# What would you do?



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I retired on 6 acres completely fenced and divided down the middle with a garden/orchard/vineyard (also completely fenced). I created the entire homestead out of solid forestry and love it here. It is the only home I've ever had and I will stay until the Lord returns. However, I'm not as agile as I use to be; so I need to make a few changes that will make life easier.

I have a small herd of dairy goats that are easy to care for, a small flock of fowl who are, also, easy to care for and 2 dogs that are easy to care for. The major concern I have is in keeping wild grass/weeds off the 6 acres. 
I would like to hear from any of you who might have ideas as to how to do this. (I actually am considering getting 2-3 sheep yet know nothing of keeping sheep and am doubtful I could shear them each year.)


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Get hair sheep or meat goats. No shearing....James


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

Goats are great pasture cleaners.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

James, thanks for letting me know about "hair" sheep. I'll google those and see if they will work. My herd buck is getting old; so I've actually considered getting a "meat goat" buck to replace him with. 

Ramblin Wreck, it has been my experience since 1996 that my goats are NOT able to keep the grass/weeds down. There are "wing stems" they will not eat. (I'm having the pastures sprayed this year to kill those; so maybe the goats will do a better job with those weeds gone!)

All suggestions are appreciated....


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Sheep and goats prefer forbes, cows and horses prefer grasses. So, your sheep and goats will be eating the same things, there would just be more of them.

We have almost seven acres and 15 sheep and two mini donkeys did not keep it mowed, surprisingly. You could have someone mow and bale what you know you don't need in the summer. I'm guessing 3 acres. You can split the hay, or pay the guy. You'd have hay for the winter from your own land.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

I would be thinking about "bush-hogging" it, but not knowing what you have for equipment; maybe a neighbor has the equipment that could just knock down the weeds once, twice a season.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Wingstem is persistent if we're talking about the same plant. Is yours tall with yellow flowers?


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I agree. We have 8 acres in grass/etc where BP has a pipeline running across our property. We are old enough that we don't want to spend all our time mowing it other than mowing paths so we 'give' it to the local Amish to mow, bale and use for their livestock. All we ask is that they give us a big bale to use for mulch in our orchard/arbor. Never fails to get it mowed for us. 

Have you considered leasing it out for grazing? If you have fence or if somebody is willing to string electric fence up in order to use the ground for pasture, you can usually find somebody with a few steers who is looking for rotational grazing land. They will clear the land for you...the steers that is.

We have a bush hog that we use to mow paths and trust me, it's a time consuming endeavor to mow 8 acres with 4 foot bush hog.

Maybe you could consider getting a couple of young beef to turn loose on the pasture. Grass feed them, finish them in the fall, send them to market. Sell one put one in your freezer. I have heard of folks doing that to keep their pastures clear and put meat on the table.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thank you all so much. I placed a thread similar to this in our Country Living forum so as to reach a different group of people; and both of these threads are bringing me some great suggestions.

I don't want animals that are not mine running on the place for several reasons (possible disease, possible harm to them, my LGD). The people around near enough to mow for me have their own pastures to tend; and often they are doing so with difficulty due to the weather.

I do like the idea of getting myself a couple of young steer; but have never raised them and do not know whether or not my existing fencing would hold them. There is also the matter of having to slaughter/process them myself that is something I believe would be too difficult for me due to their size. (Not even sure I can do my goats alone.)

Badlander, are all bushhog machines only 4 ft wide? If so, that may mean I can get my garden/orchard done as well as the pastures this year....


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

4' is the narrowest tractor type. They go up to over 30'. Many are 5' and 6' wide on farm tractors. It is best that a brush hog is as wide as the tires so you only run over the grass 1 pass. If it is tall and/or heavy the tires knock the grass down and make it harder to cut good and smooth. Best to figure on 2 passes several weeks apart if you want a nice clean job....James


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thanks James.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

When you are ready to butcher the steer (or sheep) you call the packing house and they will tell you who can haul them for you. So, somebody else brings the animal to the packing house, and somebody else kills it and gives it back to you all cut up and wrapped in white paper (or possibly saran wrap).


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Maura, I did this a couple of years with my goats. Then the place that was doing the killing/processing sold its business to another who did not have the license this county needs to process goat. That is when I started processing my own. That is also when I discovered I was getting a significant amount MORE MEAT DOING IT MYSELF.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

That is why we raise small animals for butcher. Goats, rabbits, chickens and pigeons. We also hunt but with someone else to help butcher. We divide up the meat on bear, elk and deer. I can/will skin a deer myself because most don't take the time to do it good, I want/need a full hide with no holes....James


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I hear you James! I'm determined to continue doing as much of the meat processing as I can...all if need be!

The gentleman willing to bushhog my place stated he has a 6' machine. He will be coming out next week after this surge of rains stop for awhile. After he gets it all mowed down, I'll be getting Southern States to spread a summer weed killer to stop the wingstems from growing. This should give me a better field of grass my goats will enjoy more.

I also called the shop that does all the maintenance on my DR Field & Brush Mower (and Troybilt Tiller), gave them the URL for a youtube video about taking the old tires off the mower without having to remove the wheels, ordering the semi-pneumatic tires on 20" wheels from Northern Tools so those tires can be placed on my mower. I asked him to review the video and let me know what he thought of the process used. Am waiting to hear!

If the tires can be redone on my mower, I'll get a good cutting in early fall to feed the 9 goats I'll be slaughtering. This will save all the baled hay I still have in the loft for this coming winter.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

updating....

Got the bushhoging done!
Got the new tires put on my DR Field & Brush Mower!
Got the Troybilt Tiller well serviced and cleaned! (Will be putting it up on Craigslist for what the repair man told me to ask for it, i.e. $1,500.)

Had a few unforeseen problems show up, i.e. water stopped and had to get a plumber, range bake element went out and have to get it replaced, got the roof of trailer repainted and even my computer went out. This means my getting sheep will need to wait until next year; however, by then I should have everything set up for them. 

Thanks so much to all of you for helping me during this time.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Sorry for not responding before now but I agree with Jwal10. You want one as big as your tractor's wheels. But don't overestimate your tractors pulling ability. If you get a bigger one you will have to mow slower if it taxes your tractors available horse power.

We mow paths in our pastures. Right now the grass is waist high and ready for cutting. If nobody in our Amish community claims it soon, the pipeline people (we have a BP pipeline cutting across our property diagonally) will come in and mow it for us and we will just bush hog the rest and use it around the farm for mulch. Seems a waste of good hay but like you we are not crazy about the idea of letting 'strangers' on our land to tend stock if we rent out the pasture and at our ages we do not want to take on a lot of livestock to 'mow' it for us.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I wasn't able to get the spraying done for summer weed control so I put on my 4-lb backpack and walked over the acreage several times spraying the "wingstems". I figure if I can at least keep them from blooming, it will help. (Have noticed I need to do some more spraying in the back; so will be doing that as soon as the weather is conducive to such a task.) 

Since so much has gone awry I've put off getting hair sheep this year; however, have not given up on that idea. Am wondering if my parameter fencing would hold a cow. Do cows eat "wingstems"? This is about the only weed I have in my pastures!


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Cattle do not ordinarily like weeds; they prefer grass. 
Wingstem is a new term for me, so I cannot state specifically whether or not cattle will eat it. Generally speaking, they eat the grass first and weeds only when hungry. Internet says the leaves are bitter and cattle dislike it.


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