Pasture is growing...now what?

[cibula11]

We just moved to a small acreage and have about 1.5 acres of pasture that is fenced in and set up for horses. It has very nice white vinyl 4 rail fence around it. We don't have horses yet, but as the pasture is growing we're considering other animals to keep it contained without mowing. Here is what we've considered so far:

1. goats
2.sheep
3. horse/pony
4. cow
5. mow it


We don't want to HAVE to invest hundreds of dollars on a new fence or anythng like that but it seems like our current set up might only be for horses. Anyone have any helpful thoughts or ideas?

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Mow it. Move into livestock slowly after you've done your research and have decided what you want to do.

 

[platinum]

Really the cheapest thing to keep it looking nice is just to mow it. Once you put any livestock on there, you will need to spend time and money on maintaining the pasture. Animals will destroy that grass and you would have to put in a lot of time and money to keep it looking nice. Plus you'll have the cost of care for the animal.

Or, if you don't plan to use it for anything, just let the grass grow. Your wildlife will appreciate it. Possibly bushhog down the whole thing once a year in the fall.

But if you really want animals, just pick your favorite, know how to care for it and how many of the animals your pasture can support and have a blast (and be prepared for maintaince work).

 

[Glenmar]

Goats don't really graze down a pasture.

 

[cibula11]

Yeah, I suspected this. Plus, like I mentioned our fencing is definitely not goat friendly. That's where the sheep idea came in. Sound like my cheapest option right now is to mow it once in a while or just let it grow till fall.

 

[res]

As long as it isn't getting overtaken by weeds, let it grow and go to seed a couple times a year before you mow it down. It will naturally re-seed itself and get thicker.

 

[cibula11]

Well, some of it is weeds. There haven't been horses on it for around a year. Plenty of dandelions, but I do see quite a bit of clover and bluegrass too.

 

[Stacykins]

Dandelions aren't as horrible as they seem. They are a great weed, actually. Ever had dandelion wine? Delish! Honeybees LOVE dandelion blossoms. Actually, they like the nectar from dandelions far more than apple blossoms, which bloom at almost the same time the first dandelions start showing their sunny petals. And dandelion greens are great in salads, as long as the area hasn't been exposed to chemicals.

My goats, because of the lack of browse on my property, do graze on grasses and low weeds. But if they are given the choice, they will eat shrubbery, tree leaves, and bark (yea, they'll girdle you trees within a short time). Their fenced in areas are neat and trimmed from their grazing. I make a point to release them once a day under supervision so they can tackle the other parts of the property and eat better greenery.

But a vinyl fence will not contain goats and sheep. The slats are too far apart, they'd go right through. If you string hot wire between each slat, you could make the fence hold them. But hot wire only works if they respect it, they have to learn that the zap hurts! Mine laugh at electric fencing, personally...