Knocks

Car99 wrote: »

Hi,

I've a half acre or so plot beside the house , i'm tired of wasting petrol and time cutting it once a week from march through October.

Could i buy a couple sheep end of march to eat the grass and flog em off again or stick em in the freezer end of october early November ?

Would they need much looking after or extra feed bar water for those months?

Would they graze it well or are they selective eaters?

I know nothjng about farming but live in a rural dairy area.

Girl at work does what you’re thinking & it works well, they sell in October
Fence well, split into 2-3 parts & move them weekly

Bass Reeves

Three issues you would have to bu poorish store lambs and they woild be impossible to find in spring. They would be well fattened by August even if you did. The final problem would be getting them slaughtered as they are over 12 months the back bone has to be removed and disposed as SRM so it would be very hard to find a butcher to slaughter them.

You would also need a flock number to keep them. 14-15 geese would be an option

tanko

You could rent the plot to a neighbouring dairy farmer to graze bucket fed calves on or cut silage off and come to an arrangement over fencing etc.
I know a couple of lads doing this.

tomwaterford

Buy a few culled ewes,what lost lambs etc in the spring...let them over it for the summer and sell to factory at end of the year

Won't make much money etc...but anything beats walking around behind a lawnmower


Just fence well

blue5000

Hate cutting a lawn here too. What would it cost to fence though? Priced a ride on lawn mower at the ploughing match one year and almost had a fainting fit.

I run the topper over it when the grass is long enough to hide a football. My Australian uncle was very impressed when I told him I had a 130hp ride on lawn mower.

What about a couple of donkeys from the sanctuary?

Bass Reeves

A couple thing about cutting what I will call rough lawns. You may not need to collect grass so get a mulcher or a side/back throw our point. The real advantage of a ride on is the extra size in the gathering bag. If you have a walk behind( I have a real good honda) use one of the big green plastic barrows to put grass into saves a lot of tooing and frowing with small amounts of grass.

Leave part of it grow high and only cut a few pathways through it do not fertlize it or anything. Continues cutting and removing of grass without fertlizer will slow growth down after a few years anyway. Consider buying a cheap tractor and 5' topper to keep it in check.

tomwaterford

blue5000 wrote: »

Hate cutting a lawn here too. What would it cost to fence though? Priced a ride on lawn mower at the ploughing match one year and almost had a fainting fit.

I run the topper over it when the grass is long enough to hide a football. My Australian uncle was very impressed when I told him I had a 130hp ride on lawn mower.

What about a couple of donkeys from the sanctuary?

Fencing for me works at at between 4 and 6 euro a metre.....depending on what stakes ya use

farawaygrass

Bass Reeves wrote: »

A couple thing about cutting what I will call rough lawns. You may not need to collect grass so get a mulcher or a side/back throw our point. The real advantage of a ride on is the extra size in the gathering bag. If you have a walk behind( I have a real good honda) use one of the big green plastic barrows to put grass into saves a lot of tooing and frowing with small amounts of grass.

Leave part of it grow high and only cut a few pathways through it do not fertlize it or anything. Continues cutting and removing of grass without fertlizer will slow growth down after a few years anyway. Consider buying a cheap tractor and 5' topper to keep it in check.

I pass a house regularly that does this and it looks well. The house is in a bit of the road, and there is like a rockery in the middle of the lawn. They cut near the house I think and then just 2-3 runs around on the same ground to make a path or track. I actually looks well.

Car99

I have a ride on with mulch plug. Still a chore that takes time and petrol.

Donkeys are for life i just want something for march thru oct that needs minimal looking after.

Geese no cause she doesnt like birds for some reason.

Culled ewes as mentioned might be an option but i'd rather have something edible out of it at the end.

I was hoping there would be 14 week old lambs available end of March then send em to slaughter last week in October. Something for the freezer and grass kept short for the summer. But not much going to be available by replies here.

Pigs would they graze a bit or just wreck the place?

endacl

Would a neighbour put a few animals on it for you? Win win?

Bass Reeves

Car99 wrote: »

I have a ride on with mulch plug. Still a chore that takes time and petrol.

Donkeys are for life i just want something for march thru oct that needs minimal looking after.

Geese no cause she doesnt like birds for some reason.

Culled ewes as mentioned might be an option but i'd rather have something edible out of it at the end.

I was hoping there would be 14 week old lambs available end of March then send em to slaughter last week in October. Something for the freezer and grass kept short for the summer. But not much going to be available by replies here.

Pigs would they graze a bit or just wreck the place?

No and if there were it would be lowland lamb and they would be mud fat by the end of May. Cull ewe are the only option as you say Donkeys are not an option and 1/2 an acre is too little for them. TBh ewes are painful anyway with shearing in June and keepping maggots away. It would be hard to source cull ewes in March anyway unless you lived near a mountain area and March would be too early in there case.

As I posted let some grow wild and mulch the rest. Keep taking cuts of hay off the wild bit and with no fertlizer you will get a very slow growing area after a few years.Put in wild flower seed etc get a slow growing wild flower meadow.

Pigs would do a lot of rooting and you would need very strong fences with pigs.

ganmo

The only other option is few pet lambs

Bass Reeves

ganmo wrote: »

The only other option is few pet lambs

would not keep control of grass until late June at earliest

White Clover

Bass Reeves wrote: »

No and if there were it would be lowland lamb and they would be mud fat by the end of May. Cull ewe are the only option as you say Donkeys are not an option and 1/2 an acre is too little for them. TBh ewes are painful anyway with shearing in June and keepping maggots away. It would be hard to source cull ewes in March anyway unless you lived near a mountain area and March would be too early in there case.

As I posted let some grow wild and mulch the rest. Keep taking cuts of hay off the wild bit and with no fertlizer you will get a very slow growing area after a few years.Put in wild flower seed etc get a slow growing wild flower meadow.

Pigs would do a lot of rooting and you would need very strong fences with pigs.

Jaysus bass! Shearing a handful of Sheep in June isn't exactly hard labour. Maggots are not a given either and are easily kept ahead of.

Floki

Male kid goats and then get them killed in the autumn.
Probably get the kids for nothing too maybe?
Ireland's a small place nowadays but there may be someone local has a milking flock.
Just throwing the idea out there.

ganmo

Bass Reeves wrote: »

would not keep control of grass until late June at earliest

Ah if he gets a few from an early flick and then a few from a march flock they'll cope fairly well

Bass Reeves

Floki wrote: »

Male kid goats and then get them killed in the autumn.
Probably get the kids for nothing too maybe?
Ireland's a small place nowadays but there may be someone local has a milking flock.
Just throwing the idea out there.

Would be a good cheap option and you might be able to get them in early February. Only problem you have to take them at a few days old so a bit of rearing to be done. again the will not control much grass until June.

49801

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Would be a good cheap option and you might be able to get them in early February. Only problem you have to take them at a few days old so a bit of rearing to be done. again the will not control much grass until June.

Similar senario here.
What about alpaca or lamas?

Bass Reeves

49801 wrote: »

Similar senario here.
What about alpaca or lamas?

Kid goats are about the best option. 3-4 by the time June came would keep it under control from then on. Make sure to castrate them using rings when they are less than a few weeks old or else there is a chance the meat will be tainted from August/September on. You could leave one not ringed and get him slaughtered early. They will be quite light 10-15kg carcasses but nice lean meat and very tasty. If you had one of those green eggs barbecue's you could actually cook them in quarter's or half's.