>We could also get deep into a discussion of whether or not shade is
>neccessary or desirable in a pasture situation as the shade becomes a
>"manure magnet." and impacts nutrient distribution.
We do see some slight manure buildup under the tree canopy now but
not much. Our current trees are 100 yr old apples, planted on 30 ft
centers. They are open and airy and the shade does move around the
tree so the sheep move too. Also, my sheep do not flock, so in any
given time you will only have 1-2 sheep per tree. The key is having
enough trees so they can spread out like they want to. It's very hard
to get Black Welsh to flock tightly, they tend to scatter to the ends
of the fencing and ewes park their lambs under trees. We also need
overhead protection from eagles and other aerial predators.
We see significant reduction in gains of lambs when they and their
dams do not have access to shade during the summer. The ewes will
also end lactation in much worse condition without shade vs with. If
we have decent shade, the ewes do not need much flushing to bring
them to breeding condition and I can do it with hay alone. Without
shade I have to add grain to get the ewes back up to par before
breeding. We have solid black sheep. heat gains on the black wool may
be the reason for the differences compared to other sheep. I did note
that coated sheep, wearing light colored coats, do not need shade as
much as the uncoated ones. But coats during grazing season present
other management problems and are not really a viable option at this
time. We do coat the sheep when we move to winter quarters where we
are feeding hay.
>Shade promotes over
>grazing near the shade and poor grazing away from it.
We don't see that result here. About 1 ft around the tree trunks is
bare soil, actually good for the orchard, and was that way before I
started grazing there. We actually have more forage, denser plants
and more grass closer to the trees now than when we started. The rest
of the area is evenly grazed. My sheep chew cuds during the hot part
of the day and rarely are grazing then.
>In short, I don't encourage trees of any type in the pasture.
And I've found that they are critical to keeping my sheep healthy and
gaining during our summer. <smile>
>Off the cuff though, I
>might suggest cottonwoods or a similar populus spp. as they are fast growing
>and widespread in the west.
Also take way too much water. We are in irrigated pastures but they
are not recommended due to water consumption and the competition they
provide to the pasture grasses.
>An alternative soule be a mobile share or shed
>that could be moved with the sheep and located in areas where more grazing
>pressure and manure are needed.
We've tried that, winds destroyed the one we tried. We get daily
winds that change direction, up valley at night, down valley in the
morning. Wind speeds are quite variable but can routinely reach 40mph
or more. Hoop houses on skids become kites. Covered wagon type
trailers (like the Salatin shademobile) turned over here. I can build
cattle panel hoop and tarp shelters, staked down with t-posts on the
corners and in the middle but they are not real portable and really
do become manure magnets.
--
Oogie McGuire - oogiem@desertweyr.com
Weyr Associates - Multimedia and Web Authoring Services & Consulting
Desert Weyr - CMK Arabian horses and Black Welsh Mountain Sheep
http://www.desertweyr.com/
Paonia, CO USA
