Spring Grazing

[Singing Shepherd]

I have been thinking as the snow is melting about the upcoming transition from winter feed and hay routine to pasture grazing alone. I have been concerned that in Spring I may have to pen up my sheep some of each day (which they will hate) so that they don't bloat up on the new green grass. And yet, in considering this limitation of their grazing, It has occurred to me that nature may be doing the "gradual changes are best" thing for me- nature times the pasture and surrounding thicket of weeds and bushes to move from brown dry stage to green rich stage slowly. So maybe I just continue to let them graze at will like they have every day during these first ten months after weaning?....

 

[goatboy1973]

I agree with you. Sometimes less is more and letting nature take hold of the reigns is the best thing you can do for your sheep. I would caution you though that if you have any heavily lactating ewes eating the newly sprouted green pasture to be aware of something called Grass Tetany or White Muscle Disease which causes an animal to become stiffened, nervous acting, go off feed, and possibly die if it is not corrected at its onset. The remedy is a magnesium gel paste that you can get at most Farmer's CO-OPs or farm supply stores and it is given orally much like a dewormer paste. We have never had this before with our goats but I am vigilant this time of the year and look out for the first signs and treat immediately. We dealt with this a few times with cattle in the past. We take a somewhat hands off approach to our goat operation and let our goats be like nature intended them to be. The only intervention we give outside of vaccinations and as needed hoof trimming is hay in bad winter weather, occasional grain to make it easier to round them up, and small 10x10x10 covered shelters in each of our 10 acre paddocks. The rest of the time they browse over woodland, pasture, overgrown fields and whatever else they find. They are always happy, healthy, and well conditioned with few, if any health problems.

 

[mysunwolf]

I agree with goatboy, I think you're absolutely right. I am having serious trouble right now with my ewes scouring very badly on the lush green pasture, and it's because I kept them off of it to give it time to grow. Now, I only let them graze a few hours a day, starting with 3 hours, now up to 6 hours, but it's no use, they're scouring so badly I'm worried for their health. No worms, they've been checked with a fecal and with their eyelids. No other issues that I know of. It's gross as they sleep in a barn and get their scour poop all over everything overnight Granted, only two of them are truly scouring--all the others just have really mushy "dog poop."

I haven't had any troubles with bloating yet, and our pasture is a mixed grass/clover that probably is 50%/50%, with a few weeds mixed in. Not a lot of browse for our girls, except the wild roses, some hawthorne trees, maybe a little pine.

So I regret taking them off the pasture at all at this point--I wish I had just left them there and let nature work her slow-change magic, like my neighbors do. Not sure how to do this AND practice good rotation for grass and parasite management, though.