Rotating Pastures

There has been much written about pasture rotation.  The one thing you notice when you drive to different farms is pen structure.  Most of the time there is definate similarities between farms because there is a base understanding that in a pasture there must be rotation.  Let me give you some reasons why. 

First and foremost in my opinion is to minimize worms in your herd.  The principle is very simple if you left all your goats in a muddy pen would they get muddy?  Well if you leave all of your goats in the same pasture you never give the worm larvae a chance to die they just keep reproducing.  I have been told and I believe it works well to try to have a minimum of a 3 pasture rotation.  Rotating every 10-14 days so by the time you get back to the first pasture it has been over a month.  I have read some information that says you need to wait three months but I have never used that method or seen it used to tell you if that is the concrete way to go.

Second, of course is the regrowth of grass in the pasture.  If you have your boer goats eat out of the same pasture they will eventually wear it down.  I remember I only had two goats and we had recently moved so our fences had not all been built and we were just making due.  Well I stuck the two does in a pen about the size of an half an acre that was grass clover mix.  As much as I was mowing I thought no problem.  Within a week it was down to nothing.  Which brings me to the age old question of how many goats per acre.  Well everyone has their ideas I like this general rule of thumb.  You should never see dirt.  If your goats are eating pasture down to nothing you have to many in to small an area.  Alot of people will disagree with me because I have seen several times a 100 head of goats on 5 acres or less.  In situations like that you have to supplement their feed.  Let me just throw this in here.  If you have meat goats put meat on them.  I have gone to countless farms where they were boers but they looked like Nubians.  If you don't have the money to keep the goats in good condition than don't raise them.  Or sell down in number till you can afford them.  I know we all have to make the pencil push but don't do it at the cost to the animal.  Don't make them fat as that is detrimental too.  Make them well conditioned so that they are healthy and ready to breed. 

The bottom line is use what you have.  If you have to make smaller pens to be able to rotate, try it.  Just try to keep the pastures free for 30 days minimum.  As always feel free to email me with any questions!