Early Spring Pasture

We are doing the pasture rotation a little bit different this year.

We have three lambs and a calf in our little flerd, and there has been some coyote activity in the area over the last few weeks. Also, there is not enough grass yet to sustain them in a small 40×50 foot paddock for 24 hours without over-grazing. So we are bringing them in to the barn at night, and taking them back out in the morning.

This allows them to eat hay at night, and still get fresh grass during the day, limits pasture impact in this early, somewhat fragile part of the year.

It is kind of fun because they have gotten used to the drill and I call them and they follow me out to the pasture first thing every morning. Eunice and her lambs, and Matilda, are always first in line. Then Iris and Darla a few yards back, because Iris has dignity and she doesn’t hurry for anything. Then Edna and Cookie come last, mostly because Edna is night blind, and gets lost half way down the lane, so I always have to go back for her and steer her around the gate at the end of the lane.

In a month it will actually be close to light outside when I am doing chores. Stupid Daylight Savings Time!