Bale grazing Goats and sheep

There are several methods of winter feeding. Some of it depends on where you are situated, how mild or severe your winters are, etc. A lot depends on the scale of your farm too. Someone with just 5 goats, might be feeding differently than someone with 500.
Conventionally, animals are kept in a corral (or inside a barn) over winter. Hay is put into feeders to minimize waste, and straw is provided as bedding. But what goes in, must come out. It is amazing how bedding and manure and feed waste can add up over the winter into several feet of glorious compost - but it does no one any good being left in the corral or barn! . The concentrated waste can spread disease if the animals are confined too long and it is not cleaned up. Cleanup is labor and equipment intensive and costs $$.

Feeding in corrals with feeders - with snow and waste, the feeders get packed down pretty quick, and you would have to chip at the ice to free them to move them around, or eventually they will get buried in wasted feed and compacted snow.

So what are the alternatives? Through Holistic Management, I know that 'bale grazing' is an excellent option for cows, I just wasn't sure how it would work with goats.

Cows bale grazing Spring 2012 next to the Spring flooding creek. Lucky cows, beach front dining for a few weeks in Spring! 

Remus finding a comfy spot on some rolled out hay, with goats and sheep in background

Let me explain what bale grazing is:
Generally, ranchers would pick a spot that could do with a fertility boost, a piece of poorer pasture or hilltop would be good, but any area will do. Shelter can be a factor here - some ranchers put up artificial windbreaks (for those of us in the Prairies with not a lot of natural shrub and trees, this is an option.)

The bales are placed 10-20 feet apart on end. Strings are removed, and the cows are rationed according to their needs and the ranchers goals. Rationing is done by separating the animals from their feed with a portable electric fence. The fence is moved daily, every other day, or once every week or 2, depending on how you like to do it. The bales are weighed, ruminants (cattle, goats, sheep) generally consume 3% of their bodyweight in feed a day. We calculate 10% for 'waste' on top of that, and then ration.

The bales themselves kinda act as windbreaks, so if you have a whole supply set out and start feeding from the South, the bales to the North are a natural windbreak.

The 'wasted' feed and manure and urine stay on the land. When Spring comes, it is a wonderful fertilizer. The 'wasted' feed bits are like a mulch, insulating the soil and retaining moisture. Over time, it breaks down into humus and becomes food for the teeming bacteria that keep our soils healthy. Healthy soils grow healthy plants, that in turn grow healthy animals. It is a long term investment in your pasture, and takes about 5 years to see the full benefit.

With Bale Grazing, you do not have to haul manure. The 'wasted' feed become bedding, so no need to use straw. The animals move to a fresh spot everytime the electric fence is moved, meaning there is no buildup of manure and decreased risk of disease causing  bacteria.

When I started building my herd of goats, I wondered about bale grazing them and did a google search. I didn't find anything on bale grazing goats and found ONE link to bale grazing sheep- from Ranching With Sheep. I started communicating with Arlette from Dog Tale Ranch and even got my first sheep from there.

We find that rolling out the bales creates a thinner layer of 'waste'. But this winter with our strong winds and unpredictable heavy snowfalls, I started leaving bales on end so that feed is easier to find.

A half-eaten bale. The wind had carved snow around it, creating an extra bit of windbreak for animals laying down on the 'wasted' feed

Sheep finishing off a bale

Sheep at a fresh bale

Goats at a fresh bale

Goats bale grazing

So far it has worked well. I had one goat get stuck - goats have horns that curve back and they get their heads stuck everywhere. But much more so in feeders, so feeding without the use of steel feeders, is actually a goat life saver :) 

Next winter I plan to stage all the bales in the Fall, to minimize having to run the tractor. Right now we feed every 4 or 5 days, but sometimes the snow makes it hard to get in. Having the bales placed before winter would be a great labor saving. 

So... what is it you Do all day? A day in the life of me

So what do we DO all day? In Winter?

Well, it depends largely upon the day, the weather, but mostly there are basic chores that need doing every day. How long it takes to do them, depends on the weather, too! There might be snow to move to get at the hay bales and to get through gates. The snow might be blowing making visibility poor, or if its really cold the tractors might need some begging and pleading to start.... No two days are alike!
My day usually begins with a cup of coffee and a fruit and Kefir smoothie (Kefir is a fermented milk drink with lots of probiotics).
I like to wait until sunup to start chores - easier to get around that way.
So I fill a few 4 liter milk jugs with water - one for the hens in the back yard, and about 4 depending on the day, for my needy/sick/elderly  goats I keep separate in the barn.
We suit up to go outside, the number of layers depend on the temperature and wind chill expectancy but my pink coveralls and Muck boots make up part of the clothing every day.

First stop is the chicken coop. I give them fresh water (they have a heated bowl that keeps their water from freezing) and top up their layer ration as needed, open their little pop door and throw a handful of grains outside for them. Normally they all burst out the door! Only when its really windy or snowy do they stay indoors.

The hens have a bit of straw to scratch in, they love it and keeps their toes off the snow :)

Next stop the goats and sheep. I drive the 2km accompanied by my 3 dogs - the Jack Russel called Dude, the Malinois called Spice and the Heeler/Collie cross called Reno.
Normally the sheep are outside, but the goats are still in the barn. Remus, the guard dog will run up to greet us. I feed him and use Spice to kick the couch potato goats out the barn. I find that if I let them have access to the barn 24/7 they tend to spend a lot of time lounging around, so kicking them out when the weather is decent (in my opinion, anything warmer than -10 daytime and no wind...) makes them eat more... and distribute their manure out on the land where it belongs, not in the barn where it needs hauling out by bobcat come spring.
Moving them out the barn gives me opportunity to scan for any sick/injured animals. All look fine, so I head off to the other barn where the needy goats are, towing a toboggan with my milk jugs filled with water.
I water them, give grain and hay and treat whatever needs treating. The barn cat gets fed, and we are basically done here for the morning routine. We roll out hay every 4 days for the goats, so if this was a feeding day, I would use Spice to round up the sheep and bring them into the corral. Both dog and sheep are used to the routine and more often than not, the sheep are in the corral before Spice and I are through the gate... much to her disappointment!


Then we would move in 4 big round bales of hay, cut the strings and roll out the hay with the tractor. When the gate is shut, we open the corral and the animals happily run to the fresh hay.

Rolled out hay. I took this picture in December before we had a lot of snow.

Now on to Larry's farm. Most days in winter he is out trucking for off farm income, so I go down there with the dogs to feed the cows. The cows need feed every 2 days, or every day depending.
So here I start the tractor to let it warm up and use Spice and Reno to move the cows from one pen to the next pen. I put out hay for them with the tractor, cut the strings, and open the gate. The cows come back for feed and I can check them over for any signs of illness. I check the water bowls to make sure they are open, then feed the calves in the next pen. Back in the yard I check the deep freezers to ensure they are working, we have a lot of beef/chicken/turkey frozen at any one time.

My helper Dude on good days, in the tractor

Happy calves on a nice day

Spice the archaeologist showing me her prize.... a dead calf skull and neck from the bury pit. 

A not-so-nice day driving to the farm...

Windy and snowy and cold! 

cow butts, heads buried in hay I put out

Dude on the not-so-nice days, stays in the truck

Cows sheltering at the windbreaks

By this time its normally lunch time so I head back to my house. After lunch I do things in and around the house - cleaning, laundry, or other projects like accounting and financial planning. The office stuff gets neglected during the busy summer months, so there is a lot of catching up to do, filing papers, planning the new years budget, planning grazing and when to market animals, what the breakeven price is, that sort of thing. Also reading - I might spend some time reading articles on animal health, improving facilities, new vaccines, new fencing products, etc.
Then there are website updates and correspondence to keep up with. If we needed to run into town for supplies, now is the time to do it. Closest groceries: 38km one way. Closest city: 100km one way.
An hour or so before sundown I head out to go and give the sheep and goats a bit of grain - my hay tested slightly low on energy and protein so the animals get a little bit of supplemental grain to maintain their body condition as they are all bred now and due to kid/lamb come May 1. I fill 10x 20liter pails with grain, put it in my truck and use Spice again to move the sheep and goats into the corral, so that I can pour out the grain in troughs in the pasture. Then there is a mad dash as all the animals try to fit through the gate at the same time to get at the treat :)

A snowy evening - can you spot the guardian dog in this picture? I just pulled up for evening chores when I took this picture quick before he moved

There he is! 

STREEEETCHHHHH - bear in mind, he picked that spot for himself. He can go into the barn with the sheep and the goats, but he was comfortable on the straw bale stack. 

Delays, delays.... snow blew in again to my 2nd barn where the needy critters are. 

The top wire of the mesh sticking out above a snow drift. the wire that is just below my knee, should be waist high..... Remus runs over the fences, thank goodness the sheep, goats and horses haven't ventured out yet.....! 

I feed the guard dog Remus, check on my needy animals again and treat as needed. If its a nice evening I would take the dogs for a walk.

Remus and Spice playing

A corner where 3 pastures meet... under 4 ft of snow

my well is completely covered now

The snow is deep and I have to stay on top of the hard ridges or risk breaking through to knee deep and in some places hip deep snow. We admire the sunset, listen to coyotes howling in the distance and head back home.

Remus on a windy evening walk

At home I go collect eggs from the coop and lock the hens in for the night to avoid predators turning them into a midnight lunch.

The hens waiting for their evening snack. See their fence covered in snow in the foreground? The hens only venture as far as the compacted path I made, they stay out of the deep snow. 

A peaceful evening

 

Now it is time for my supper and a chance to put my feet up!

Blown off course

Wednesday was one of THOSE days.
The wind started Tuesday night, gusting to 70 km/hour at times. Wednesday morning started out with having to put out hay for the sheep and goats, as they had finally grazed down the grass in their new paddock. I was quite impressed that they grazed it for a month but still wish I had more grass to avoid feeding hay.... anyways. The lambs were easy to move into the corral, roll out a bale in their pasture and put them back. We move them when we roll out hay because they will run up and swarm around the tractor - which makes it really hard to try put down a 1000lbs bale without squashing an animal, and then roll it out without driving over eager little critters that cannot wait for their breakfast. Then we moved the ewes and goats into the next pasture and rolled out 2 bales for them. The wind took the swathes of hay and blew it around, some of it ending up right against my fence, on top of the electric offset wire. That would need cleaning up later.
 Then I had to set up an alleyway to move the ewes and goats back to where we had rolled out their hay. Moving them was hard, uphill and with a 70 km/hour head wind.... The ewes went through the gate and to the hay, the goats on the other hand, ducked out under the temporary fence alleyway at the last possible minute and headed for the yard. Convincing them to come out of the bale stacks and trees... took me to phone a friend with a trained dog because my 2 dogs weren't impressing the goats one bit. So we put the goats in with the lambs as that pasture has access to shelter, and the goats are such babies when it comes to wind, rain, snow... anything but perfect sunny weather!

Finally having everything sorted, I stopped my truck to pick up a pail blowing away in the wind.... forgetting to park the nose of my truck into the wind. So my door just about got ripped off, and now I have to listen to an annoying wind whistle when I drive as the door frame got bent.... oh the joys of the windy prairie!

The afternoon things didn't go smooth either. We were preparing for a custom cattle take-out in the North pasture. I helped Larry set up portable fencing as alleyways much in the same way I do for my sheep and goats. Larry's pasture is cross-fenced with single strand electric wire. Once trained to electric fence, cattle consider it a serious barrier. We do not have gates, instead the wire is loose enough that we can slip a 'lifter' - a 8 ft tall plastic pipe - under the wire anywhere we want, and just let the cattle go under the wire. Which works great once they get trained to recognize the black pipe as a 'safe' place to come through the fence. As it happened though, this particular group of cows had not been through the lifter much this summer and we had trouble convincing them to go. Its amazing how a cow will stop right at the line of fence posts,  even though the wire is up high where they cannot see or touch it... yet they refuse to cross that line. Add a strong head wind that the cattle didn't really want to move into and well... it took us  5 hours to move under 3 fence lines - about one mile. By that time it was too dark to push them the rest of the way, so we left them for the night. Walking in a strong wind like that is very tiring!

Thursday morning the wind had gone down a notch to 45 km/h so we took the horses out at first light to get the cattle into the corrals for sorting and load out. That went pretty smooth but loading the trucks took up all of the morning. Thursday afternoon we had to move portable panels for corrals from the North pasture down to Larry's home farm, to set up for Friday morning take-out of custom cattle. It was a long day too. Friday morning we rode out on a lovely calm morning to round up some more cows for shipment. Larry had enough help once the truckers showed up that I left after lunch to go into Moose Jaw to go watch the reining Futurity and support my coach and team mates that were competing. It was a nice break and I hope to be showing there next year.

Cattle day

A couple days back I spent the afternoon helping Larry at his branding.

Branding is a way to identify cattle, as they may lose their ear tags but a brand is basically forever. Some countries ban branding, but in Canada it is still very much part of production, with brand inspectors frequenting auction barns to double check that the cows/calves being sold, really belong to that producer.

So there are many different ways to brand, depending on how much help you have. A tip-table is suitable if you have just 2 people, or just a few calves. A calf gets chased down an alley, into the headgate that is mounted on a tip-table. The calf is then tipped onto its side where it is now at table height and easy for people to put eartags in, vaccinate, castrate if it is a bull calf, and brand.

The next way would be, if the calves are small enough, to sort them off from their moms in the corral, and then wrestle them to the ground. You need a few more helpers for this: one person grabs a back leg, the other person grabs the flank and flips the calf. The 2 wrestlers then sit on the ground - one at the hind end holding the back leg, one on the neck/shoulder holding a front leg off the ground. A third person then is needed to vaccinate, tag and brand - or if you have more people, one to brand, one to vaccinate and one to tag. This can be tiring and handlers come away a little bit bruised, with the occasional sprain or broken bone from being kicked by calves.

But we were lucky enough to have skilled ropers and lots of help, so the traditional roping the calves branding is what we had.

I helped with the roundup to get the cattle into the branding pen. We had 7 riders, and the cows are used to being moved, as we rotational graze them. Only problem was, the cows had been going North in their rotation, so that's where they expected to go. We had to turn them south and they were a bit confused by it, but ready to move. The roundup was fast paced and my horse Macy loved it!
We got the cows and calves in, and then got set up:
Propane burners set with branding irons to heat up.
Vaccinations drawn into syringes, ready to administer. Tags got numbered and tag pliers loaded.
squirt bottles filled with antiseptic for castration.
Coolers set out on the tailgate with water and drinks for the crew.

We used a couple of 'snares' to catch the calf:
The roper would go into the herd, and rope the back legs of a calf and drag it towards our staging area. One person would be ready with the snare, which is a Y shaped yoke that would fit behind the calf's ears and line up behind his jaw bone. The snare is attached to an old inner tube (for stretch) that is attached to a stake in the ground. As soon as the calf is in reach, the snare is placed over the head and the roper drags until the rope is tight and the calf immobilized. We had a big crew so after the calf is secure, it went as follows:
One person would be castrating if it was a male. One person on the branding irons, one person vaccinating, 2 people on tags - the personal tag and the government radio ID tag. We had 2 ropers going with 2 snares and things were busy for just under 2 hours to do about 80 calves.

calf being dragged, Doug (red shirt) ready with the snare

Branding irons in the foreground

Cow watching calf being dragged

A perfect day for a branding

my horse Macy watching the show after roundup

All in all, it was a fun day spent outside with friends, fellow horsemen and stockmen. The evening rounded off with a campfire and supper for us, the cows and calves released and enjoying some fresh grass.