SE Manitoba | Beer money farms - 6/18/2019 13:15
Have a few pastures with weed issues. Wild mustard, wormwood, thistle, buck brush.
Chaparral and 2 4D works, but have also talked with some sheep guys and said sheep would clean up what the cows won’t touch- 0 experience with sheep/ lambs- would maybe be an alright extra income or save money on spraying. Any way to run sheep and cattle together all/most of the summer or would it be possible to just run some lambs?
My other though was trying for chicken/ turkey tractors around water/ mineral to help with flies. Problem is I don’t know how much chicken I can eat or a market for pastured poultry. But do like the potential for bug control and chicken litter for fertilizer on the grass. Any advice or suggestions?
If you're adding sheep into a pasture you do need to consider adding livestock guard dogs or some other protection - - - or your lambs are lunch for something.
Goats will eat brush (young stuff) well but will very much test your fences (seriously!!!).
Sheep will also test your fences but they don't normally climb over them (goats will).
Sheep here eat thistle and brassicas (love them in fact) but ymmv.
Chicken tractors are great - - - haven't tried turkey but people I respect for their wide range of small scale stuff really haven't been able to get turkeys off the ground - - - just too fussy a bird for the first while - - - heard that is true until size x and then they're pretty hardy. Chickens love bugs - - - - go crazy for them.
Re: chicken marketing - - - all depends where you are - - - sell into an urban environment - - ie for a 30% premium to the store do not bad.
Would suggest NOT starting with a huge group for the first kick at the cat. Also check your local rules for needing a licensed abattoir or not if you're selling dead birds.
You can go purely pastured after 4 weeks - - - will take longer to finish or you can feed plus move them every day - - - less days to market weight.
Chicks don't like too much heat or cold (picky that way - - like really) and they don't gain worth a tom diddly if they're cold or hot no matter what you do.
Good luck! |
Multi species grazing/ regenerative grazing
