Our heifers have left the farm for a couple of months.
When they come back all three should be pregnant. We are wanting to grow our herd. The easiest way to make this happen since we don't have a bull is for them to go where there is a bull. At this time we don't want one. Things can always change.
Tim dropped our girls off. That wasn't a easy task, but neither the less it got done. Tim came back with a trailer loaded of 6 steers and 2 heifers.
Our plan is to rotate them and keep them moving on grass.
When they come back all three should be pregnant. We are wanting to grow our herd. The easiest way to make this happen since we don't have a bull is for them to go where there is a bull. At this time we don't want one. Things can always change.
Tim dropped our girls off. That wasn't a easy task, but neither the less it got done. Tim came back with a trailer loaded of 6 steers and 2 heifers.
Our plan is to rotate them and keep them moving on grass.
First stop is to put them in the wooded area we call our pig lot.
It has been cleared several times but you know rain causes things to grow.
Yes, if you are looking at them they are Dexters.
Our girls are back where they started from and we brought over some of their cattle.
Getting ready to move them to a new paddock.
We gave them a bigger area here as we won't be available to move them when they will be ready.
Just want them to be happy and have plenty to eat.
Your eyes are deceiving you, you are seeing a horse.
Sometimes it is hard to see the difference in the grass until you are ready to move them. Tim and I set up the next paddock for them to move again. The next sections we setup are 3 days and then move. We are in full harvesting of our garden and moving does take time.
So you can see where they are looked just lush as the paddock they are moving to.
Look at this lushness.
They know it's moving time.
They are ready.
Look how happy the cattle look.
Fresh salad bar!!!
Three days later....
You can see once again they mowed this very nicely.
We moved them into 2 more paddocks.
The big thing for the cattle is my garden.
I know call me crazy because I am. It was a thought of I am tired of pulling weeds and the section I was pulling from I picked up a good size snake. Not the size of a pencil little thing. It was at least a inch-inch and a half in size. Scared the jibbers of me. So, why not have the cattle take care of it and make my job easier to harvest the potatoes. The two things growing in here is the potatoes and garlic. I already harvested the fall garlic but the summer garlic is still in the ground. I figured they are root crops so they should be okay.
It's a gamble right now. If they cross over in any directions they will ruin the other crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, kale, grapes, strawberries, need I keep going. It just would be bad.
DAY 1 Before cattle
This is where my potatoes rest somewhere below the surface.
Some of this grass is over 5 ft. I tried until the snake decided to occupy the same space.
DAY 1 With cattle
I have to admit I am nervous.
We have a couple of them that like to jump over our electrical fence. Let's see what they will do in 3 days.
DAY 2
Tim and Kaitlin pull up potatoes!!!
The cattle didn't ruin them. They are making our job much lighter.
DAY 3 Last day with cattle in garden
They are only inches away from my grape vines.
They have done their job very well.
We have been moving the cattle and having the chickens follow along behind them. It's been working very well. It's been helping to keep the flies down. I would say the guineas work the hardest. They go farther and stay out longer than any of the chickens do. I love to see it all work together.
Got them moved last night to the next paddock.
They are just grazing away!!!!
Happy grazing!!
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