Pasture rotation

Continuous grazing: animals stay on one pasture all season. They eat their favorite plants again and again and leave the rest. MU Extension says continuously grazed cattle use only 30–35% of the grass, against up to 70% under well-run rotation.

Rotational grazing: the pasture is split into paddocks. Animals graze one paddock for a short time, then move on, so each paddock rests and regrows.

• Management-intensive grazing: 8 or more paddocks, with moves based on how much grass is left rather than on a calendar.

• Mob grazing: very high density with several moves a day. It's an advanced method, not for beginners.

What the evidence says

Holistic Planned Grazing (Savory Institute) claims it works in every environment. A 2017 meta-analysis found no difference from continuous grazing in plant cover, plant mass or animal gain. The studies with positive results came mostly from wetter sites.

So why rotate on a homestead?

• More grass per acre in humid areas.

• Manure spread more evenly.

• Animals handled daily, so you spot problems early.

• A setup that lets chickens follow cattle.

The numbers you need

Step by step

1. 1

   Count daily need. Body weight × intake %. Example: a 1,050-lb cow × 3% = 31.5 lb of dry matter a day.

2. 2

   Measure the grass. Height in inches × 300 lb = lb of forage per acre.

3. 3

   Apply utilization. Multiply by 0.5 (take half).

4. 4

   Size one paddock: > Paddock acres = (daily need per animal × number of animals × days in paddock) ÷ (forage lb/acre × utilization)

5. 5

   Count paddocks: > Paddocks = (rest days ÷ days per paddock) + 1

Worked homestead example

This example is built from the formulas above.

• Herd: 2 beef cows of 1,100 lb at 3% = 66 lb/day.

• Forage: grass is 10 in tall, so 10 × 300 = 3,000 lb/acre. Take half: 1,500 lb/acre available.

• One day's paddock: 66 ÷ 1,500 = 0.044 acre, about 1,900 sq ft, or roughly a 44 × 44 ft square.

• Spring (about 20-day rest, 1-day moves): 21 paddocks × 0.044 = about 0.9 acre in rotation.

• Midsummer (about 40-day rest): 41 paddocks × 0.044 = about 1.8 acres. Grass also grows slower, so plan extra land, hay, or a summer pasture of warm-season grass.

Real pasture grows unevenly. Walk it weekly and adjust paddock size by eye.

Grazing heights and rest

Cool-season grass (fescue, orchardgrass, ryegrass, bluegrass, timothy):

Warm-season grass:

• Why leave stubble: grass stores its energy in the bottom 3–4 inches. Grazing lower damages it.

• Why take only half: root growth drops sharply once more than about half the leaf is removed, and nearly stops near 80%.

• Why move often: grass starts regrowing 2–4 days after a bite, so don't leave animals in a paddock longer than about 3 days.

Water and paddock shape

• Water: keep it within about 700–900 ft of grazing animals, ideally in each paddock.

• Lanes: with lanes to water, 15–20% of manure lands in the lanes, and cows drink about 15% more when water is right there.

• Shape: keep paddocks no more than 4 times longer than wide. Squares use the least fence.

Fencing

Electric fence is a "psychological barrier." Train animals to it inside a solid fence or corral first.

Wire heights (inches above ground):

Energizer and ground:

• About 1 mile of fence per joule of energizer output.

• Voltage: keep at least 5,000 V, even in dry weather. MU says 2,000 V can be enough for cattle; we use the safer target.

• Ground rods: about 3 ft of rod per joule, using 3–4 rods at least 10 ft apart, and at least 30 ft from other grounds.

  • Use galvanized steel. Virginia Tech says never use copper.
  • Never ground to your house's electrical ground.

• Polywire and polytape: for short, temporary runs (under about 2,000 ft) only.

• Solar: about 7–10 W of solar panel per joule.

• Never use a homemade charger. They "may, and often do, kill people and animals".

Worms: why species order matters

Barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is the big threat to sheep and goats.

• How fast: in warm, wet weather, eggs can become infective larvae on grass in 3–4 days.

• Where: most larvae sit in the bottom few inches of grass.

Rules for sheep and goats:

1. 1

   Move them every 1–3 days in warm weather, before about day 4.

2. 2

   Don't graze them short. Move them before grass drops below 4 in.

3. 3

   Rest matters more than you'd think. Grass may be ready in 2–4 weeks, but that's when larvae are near peak.

   • In temperate US regions, a sheep or goat pasture needs about 6 months of rest in cool weather, or 2–3 months in hot weather, to be safe.
   • A 35-day return that works in the tropics "can be disastrous" in cool climates.
4. 4

   Use adult cattle or horses as the cleanup crew. They mostly don't get sheep and goat worms and kill the larvae they swallow.

   • Graze sheep and goats first and adult cattle after (leader-follower).
   • Young calves can catch barber pole worm, so use adult cattle.
   • Sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas share worms with each other.
5. 5

   Other clean ground: a hay cut (drying kills larvae), annual forage on tilled ground, or pasture not grazed by that species within the year.

Flies: what actually works

• Horn flies: they lay eggs in fresh pats within minutes, and egg to adult takes about 7–14 days in summer.

• Face flies: they lay in fresh, un-crusted manure and spread pinkeye.

• Stable flies: they breed in spoiled hay and old bedding, not pats. On pasture, clean up round-bale feeding sites.

Current prices haven't been researched; the prices above are dated.

1. 1

   Too many animals. No rotation fixes overstocking.

2. 2

   Leaving animals in a paddock too long. They bite the regrowth; keep stays to about 3 days or fewer.

3. 3

   Grazing below 3–4 in, or returning too soon in summer. It weakens grass.

4. 4

   Running sheep and goats on a quick 3–5 week loop. That brings them back when worm larvae peak.

5. 5

   Using calves as the "cleanup" grazers after sheep. Calves can catch barber pole worm.

6. 6

   Deworming everything and moving to clean pasture. It breeds resistant worms.

7. 7

   Pour-on or bolus ivermectin in fly season. It wipes out the dung beetles that cut flies.

8. 8

   Counting on hens for fly control. It's unproven; use thresholds and proven tools.

9. 9

   Expecting pasture to feed the chickens. Budget full feed.

10. 10

    Leaving the hen house in one spot. Nutrients and germs pile up; move it at least weekly.

11. 11

    Low metal-roof broiler pens in hot weather. Birds overheat.

12. 12

    Trusting netting to stop coyotes, dogs or hawks. It doesn't.

13. 13

    Ignoring bird-flu biosecurity when you keep dairy animals and poultry together.