SHEEP ON HAYFIELDS

[Ridgefarmer63]

So I hay ten hayfields that aren't mine. Five of them are weak and I have been building them slowly with cow manure. The second cuts on these five is minimal. There is a local sheep guy in the area that I have offered them up to for him to graze. One of those five have a decent amount of bittersweet that sheep will eat.

What do you guys think of this idea? Net gain or loss?

My thought is I'm adding cow manure and getting the hay, while he is adding some sheep manure, eating some weeds but is growing sheep on the second cut. Other than the landowners might start liking him and his sheep more than me and my tractors, what do you think?

Thanks, Mike

 

[b.duke]

possibility of him taking them away is there.

Now... with sheep... If they are just put on there until they eat it down it is fine. but... w/o fencing.. they will eat the entire pasture quicker then if you put the same number of cows on there. They never stop. Also.. they will not eat what they don't like. They like orchard grass a lot.... so they will eat it to the dirt and kill it. They compact ground so if these are wetter fields I would keep them off. If you manage them properly they will help a little.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

possibility of him taking them away is there.

Now... with sheep... If they are just put on there until they eat it down it is fine. but... w/o fencing.. they will eat the entire pasture quicker then if you put the same number of cows on there. They never stop. Also.. they will not eat what they don't like. They like orchard grass a lot.... so they will eat it to the dirt and kill it. They compact ground so if these are wetter fields I would keep them off. If you manage them properly they will help a little.

The sheep guy puts up a white electric fence for fencing. He does graze really low it looks like. I'm trying to get two hay cuts from fields that need way too much love, so second crop is pretty short and the baler fingers don't pick it up so good.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Why take a 2nd crop off at all?