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Amy Dunnington and David Borkman, Gilbert
Stuart Road,
North Kingstown, RI
This farm served as a demonstration
site from 2003 - 2006 as part of the Healthy
Landscapes Education Program.
Setting: The
farm currently raises between 6 to 10 sheep, four sheep dogs
(trained as working herd dogs), and 12 layer hens. The
farm contains about one acre of land, with about 1/3 acre
available for grazing. The farm also has access to about
4 acres of pasture land located one mile away and historically
used about 0.5 acre of neighboring land for additional pasture
until 2006.
The farm also has a
vegetable and flower garden (about 1,400
sq. ft.) which is planted to a winter rye cover crop in
the fall and receives chicken and sheep
manure
and bedding collected during winter months. The home is
served by a private
drinking water well.
Area 1: Pasture
Management - sheep and poultry
The owners have been renovating
the pastureland to improve forage species, forage
quality and quantity. Lime and fertilizer have been applied
based on soil
test results. White
clover has been seeded to improve soil fertility and
pasture quality. Portable electranet fencing
and portable battery fence chargers are used to manage the
sheep grazing on a rotational basis.
The layer hens have been raised in a coop with a small, permanent
fenced yard and the manure and bedding are
used in the vegetable garden.
October
2003, moving the sheep to a new paddock on adjacent
neighboring land. |
Goals:
April - October: Continue
to improve pastures for
desired forage species, forage quality and quantity,
as well as to properly recycle manure
and protect water quality. Additional soil tests will be
collected to monitor and amend
soil
fertility as needed. The sheep will be rotated between
the home farm and the available pasture located one
mile away. This will allow the pasture area at the home farm
to rest and
re-grow. Making use of neighboring land that
is available for grazing also reduces feed costs.
Electranet
fencing for sheep -- electrified netting.
This fencing system is portable and is key in allotting the amount of pasture
forage needed over a given grazing period.
The owners generally use a two day grazing period which requires a rough
paddock sizing of 65 to 75 feet square (up to 5,625 sq. ft. ) when grazing
all 10 sheep together. The key with this system of grazing is that paddock
size can be changed as needed to provide the required feed for the given
grazing period. Paddock sizing
will change based on the number of animals being grazed, the grasses present
within the paddock area, the effects of improvements being made, soil type,
current weather conditions and time of year.
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The
immediate forefront shows where the sheep grazed prior
to the current fenced paddock. The area to the topleft
of the photo shows where the sheep will move to next
once the existing paddock has been grazed. July
2003.
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White
clover, introduced in the previous year to enhance
soil fertility and pasture nutrition and palatability.
Care must be taken to prevent bloat in ruminants such
as sheep and cows. White clover should not populate
more than 40% of the pasture. July 2003
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Pasture area recently clipped to eliminate
ungrazed clumps and promote new leaf growth, July 2003.
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Intellishock
20B battery powered fence charger system using a rechargeable
12 volt car battery -- it is very important that fence
chargers are properly grounded and operating so that
the animals respect the fence.
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Solar
panel and 9-volt dry cell battery
was installed in August 2003. The dry cell battery
is much lighter to carry and is not rechargeable.
The solar panel increases the life of the battery.
back
to top
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Grazing poultry: The owners began to graze their poultry during
the 2003 grazing season as part of this project. The benefits include
a more uniform balance and dispersal of poultry manure over the land
available, as well as natural pest control--both with grubs in the soil
and pasture parasites that can affect the sheep (by scattering the sheep
manure and exposing it to the sun). The recommended management is to
follow up the sheep paddocks with the poultry where feasible. In the
case of layer hens, this also results in the need for a moveable coop.
Bird predation from hawks and other birds of prey can be an issue with
this system. Periodic soil testing should be conducted to monitor nutrient
levels in the soil.
Poultry
net fencing -- electrified netting designed for grazing
poultry.
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For
more information about pasture managment
Livestock
Pastures, Fencing, and Watering on Small Acreages: Protecting
Water Resources and Health, Fact
Sheet 3 of our small
acreage livestock series
USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service; Warwick, RI office,
(401) 828-1300
The
Northeast Grazing Guide -- Northeast Pasture Research
and Extension Consortium
The
University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture Vermont
Pasture Network
Back to top
View
examples of livestock yard management
and use of rain barrels on this farm.
Back
to Demonstration Site Index
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