Best animal to "mow" lawn? Need suggestions please!

[aggieterpkatie]

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You know Southdowns aren't hair sheep right?

You just mentioned them in the same sentence with "go with hair sheep" so I wanted to make sure the OP wasn't confused.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

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Yep. And plus, hair sheep may be "lower" maintenance than regular sheep, they still require things like yearly vaccinations, periodic deworming (depends on your location and worm load), hoof trimming, etc. Plus, mostly likely one will get sick at some point in time, so that'll cost you in meds and time.

I mean, if you're wanting animals, then hair sheep would be a good way to go. However, if you're just looking for "low maintenance" mowing, get a tractor.

 

[cmjust0]

Feeder steers. Each Spring, pick up a couple of young feeders and leave them on your acreage until Fall, then send them back to the sale barn and pick up your check. No hay expense, no chopping water when it's cold as a welldigger's butt outside, etc. They're just guests.

That's what I'd be thinking.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Geese! lots of geese! Geese are great and edible and make eggs. I would have a flock if I could. Then a couple of donkeys to guard them. Best of both worlds!

Shoot, you could keep a steer and have it butchered. Lawn control and hamburger. Sounds good, too.

 

[minnesotachicken]

Hey! All good ideas! i like the Donkey idea..... but are they fairly worthless/ boring? Or do they have personalities?

The berry patch is a good idea, too! How fast do strawberries spread? Anyone know?

Feeder steers...... that would be fun, we had a couple growing up- we would get them as bottle babies, then when they were getting older, they would sleep on the front step, like a dog! I KNOW, with enough handeling, they could be fun pets/ lawnmowers!

 

[Wifezilla]

If I had your problem I would put a flock of geese on there. Geese are awesome

Who can resist having their own herd of fluffy dinosaurs?

 

[Oven Ready]

Geese or Rabbits (lots of them).

Cows & Donkeys will give you a mud pool when it rains. Sheep will too if your ground is soft. Goats will eat absolutely anything, as long it's something you don't want them to eat.

Rabbits don't dig burrows if they have underwired hutches and they give a lovely finish to the grass without wearing paths in it (and it's easier to kill and eat one rabbit than a whole cow) . Geese are just as good at the lawn thing but may be noisy and more smelly than the rabbits (and you can't make fluffy slippers from geese).

 

[Olive Hill]

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All animals have personalities, donkeys are certainly not an exception. Personalities are required for forming and maintaining herd relationships, something integral to an equid's survival in the wild.

Definitely do your research before choosing any animal or mix of animals. Diversified grazing is best on the ground, but if you have limited livestock knowledge it may be best to start with one species at a time so as to lessen the learning curve you go through all at once.

Someone mentioned the animals killing the pasture back, Management Intensive Rotational Grazing will be your best both for the ground itself and for getting the most out of it. Google MIRG and read up. Five acres is more than enough to support a small herd of sheep, a feeder steer or two or a larger herd/flock of some of the other options mentioned. That said, supplemental feed was also mentioned. Most animals will require supplemental feed whether they're on the pasture full time or not. It is the VERY rare pasture set up that can provide a fully balanced diet.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Someone mentioned the animals killing the pasture back, Management Intensive Rotational Grazing will be your best both for the ground itself and for getting the most out of it. Google MIRG and read up. Five acres is more than enough to support a small herd of sheep, a feeder steer or two or a larger herd/flock of some of the other options mentioned. That said, supplemental feed was also mentioned. Most animals will require supplemental feed whether they're on the pasture full time or not. It is the VERY rare pasture set up that can provide a fully balanced diet

While everything you said is 100% correct, the OP doesn't want to "raise animals"
They want a "lawn mower"
Unless they want to crossfence the YARD, then rotational grazing won't work

Whoever said "teenage human" gave the best answer so far​

 

[cmjust0]

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No, no, no...they're guests, not pets! Their names should be Ribeye and Porterhouse or you'll wind up haying them all winter, chopping water, building shelters, then asking people how hard it is to train cattle to pull carts and whatnot.