Another foot out!
Slow green tinge happening behind them so the grazed part is now taped off. If l’m not careful, the paddock will be a maze of bloody tape tunnels. l cant run a tape behind them as there is only one section at the back that is sheltered and has shade.
*snort*
Tape city it shall be!
(Not a hint of a hoof pulse or lameness at all so it’s worth it).
They’re too busy eating to even breathe by the look of things – poor starving mites – NOT!!
Just one thing about strip grazing I don’t understand ?
They eat what they want and then you shift the tape. What’s the difference in that, to allowing them the whole paddock?
Because l control what they eat as in how far l shift the fence line. If crests are starting to firm up, the fence dosent shift. l’ll give them soaked hay instead until l think they are ready for more grass.
If they had free range to the whole paddock, they would just eat and eat. They would pick out the good stuff (any clover) and leave the bad. They would have access to the grass at times of the day where the sugars are active most.
When l move the tape, l take all these factors into play and control them that way.
The important thing is to remember the munched on grass behind them. That is more deadly than the long green stuff (remember – grass under duress produces more sugar by going into massive grow mode. Short grass is grass under stress).
As l add to the front when shifting the fence, l need to remove their access to grazed grass behind them as well.
l might only move the tape twice a week depending on the weather, rain, grass growth and condition of the ponies.
Make sense?
l could try a grazing muzzle on them but l dont think the Bird would cope at all, and Myron is far too clever. If she got it off in the morning, she could pig out all day and that would be deadly for her. l’m not prepared to take the risk.
Have a look at that last photo in the background.
See the poo heaps? That’s taped off so has sprung back green.
Where the ponies are standing, the freshly munched down area is brown, hasn’t had any regrowth.
The tinge of green all over is new growth and full of sugars.
Ideal would be to have another tape coming up behind them to keep them off the grazed stuff. Alas, no can do as the shade and shelter is down the back.
That makes sense.
I don’t have to worry about my guys any more as all our green grasses have died off for the summer. We only have dry feed here now.