Along the Trail at Briden Farm
Birthday Wishes, Bending Birches, and Moving Sheep
Today is Denis’ Special Birthday! Becoming a Senior Citizen! Time goes by so fast!
It’s hard to believe! When we were kids they told us the older we get the faster time goes! We laughed and said, “Ya! Right!” Well, now we know! They spoke the Truth!
Along the Trail this beautiful, but bending, White Birch Tree always makes me smile.
It’s learned to bend with the wind, but has managed to remain well grounded.
I’m sure the must be a life lesson there! Perhaps someday I’ll understand it!
This pasture the sheep are in, and the one we moved them into today, are both being worked for the first time. Both are part of a larger, approximate 5 acre field. Once, not too many years ago, used for Hay. Yet, left on its own, it’s quickly becoming over run with Rambling Roses, Golden Rod, and parts of it with Lupines. All very invasive!
Today was the fourth day in the pasture, so we moved them. Keeping ahead of the parasites. We’ll be back on this Geound after letting it ready for about 90-120 days. Moving out before the worms become infective on day five and leaving the place Host free so any parasites present die without a host before we return. It’d be better if we followed the sheep, in about a month, with a couple cattle. Just two or three, for a short time. In fact, I think I’d rather run the cattle first. Then the sheep. The cattle take the higher, longer, grasses. Then letting it rest for a month or so and move in the sheep. The sheep prefer the shorter grasses. Ideally 6-8” high and let them trim it down to 3-4 inches before moving them. Still insuring it’s every 4 Days. Perhaps n3xt year we’ll introduce the cattle.
The other thing that would make this even better is to follow the cattle with chickens before the Sheep. Then follow the Sheep with Rabbits. For the most part the parasites from one species then get eaten and die in the stomach of the other species. The exceptions are the Chickens and Rabbits can have some of the same. So, it’s a balancing act. However, that allows the grasses to grow, get trimmed, and regrow at a better rhythm. It’s ideal to let them trim it grasses grow up to about 8-10 inches. Then trim them back to about 4 inches. They regrow quicker that way! It @lso helps when they are pruned every 5-12 days by the various animals.
The Sheep in the picture above are eating the bit of grain I give them. I feed a bit of grain each day. It just keeps them looking forward to my coming and helps me to keep a little closer look on them as well. They don’t really need the grain, with all the grass and forage. Although it also helps support the ewes who are still nursing.
The sheep eat mostly grass, and leaves from the saplings. Leaving it like this ….
Honestly, the goats do a better job on the saplings. However, our Goats, in a pasture in another area of the same old field, are being kept busty trimming the even heavier Rambling Roses, and heavier growth that has crept into that section of field. In the Fall, I’ll probably put goats through here, for a short time, about a week to two weeks ahead of the Sheep. Goat parasites (worms) don’t become infective as quick as those of the sheep. You can leave Goats on a piece of ground for up to a month. Thus, my putting goats on this ground, followed by sheep a week or two later should be fine. Doing that in the Fall will see these saplings get hit again, harder, without time to recoup before Winter. Thus helping get rid of the saplings. We’ll see the results of that next year. If it works great, and if not then I may put pigs on it and they’ll root them out. Then I may use this area for a garden. Time will tell. I’m still learning too!
This next photo will help You see, on the left, what the sheep left behind after just four days. Or perhaps, I should say, what a great job they did with just four days.
On the right of the fence, that’s what the sheep are moving into. You see how grown in it is, and four days ago the section on the left of the fence looked the same!
These sheep really do a great job!
This photo shows an even better view of the area we just moved the sheep into.
It also gives you an idea of the setup we use. The electric netting fence, the fence charger connected to the battery and the solar panel to help keep the battery charged. This Solar panel is at least a couple years old, and has stopped working. It’s possible that I may have ruined it yesterday when I mistakenly reversed the clips on the battery terminals. It’s also possible it just stopped working. I’m honestly not sure which, but we just noticed it not working today. I did reverse the clips on the terminals yesterday however and that might have done it. We have two batteries, one we charge at home, while the other is in the field. It was only recently I really realized that the terminals, the positive and negative posts, on the two batteries are reversed! One battery has the positive post on the right, and the other battery has it on the left! I always figured all batteries were the same! Not so! Which makes me wonder if I have reversed this thing before! I am only telling on myself so that others may learn from my mistakes! (Wink)
Another shot of a couple more sheep in their new pasture and how thick the vegetation is…
I was teasing Denis about how good he had it! Who else gets to sit and play with the dogs, watch the sheep, and be surrounded by such beauty! The lush green, the profuse blackberry blossoms and roses! I said I think there are people who would die for this!
On the way back Along the Trail…
These two White Birch trees, or one that has grown with two trunks, reminds me of a Chicken Wishbone! Growing Up (Like I Ever Did) Mom would dry the Wishbone in the warning oven of our wood stove. Once it was dry we’d each take an end, like each grabbing on one of the two trunks, and pull! Who ever got the biggest piece got their Wish to come true! Course, you could never tell what the wish was! Or it wouldn’t!
So, here’s to Wishing another 65 Years to Denis! Hope You get to blow some Candles!
Anyone got a fire extinguisher!?