Intensive Grazing for dummies

Discussion in 'Breeding, Raising, Feeding and Caring for Animals' started by laceyi, May 3, 2012.

  1. laceyi

    laceyi Junior Member

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    Hi

    I have a 5 acer property, we already have a horse and 2 sheep. I'd love to keep a dairy cow with calf at foot as well for some milk if its possible, perhaps a smaller breed like a Dexter. We would want to feed the cow(s) from our own land as much as possible.

    We have talked to some local breeders and they seem sceptical about the ability to keep a couple of cows on a property the size of ours. Obviously they are not into permaculture and favour the more traditional notion of big open fields with a scattering of livestock. I know being a permaculturalist often means moving against the established grain, but they have sown seeds of doubt in my mind. So I wanted to ask some folk closer to my way of thinking. Am I being unrealistic?

    Also, if it is possible, will it be essential to use a keyline plough as featured in some examples? There is quite a good variety of grasses here already (from what I can tell), will I have to plant new pasture varieties?

    Cheers
    Ian
     
  2. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Hello and welcome
    How long is a piece of string you dont say where your from , with regards to climate in particular rainfall and how long your pasture growing season is , what condition the land is in , if its long term grazing land its likely badly compacted keyline would be a great start . How much land is availiable , take out house sheds driveway garden ect you wont have 5 acres , 5 large animals like that will take a lot of feeding through the non growing period so you will have to store feed or grow perenials with irrigation do you have a water supply it will be a big contract to grow green feed cut it and hand feed for maybe 6mths or more a year every year , but of course can be done .
    Rob
     
  3. laceyi

    laceyi Junior Member

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    Hi Rob and thanks for replying. I appreciate its tricky. I'm in Nanango QLD, a temperate zone, it can be pretty dry through winter. The soil on the property seems to be in two halves, one half having deep rich red volcanic soil, the other half being grey with a much higher clay content. I don't have a dam, but have neighbours on both sides who don't use theirs and have said they are happy for us to use them (very lucky there). I'd say once you take out the house yard and food forest there is about 4 acres for the animals (maybe just under). I also have about an acre out in front of my land, a very wide council strip, the council leave it to just turn to grassy scrub only mowing along the very edge of the road once a month so I suspect no-one would mind if I had the cows out there in a temporary fence every now and then. I have some Lucerne Tree seedlings on the go already, what other perennial feed trees/plants would you recommend?

    We do intend to wait and watch how the land goes through the dryer winter months before buying anything, and buy the sounds of it I should makes sure I budget for at least 6 months a year of buying feed just in case I mess things up somehow. I'm here on the farm 6 days out of 7 and my wife is here pretty much every day, I'm not shy about a bit of hard yacker, in fact quite like it. :)

    Thanks again.
    ian
     
  4. Grasshopper

    Grasshopper Senior Member

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    Horses eat a lot .
     
  5. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    You could use electric fence on the council strip , be aware though that wandering stock are your responsibility a black cow on a road at night is nasty i hit one on a motorcycle just got concussion and a few grazes . Check your states regulations , in SA every property owner with livestock has to have a PIC number (Property identification code) to track livestock when they are purchased or sold or bred . There is a book on tagaste (lucerne tree) you can grow a "hedge" irrigated of course of tagaste enclosed in netting and the stock nibble off what pokes through the wire and the animals cant destroy the trees , incredible stocking density is possible the "Cage" must be well made . You have a horse so you already know how much big animals eat , of course in permaculture the big animals provide large quantities of manure which is of great value so its not only about milk and meat .
    have fun Rob
     
  6. laceyi

    laceyi Junior Member

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    Grasshopper - Tell me about it :p, In addition to manure, the horse provides a valued enjoyment/love factor for my wife, we are pretty much committed to buying at least some hay for it. But the goal is that any other animals we get need to earn their keep a little more (or I need to earn it :p).

    Rob - Thanks for the advice, mostly I think I just needed to hear that it was worth a try, all these breeders telling me I needed a bigger farm to keep a cow or two were starting to wear me down. For now I'l get to work on some feed crops and will keep a close eye on the pasture over winter. Cheers Ian
     
  7. juhill

    juhill Junior Member

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    Hi laceyi
    I'm in Nanango too, how long have you been in Nanango? the past few years have been very good for rain.
    I think you'd have to buy in lots of feed in Winter, we did and we were running 4 head over about 25acres plus we also had the road reserve you should get permission to have an electric fence out front sometimes the mountain bike club ride on the reserves as it is safer than the road.
    We used to cut wattle for the cattle and we also had Pride of Bolivia Tipuana tipu growing which the cattle just loved. Then the drought came so we got rid of the cattle I do miss them but no water, no feed it gets expensive.
    I don't know if you are aware that there is a Permaculture group in South Burnett next meeting is on Saturday 12th May, we get together and swap seeds/plants sometimes we go to other peoples properties and this month it is a book sale.
     
  8. laceyi

    laceyi Junior Member

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    Hi Juhill - HAZARRR! I was just thinking the other day I needed to find some similar thinkers in my area, maybe we are neighbours! :D. I've been here since December, my next door neighbour has warned me we are seeing the country at about the best it ever gets right now. It seems there are no simple answers when it comes to animal numbers, at the very least I'll have to budget for some feed.

    Is there a web page, blog, mailing list or something where I can get more info on the group? Where and when the meeting are etc?
     

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