Just come off the phone to the slaughter house !

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Just come off the phone to the slaughter house !
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Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 1:39 pm Post subject:

Northern_Lad wrote:

Gervese - you've got permission to get a large, moody, angry-looking cow.

...and to save anyone making the blindingly obvious joke at my expense...

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 1:42 pm Post subject:
Has anyone got any views/advice on keeping cows in with sheep. Best breed for that etc?

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 1:43 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Northern_Lad wrote:

Gervese - you've got permission to get a large, moody, angry-looking cow.

...and to save anyone making the blindingly obvious joke at my expense...

Don't know what you mean; no-one could ever describe you as being large, you're nawt but a slip-of-a-lass.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 1:47 pm Post subject:

Northern_Lad wrote:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Northern_Lad wrote:

Gervese - you've got permission to get a large, moody, angry-looking cow.

...and to save anyone making the blindingly obvious joke at my expense...

Don't know what you mean; no-one could ever describe you as being large, you're nawt but a slip-of-a-lass.

Okay - let's get all the schoolboy humour over with in one go please

Then can we get back to the question of keeping cows with sheep....please?

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 1:50 pm Post subject:
I imagine that Gervase is already choosing his Stockman's outfit from The Victorian Gentleman's Wardrobe or where-ever it is he shops.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 1:53 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Then can we get back to the question of keeping cows with sheep....please?

Certainly. Don't. Keep them separate & alternate each year to save on worming.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 2:06 pm Post subject:
We rotational graze them. First the cows then the sheep. Followed by a rest & then the cows again. The goats get to use the field whenever as they are not eating the same stuff even though this is not the best option for worms. Justme

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 2:08 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Then can we get back to the question of keeping cows with sheep....please?

Certainly. Don't. Keep them separate & alternate each year to save on worming.

Thank goodness someone is sensible around here.

The problem is Rob, that we only have 5 acres of grazing land; 4.5 acres is divided into roughly into two equal paddocks by stock fencing, with another small paddock (also stock-fenced) of about half an acre for our Lleine ram, Rambo, and his 'special friend' Sammy when the ewes are not in season. Other than Rambo and Sammy, we now have 33 sheep - although some of those will be culled soon - and we lamb in March and April.

We can't even rent anymore land anywhere. It's at an absolute premium where we live, as every little bit is used up for beef, dairy and sheep farming.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 2:09 pm Post subject:

Justme wrote:

We rotational graze them. First the cows then the sheep. Followed by a rest & then the cows again. The goats get to use the field whenever as they are not eating the same stuff even though this is not the best option for worms.

Justme

How many do you have of each category of livestock?

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 2:51 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Justme wrote:

How many do you have of each category of livestock?

In responce to your grazing problem one thing will sort it... Electric fencing.

Currently we have

12 cattle
(aged from 15 months to 26 months the older ones are up for sale soon [live or butchered] if any one is interested)
1 ewe & 9 lambs
(they all will be off to slaughter as soon as we have customers or freezer space)
4 adult milking goats
1 entire billy
6 x 18 month old castrated billies for the freezer
(they all will be off to slaughter as soon as we have customers or freezer space)
2 x 6 month old goat kids
(will be selling the female with a castrated billy as company for someone that only needs one milker)
1 sow (hopefully in pig due xmas week)

normaly we have more ewes / lambs & pigs but decided to cut down for this year as next year we will be taking in orphan lambs to wean on goats milk instead of breeding our own. Also next year we will start doing calfs on goats milk again (altenate years).

Justme

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 3:00 pm Post subject:

Justme wrote:

1 ewe & 9 lambs

She must be knackered!

moonwind

Joined: 10 Sep 2006
Posts: 1140

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 5:57 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Has anyone got any views/advice on keeping cows in with sheep. Best breed for that etc?

We have cattle (beef) in with our sheep (texels + the stray that somehow got in, speckle looking), they haven't been any problems apart from some youngstock cattle decided to chase soem ram lambs around one night when there was going to be a frost. They tend to do daft things then, but wasn't a habit.

We also had calves born here this year and they were put in with the sheep not long afterwards, can't remember the exact age.

..and for all the olde breed lovers on here, quite a few of the cattle are shorthorns and the daddy of all of the calves is also a shorthorn.

Nice tempered, easy type of animal, calm, but whether that is just him or the breed I am not sure.

There is a lovely hered along the Cardi road just down from Rhos heading toward Carmarthen.

The old boy (if he's still alive!!!) has had a milking shorthorn herd since Methusula owned The Lamb at Rhos

.

You can see the cows on the right hand side (if you're heading toward Carmarthen) on the sloped fields, and if you catch it right (or wrong if you in a hurry) you might see the old chap bringing the cows up and along the road and then turning right into his farm entrance for milking.

As said not sure if he is still alive, saw him about 18 months ago, don't go out along that road much.

Apprently shorthorns were very popular in our area yonks ago.

Pretty breed aren't they?

The calves here look pretty decently built as well. I'll have to try and take some pics

moonwind

Joined: 10 Sep 2006
Posts: 1140

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 6:09 pm Post subject:

Have just seen what Rob R said, and agree that alternating is the best way to run sheep and cattle, if you have the space of course.

They say that dairy cattle are the best for sheep to follow, don't know why .. RobR enlighten me?

Also forgot to say if sheep and cattle run together you have to be extra vigilent in fly season, because calves have a nasty habit of crapping on sheep!!

I mean NO manners have they?

Maybe you could find some tack land to give your land a rest MJ? If you have just sheep and lots on one field or two small, your land could become sheep sick, where it basically goes stale and gets overburdened with bots worms and all the other niceties that come with sheepies.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19859
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 7:26 pm Post subject:
Hmmm in an ideal world I would empty our fields of horses every few years and put a couple of cows on to clear up the worms. Pity you are not closer MJ we could do a three year straight swop of livestock

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Oct 11, 06 7:40 pm Post subject:

if you are going to consider cattle MJ (looks like you are wavering) then i can only say that theone thing you will really really need is proper electric fencing at the right height to give them a good belt when they touch it

other wise you will never keep them in

ask nick howe if he had electric fencing................we had inadequate fencing at the winter quarters and it was a nightmare really............lettice was half white park and half red poll, her son was 3 quaters red poll...........a nice animal but my god was he an escape artist

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