Hello, me and my partner currently have chickens, (also 28 eggs in the unci) veg patch and an allotment, but we want more room for more fruit veg and various livestock.
We have found a gorgeous house with double stable and just shy of 5 acres of land, it is ideal! Apart from one thing, the land is on a slope, not too steep and probably about 1/3 to a half is permenetly boggy, at the moment its the worst its gonna be, top half + looks like it should be fine, we are wanting the keep all or mixture of, goats (dairy and meat) sheep, pigs, geese, ducks chooks poss a cow for milk in the future, what problems and breeds would be good for land that some is boggy??
Many thanks!
Neil
Boggy land and livestock
Re: Boggy land and livestock
I wouldn't be thinking about getting any goats. Some goats are designed to live in deserts and some are designed to live up mountains, there aren't any designed to live in bogs and their hooves will turn into a nightmare.
If you can put land drains in, if not plant willow, boggy land is no use to man nor beast.
If you can put land drains in, if not plant willow, boggy land is no use to man nor beast.
Re: Boggy land and livestock
Its on a slope, the top half seems fine its just the bottom half, it's not flooded (the grass not below water) just very wet, the land slopes down to a well maintained stream a few feet lower than the field, also we are having loads of rain here at the mo, many fields are now lakes, on the lower bits and the worst parts your feet do sink in to water though, the lower parts also have those large thick type plants that looks like giant grass associated with damp areas (don't know the name) If its always damp could you dig a hole and let it fill with water for ducks?
Don't want to drain it with land drains as renting,
If not goats what could you keep on it if they also had access to higher drier land?
Don't want to drain it with land drains as renting,
If not goats what could you keep on it if they also had access to higher drier land?
Re: Boggy land and livestock
Goats and sheep would get foot rot on boggy land. You have to consider the health of the land as well as the health of the animal. Pigs wouldn't mind the mud but they would destroy the land, any mechanical action on boggy land puddles it to mud then it dries to clay.
The only way to beat it is draining. One way to live with it is to plant willow. You can go for a walk in the woods with secateurs and come back with a load of cuttings for free, have a future supply of fire wood and take up basket making. Or you can buy recognised varieties of willow cuttings and have a commercial crop as well. It establishes easy and grows very fast, likes wet ground soaks up water. Once it is established you can graze poultry in amongst the trees, maybe even other things if it dries out the land enough though I'd be wary of goats.
Have a read up on it, it's an option and your options are limited.
The only way to beat it is draining. One way to live with it is to plant willow. You can go for a walk in the woods with secateurs and come back with a load of cuttings for free, have a future supply of fire wood and take up basket making. Or you can buy recognised varieties of willow cuttings and have a commercial crop as well. It establishes easy and grows very fast, likes wet ground soaks up water. Once it is established you can graze poultry in amongst the trees, maybe even other things if it dries out the land enough though I'd be wary of goats.
Have a read up on it, it's an option and your options are limited.