clearing land with livestock

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clearing land with livestock
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leewrey

Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 5

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 3:51 pm Post subject: clearing land with livestock
We have just bought some land which is very overgrown - nettles, thistles, burrs - all over 5'. Part of the land is salt marsh, SSSI. Does anyone know what are the best animals to clear this - would pigs do the job as they would turn the soil over at the same time or so we have been told? All helpful suggestions appreciated. Thanks

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 3:54 pm Post subject:
Pigs are good in general. BUT ss your site includes an SSSI I think you need to check with someone about what you're allowed to do with it. Saltmarsh is good for rearing lamb though.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 3:56 pm Post subject:

Ooh, one I know. I was looking at the English Nature website today and they have a number of publications available free to individuals (ie you may have 1 copy) - most are posted but some are downloads. There was one specifically on grazing animals for conservation purposes - I can't remember the specifics, but I would suggest you give them a ring first, and see if they have anything else to suggest.

Wouldn't pigs completely trash the ground though? Sheep and cows are more usual, aren't they?

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 3:57 pm Post subject:
What about sheep? Im not going to be very helpful here - cos I cannot remember what programme it was but I am sure I remember seeing a programme about sheep kept on salt marsh land, apparently as well as keeping land fertilised and keeping weeds down, they reckoned the meat from the sheep kept on this type of grazing was good. You do realise I am going to be up half the night trying to remember

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 3:59 pm Post subject:
Just wondering what is SSSI?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:00 pm Post subject:
Site of Special Scientific Interest. HTH.

leewrey

Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 5

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:06 pm Post subject:
thanks all for such immediate replies.My sister recommended this site and I can see why she is addicted!

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:08 pm Post subject:

Gertie wrote:

What about sheep?

Im not going to be very helpful here -

cos I cannot remember what programme it was but I am sure I remember seeing a programme about sheep kept on salt marsh land, apparently as well as keeping land fertilised and keeping weeds down, they reckoned the meat from the sheep kept on this type of grazing was good.

You do realise I am going to be up half the night trying to remember

They keep sheep like this on the west coast of Normandy and ... you gotta take my word for this - it is truly DELICIOUS.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:08 pm Post subject:
Ahhhhhhh, now you have us guessing!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45715
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:08 pm Post subject:

leewrey wrote:

tMy sister recommended this site and I can see why she is addicted!

What's she call herself? Where's the land by the way?

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:09 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Site of Special Scientific Interest. HTH.

oops, thanks for that, Sean

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 4:13 pm Post subject:
Mmm. Salt marsh lamb. I had some in France - absolutely delicious! Sheep aren't going to to clear the land for you, though, as they like their grass short. Goats might be more appropriate. Pigs would absolutely trash the site, but you would then have to plough and roll it to get it back to some semblence of levelness.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 05 7:44 pm Post subject:
Hello B-i-l told you they were great on here. I was going to ask this question for you tonight. Cos I have just been visiting their very beautiful but very overgrown land. We were thinking pigs on the non sssi part - it is incredibly overgrown - enormous sticky burr plants, nettles et al. Would it be ok to turn animals straight out onto land like this?

leewrey

Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 5

Posted: Wed Aug 24, 05 12:18 pm Post subject: clearing land with livestock
Hi, will sheep be okay to graze such enormous weeds, do you think? We can cordon off the SSSI area so that could be protected. The land is in south wales - I think someone asked! Does anyone have practical experience of 'environmental' soakaway loos - probably need to put this in a different topic area but we hope to use one on the land hence the connection!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45715
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Aug 24, 05 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: clearing land with livestock

leewrey wrote:

Does anyone have practical experience of 'environmental' soakaway loos - probably need to put this in a different topic area but we hope to use one on the land hence the connection!

That'd be good, I'll have a hunt for an article I remember seeing on 'em (or similar)

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