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Dare I write that our ‘out back’ field experiment seems to be progressing okay? I’ve been out with the jennies (and goats) early in the morning and sometimes just before we turn in at night – giving them some free range time.
I check daily to see if this greener diet is causing any change in the jenny’s manure … so far not. And I check to see if their hooves are getting ‘hot’ (colic goes right to a donkey’s hooves) … so far not.
I can see that the long grasses are drier and the older growth is at the top… although … they have started to grow tassels … By eating away from the prime sunshine hours in a day the hope is they are getting the lowest sugar levels of the day.
I’m so wishing for this to work. I have found it hard each year as the jennies watch the green grass grow all around their dry sand paddocks. I’ve had to close the woods off each year previous to this as well as they didn’t seem to tolerate the lush green growth up there either.
I think the goats have been a big help in grazing along with them in the woods. There are not nearly the same number of bushes that there used to be in there. Now it is mostly tall trees and grasses under the canopy.
The chickens are loving the back field as well. They only venture out when I’m out there – especially when I’m sitting on my bench. Paddy must feel I’m a ‘qualified’ guard. š
My ‘other’ job out there is to mow around the electric fencing. Long grass strands can short it out. I haven’t had it on all that much since their initial forays out there. I can totally understand their reticence to touch it again after that initial shock!
The Meadow View 