Mona Howard Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bskeeter Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Gosh, you mght need some SAR dogs to find your sheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdarling Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Oh no! What a terrible problem! What's the address? I can send help right over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 That reminds me of Ed's brother and sister-in-law's pasture a couple of summers ago. They said that Celt could bring in the sheep. He did a nice outrun (it was a small field) and then proceeded to boing-boing on his hind legs to spot the sheep, and continued doing the boing-boings on his fetch as that was the only way he could see where they were going. It was hysterical to watch. If I'd only had a video camera... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I'm closer and I've got 30-some volunteers to help with your problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Mona, That's a problem I'd love to have. I've been steadily cutting my numbers for a year now, but somehow the pasture isn't noticing.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Howard Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Yes, it's nice to have the problem of too much graze for a change. Last year we didn't have as much rain and the hay prices being what they were we cut down to just our eight best ewes. Every fall we put in an annual rye grass but we didn't get the fall rains in time so it just sat dormant all winter. With all the rain we've had lately it has just exploded and the few sheep we kept can't do it justice. We also had a dud ram last fall. The breeder gave us another that we picked up January 2nd. So the first lambs are due May 25th. At least it works out that they are getting the good graze in their last month of gestation and will still have good graze when they lamb. By that time the rye should have died off and the summer mix should kick in we hope. I got a good laugh over the SAR dog comment! My Willy would do the "boing-boing" thing in tall grass. It IS commical. He's old now and I can't use him much. I have a nice little bitch but none of my sheep are puppy sheep (besides being heavy pregnant anyways). She's raring to go but my hands are tied. Of course I cannot send my precious little princess out for training. I need to get motivated and get some puppy sheep for her. What with sick relatives and such I just keep getting delayed! Darn it!! Mona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 Can you get someone in to bale the surplus? Ryegrass is really hard to dry, but makes great balage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Howard Posted May 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I wish I could get someone in to do balage or something with it. It looks lush but it can't be as nutrious as it would be if it was less mature. No one wants to come out just to do a few acres. We are looking right now for a tractor but there are a lot to choose from. Then we'll need a mower attachment and just maybe a rake and round baler in time. $$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 No need for a rake if you do balage, but you do need a wrapper. Just set the mower to drop a swath that matches the baler pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Howard Posted May 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Where I got the rams from they fed balage. They bought it and said the sheep really liked it but you had to be careful with spoilage. Once the bale was opened they had to eat it in so many days if I remember correctly? Does it need to be stored in a building or.....? By the time we get a tractor this stuff will probably have died of with the hot weather but it would be good to know for next year. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 You do need to be careful about spoilage, and you have to make it carefully. You need to have enough moisture to allow for fermentation, but not so much that the bale becomes an anaerobic environment. How long you can take to feed a bale after you open it depends on the outside temperature and the qualities of the bale, such as acidity, moisture levels, type of material, etc. You do not need to store it inside as the bales are wrapped in plastic, but once you open it it's best to keep rain off it if you're going to take several days or a week to feed it out. Be aware that a good round baler that's set up for making balage is probably going to be a five-figure investment. If you're concerned about having enough time sheep to feed it out, I doubt that it will pencil out for you to own the machinery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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