Cutting, spraying, draining, fencing... then sheep!

johngalway

Hi folks,

I've got a bit of land that's been neglected. One half slopes down from a hill and the other is flat. It's poor peaty land, but it will eventually make a good field for this area (West Connemara). My Dad and uncles used to cut hay in it years ago.

At the moment I'd estimate it's 75%+ covered by rushes. The lower flat part is heavily waterlogged due to drains having grown in and neighbouring lands also being neglected. One part and also part of a neighbours land is even gone swampy with reeds growing in it.

I've started clearing the lower flat part of the field with a three blade Honda strimmer, slow going but I don't mind that as long as I can do a bit every day. Tractor operated toppers and that kind of heavy machinery aren't much in use here due to the terrain.

The plan so far is to cut the rushes, gather them up and probably burn them (if that's legal?). Once the new rushes have started growing again I'll spray them using a 16 litre backpack type sprayer, most likely use Mortone (or is there anything better available on the market?). After they die away I may have to cut them again and keep up the spraying year after year.

I plan to graze the field with with ewes and lambs eventually. The reason it got neglected was they stopped cutting hay in it, and the existing drains were thought (and proven to be) dangerous to sheep being deep but narrow. Basically nothing was done to sort the problem and the field fell into disuse.

I'll also have to get a machine in to dig open drains. I think it best, due to both neighbours lands also being in bad shape, to have two rather big open drains either side of the land (it's a long strip of narrow land) and have smaller open drains running across the land into these. The big drains will need to be fenced off so ewes and lambs can't find their way into them (If God loves a trier he must really love sheep!).

Now, as I'll have my border fences, big drains then an internal fence I need to think about the best way to approach that, cost and sheep proof wise. I'm not sure I can justify the expense of so called "fox wire" sheep netting like the green stuff Tinsley makes (or used to make) although that would be very effective.

So I was wondering about electric fencing which I have absolutely no experience with. Is electric fencing really all that effective with sheep? These will be Scotch type hill ewes so please remember they have horns and like to travel. If it is effective, what type of fencing should I be thinking of? I'll have no problem putting up strainers and posts myself, well used to that work. Also, there is no mains power on site and none expected in the future so power will have to come from batteries.

So a couple of questions in there on rushes and fencing etc.

Any input, advice and experience will be appreciated

Sorry for the long read, I just started typing and that's how it turned out

ATB,

John

snowman707

Hi John

I am one of the very few who combine sheep with a dairy herd, I have tried electric fence ( 5 strands) but have decided that the best is 3 foot high tensile sheep wire with 2 strands of barbed wire on top is the best approach, however it is not cheap we recently done about 350 mtrs and it cost about €1000 before vat refund, the terrain was not the best up/down & zig/zag so we used a good few more posts & turners than norm.

you seem to to taking the correct approach with the rushes & have no real experience of drainage.

good luck !

leitrim lad

i have a very good friend in carrowmoreknock, between roscahill,and moycullen, who might be able to help you with the drainage and fencing , he has a machine with tracks wide enough to work on soft wet ground and he is very tasty indeed with it

i would say ordinary sheepwire with 2 row of thorny wire should keep them in , just stretch it well, thats all we use , and the neighbours aswell, on similar ground

snowman707

leitrim lad wrote: »

i would say ordinary sheepwire with 2 row of thorny wire should keep them in , just stretch it well, thats all we use , and the neighbours aswell, on similar ground

"ordinary" sheep wire may be ok close to a hedge or boundary but in our case when grazing out the cow paddocks we have found the mesh is too open, a lamb will get through, the ewes will try to follow & in time make sh1t of the wire.
Ht wire & Latvian pine posts should last 30 years, we have some done since 1987 & still perfect, we also used Swedish stakes, but prefer the Latvian,
native irish are a waste of time & money.

leitrim lad

o right, i see what you mean, i knew them latvian posts were better than the natives , but i didnt think there was much of a difference in sheep wire,

i know there is a huge vareity of thorny wire, and electric fence wire,

johngalway

Thanks for the replies fellas.

:eek: @ the price of the 350 metres, price of materials has gone to hell altogether. I was just up there earlier and measured the field which is roughly 200 metres x 50 metres, so there'd be roughly 400 odd metres of fence to be done.

Cheers Leitrim Lad, I know a few machine lads around here myself There are three or four good fellas and the rest I wouldn't let loose on a strand with a bucket and spade

I've a good bit of experience in fencing with sheep wire and barbed wire myself, on all types of land, on rock and even out into the sea! I'll just have to go and cost the anti fox type sheep wire. As Snowman has said the normal stuff will let lambs through it no bother, all it does is keep the bigger and adult animals in check.

Can't beat the light barbed wire to deter even the Olympic class Wooly Jumpers mind you.

The electric fence would be great but with the replies I'm getting here and elsewhere I'm struggling to convince myself it'd do the job well enough to be worth the trouble now.

More planning to do yet I think!

johngalway

Oh yeah, how do I tell the Latvian and Sweedish stakes from the Irish ones? Are there particular suppliers around the country or should every one have them?

Keeperlit

Rock phosphate or slag will be of benefit to improve your pasture....avoid groundlimestone as it may make your terrian very soft........have you considered investing in a quad......a quad sprayer and one of the new mowers that are available for shredding rushes would be of huge benefit to you if your thinking of sticking with farming long term....I bought a quad last year myself second hand and cant figure how i coped without out it before.


Definately go with the permanent fence .No question about it paticurlarly with the mountain breeds you will be keeping.Keeping grass in check around elcrtic fences is also a nuisance


Like anything shop around for your fencing materials.Value to be got if you do

johngalway

I'd love a Quad, can't afford one at the minute what with the REPS rug being pulled out from under our feet, I was in my last year too!

I've seen them in action and do they ever make life easy! Been trying to convince the ould fella to go halves on one but it's a non runner at the minute.

I'll look into the rock phosphate and slag as well, thanks for the tip I knew about lime, it encourages rushes too as far as I know?

snowman707

johngalway wrote: »

Oh yeah, how do I tell the Latvian and Sweedish stakes from the Irish ones? Are there particular suppliers around the country or should every one have them?

Murray Bros. Roscommon are about as genuine as you will find

Eric Murray 086-8276895

www.studrailfencing.com

johngalway

Cheers for that Snowman

squarebale

Wests sawmill in Ballina are keen on posts and wire. 2 thirds the price of C. Gold last year