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Azura Skye
Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire
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 Posted: Sun Aug 05, 12 12:43 pm Post subject: |
 
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do sheep eat thistles?
I have a field full of dock, thistles and ragweed that the pigs don't touch... do goats eat dock? |
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Rob R
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 26492
Location: York
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 12 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Azura Skye wrote: |
do sheep eat thistles?
I have a field full of dock, thistles and ragweed that the pigs don't touch... do goats eat dock? |
They eat some, but not all thistles, tends to be more when they are young (the thistles, not the sheep) and tender. Sheep certainly eat docks, goats too. |
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Azura Skye
Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 12 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Rob R wrote: |
| Azura Skye wrote: |
do sheep eat thistles?
I have a field full of dock, thistles and ragweed that the pigs don't touch... do goats eat dock? |
They eat some, but not all thistles, tends to be more when they are young (the thistles, not the sheep) and tender. Sheep certainly eat docks, goats too. |
thank you - maybe worth borrowing some then : ) |
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Rob R
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 26492
Location: York
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 12 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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I guess it depends how they're reared - if fed by the bucket they tend to be less foragy, and some breeds are better than others. We've just had ours in the churchyard though, and they've eaten everything apart from the mature thistles (and the yew, but that was fenced off - the thistles are a lot less numerous than last year when we first grazed it with sheep. Nettles, ivy, docks, burdock, cow parsley, all gone.  They are rather partial to apple trees though, as our orchard will testify. |
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foggy
Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 343
Location: Devon
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 12 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Rob R wrote: |
| Azura Skye wrote: |
do sheep eat thistles?
I have a field full of dock, thistles and ragweed that the pigs don't touch... do goats eat dock? |
They eat some, but not all thistles, tends to be more when they are young (the thistles, not the sheep) and tender. Sheep certainly eat docks, goats too. |
I read "Sheep certainly eat ducks, goats too." 
How about using yellow rattle to keep the grass down? You'd still have a problem with thistles & things, but you'd have pretty flowers too... ? |
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Jamanda
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 31948
Location: Devon
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 12 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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Yellow rattle isn't a quick fix though. |
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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 11206
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 12 5:58 am Post subject: |
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Sheep would be fine grazing around large established trees and some farmers I know even run cattle in their orchards.
My trees however, are either on 106 or 111 and sheep would do tremendous damage to them if given the chance.
A warning, geese can and do damage newly planted trees. Anything that they can get their beaks around is fair game.
My orchards are all planted in straight rows, so I use 'Roundup' around the base of each tree and go up and down between each row with a heavy duty commercial petrol mower. I don't like using the weedkiller but I do enjoy the hours spent cutting the grass. |
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TTouch Homestead
Joined: 13 Oct 2011
Posts: 612
Location: Cardigan, West Wales
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 12 7:10 am Post subject: |
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Yep, geese will remove the bark and young tips from small saplings, as my poor mulberry can testify to. |
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Ty Gwyn
Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 1992
Location: Lampeter
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 12 7:19 am Post subject: |
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Cannot you strip graze the orchard with Vegans,and take photos when they get zapped with the fence,might put some colour in their cheeks,lol. |
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12Bore
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 7839
Location: Paddling in the Mersey
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 12 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| Ty Gwyn wrote: |
| Cannot you strip graze the orchard with Vegans,and take photos when they get zapped with the fence,might put some colour in their cheeks,lol. |
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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 11206
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 12 10:01 am Post subject: |
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I have enough problems with real bunnies without inviting a load of bunny huggers in. Apologies to my vegan friends, it was too good a quip to ignore.  |
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shadiya
Joined: 02 Feb 2008
Posts: 1262
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| Posted: Sun Aug 12, 12 9:11 am Post subject: |
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| Ty Gwyn wrote: |
| Cannot you strip graze the orchard with Vegans,and take photos when they get zapped with the fence,might put some colour in their cheeks,lol. |
I love the idea of vegans strip grazing a paddock, made me laugh out loud, much to the consternation of the wwoofer - he's obviously not used to people cackling at their laptops!  |
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Hairyloon
Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 8297
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 12, 12 11:19 am Post subject: |
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Do they not even eat saplings? |
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Ruralnaedowell
Joined: 11 Nov 2010
Posts: 116
Location: Welshpool
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| Posted: Thu Aug 16, 12 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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What guarding system have you got on the trees. Sheep are bark strippers, often out of boredom or curiosity.
We have used 6" or 8" ribbed drainage pipe, with a cut down the middle to slip over the trunks of the trees, as removeable heavy duty guards. |
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gil
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18207
Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Thu Aug 16, 12 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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How about those tiny Ouessant sheep ?
I think there is someone in Herefordshire who breeds them, in the UK. |
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