Multi-Species Grazing

     Multi-Species grazing has many benefits to a pasture management program. I will try and detail as many benefits as I can in this blog. We at Heaven On Earth have been integrating this program into our operation now for several years and are seeing excellent results.
     Cattle prefer grass over other types of plants, and are less selective when grazing than sheep or goats. Sheep and goats, on the other hand, are much more likely to eat weeds. Sheep prefer forbs (broad-leaved plants) to grass, and goats have a preference for browsing on brush and shrubs, and then broad-leaved weeds.
     Typically one would put the three species listed above in the same pasture at the same time. We have chosen to maintain seperate herds and through a management intensive grazing plan we run approximately 15 head of our Longhorn Cattle on the paddock which range from 1-2 1/2 acres followed by our herd of Nubian crossed milking goats. We follow these 2 herds with our chicken tractor. After the livestock has moved out of the paddock I will mow the pasture to a maximum height of 6 inches. Each group will be in the paddock for 1-2 days during the growing season.
     It has been shown that sheep and goats graze near cattle manure deposits, which cattle avoid; this results in more even use of the pasture. Another way that multi-species grazing can improve pasture and animal production is through the consumption of poisonous plants by a species that is not harmed by the toxins. Therefore, using sheep or goats to eliminate those plants will result in more useable and safer pasture for cattle.
     Parasites are a major concern with sheep and goats, under any system. Worm eggs are deposited on the pasture in the manure; the eggs hatch and larvae are consumed by grazing animals. If left untreated, concentrations of parasites will increase with time as this cycle is repeated. Higher concentrations of animals on a pasture may tend to magnify the infestation. Parasites are species-specific; that is, cattle parasites affect cattle, and not goats, while goat parasites affect goats but not cattle. The cattle act as "vacuum cleaners", ingesting the goa worm larvae, and preventing them from affecting the goat. This is most helpful when goats and cattle follow each other in a grazing system.
     In addition, running chickens after the cattle and goats helps control the fly population because they will scratch throgh the manure and consume the fly and parasite larvae. The chickens also help to spread the manure which speeds up the decay process which puts valuable nutrients back into the soil quicker speeding up the regrowth process.
       Mowing after removing livestock is also beneficial to the rejuvenation of the pasture. The partial removal of forage leaves is one of the most important practices in pasture management. Perhaps its most important function is to keep the grass plants in a vegetative stage by preventing seed formation. The routine partial removal of partial leaves also serves as a trigger for the plant to produce tillers and rhizomes, resulting in the establishment of dense pasture. Improper mowing can have negative effects on the health of the grass plants. It has been demonstrated that higher mowing heights promote the development of deeper root systems compared to the lower mowing heights, leading to greater drought tolerance in grass plants.
     In conclusion, while multispecies grazing requires more thought and management, it can have big payoffs for your pasture and your wallet. If you do decide to add one or more species to your operation, be sure to investigate your market options and your fencing options, and then start slowly. Select healthy stock, and be observant.          

Milking Our Nubian Goats

Today I would like to tell you about what we do to keep our milk tasting the best it can. Milk by its very nature absorbs odor so, the process of keeping the milk tasting good starts before you start milking. Use only stainless steel milk pails. These need to be sanitized between milkings. After I sanitize my milk pail I let them air dry. Next the milk pail goes into the freezer(I will explain later). The next step in keeping milk tasting good is the location that the goat is milked. We milk our goats in a separate building from where they live, this keeps the barn smell out of the milk. The building that you milk in should also be sanitized after each milking. Now I am going to talk a little bit about the milk pail. As I said earlier, I store my clean pails in the freezer. The reason is the faster you cool the milk the better it will taste. I place a frozen ice pack in the bottom of the milk pail, again to speed up the cooling process. Next my milk pail has a plastic lid with a steel filter used for coffee placed in the lid. This helps eliminate debris and hair from falling into the milk. Preparing the goat for milking. Make sure that the goat is clean and with out alot of dirt on it or its udders. Take a pair of hair clippers and clip the goats bag. MILKING THE GOAT. I use a baby wipe to wash the teat. (I also keep them warm by using a baby wipe warming device). Next the teats get stripped of a little bit of milk so that I can check for any impurities. When I am done milking the goat I put a little iodine solution on the teat to prevent infection. As soon as the milking is complete the milk needs filtered and cooled. I use a cooking oil funnel with a cloth filter to transfer the milk to the glass storage container. (Glass is superior to plastic when it comes to taste). The milk is double filtered before it is rushed to the refridgerator. Please come visit me on facebook at www.facebook.com/heavenonearthranch Have a great week, Keith