How to manage pasture when sharing with sheep and/or cows?

[Sunny08]

I have always managed my grazing by poo picking daily and regularly sending my horses droppings off for testing. Very recently my mare is sharing with sheep (which I welcome as really helps to control the grazing), so now though I still poo pick to help the grass growth, obviously I cannot pick up all the sheep poo! What is the best way to now manage my grazing and control the risk of worms for my horse? I also must add that she shares the barn (where she has a part sectioned off for her stable) with cows.
Should I start worming regularly again? So far she has come back clear from worms with her tests.
Any advice much appreciated!

 

[WoopsiiD]

I vaguely remember from doing a course on worming that grazing sheep is actually of benefit as they eat the eggs and the parasite is unable to grow in the sheeps gut. Cows having 4 stomachs too???
Please check on that and don't take my word as its been 20 years since I sat the exam on worms.

 

[mon]

ours graze with sheep, worm as see fit if too much grass put more sheep in take out as necessary, just had to be careful with young lambs as horses could hurt them, usually means decent size field so just harrow as required, less worming less uneaten grass, as sheep will eat where horses don't want to.

 

[milliepops]

Ours are also cross grazed with sheep and we don't poo pick. I worm after doing a count, and in the 6 years I've had my mare in this arrangement I've never had a high count. The sheep break the worm cycle up brilliantly, and as mon says they keep the grass in check too. You sound anxious about this OP - I reckon it's a good thing, just watch out for those cowpats!

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

cross grazing is excellent, but for your own piece of mind either worm every 12 weeks or get a worm count done! dont forget the double dose march and sept unless youe worm counts are very good.

 

[fjordhorsefan]

The only problem I have come across is when my chap decides to lie in a cowpat!!

 

[Sunny08]

Oh thank you - I feel much better already.
Yes it is something I have been anxious about but you have put my mind at ease.

 

[martlin]

The only problem I have come across is when my chap decides to lie in a cowpat!!

It's actually much worse when they roll in sheep poo

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

sheep and horses have different worms, so ideally you rotate them rather than have them all in together. But its still a help if in together. But do watch the lambies, normally well behaved horses can kill them and sometimes do.

the sheep poo is similar nutrient value to horse manure except more potash I think was the one, but certainly its a fairly moderate thing, but it will enrichen the grazing somewhat, so you might think that good or bad.

I would worm count but (even if clear) worm in autumn for encysted redworm (dont always show up) and either worm or blood test for tapeworm in winter.

 

[Tharg]

Does the grass come up much sweeter after cows have been on it?

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

ooh here we go, heres the comparison of the different manures and how much of each nutrient they add

http://www.allotment.org.uk/fertilizer/npk-manures-compost.php

" N Nitrogen% P Phosphorus % K Potassium (Potash) %
Cow Manure 0.6 0.4 0.5
Horse Manure 0.7 0.3 0.6
Pig Manure 0.8 0.7 0.5
Chicken Manure 1.1 0.8 0.5
Sheep Manure 0.7 0.3 0.9
Rabbit Manure 2.4 1.4 0.6 "

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Be careful if introducing a horse to sheep! Coz a few years ago I had someone's horse here as a livery and was assured by the owner that it was OK to turn out with sheep, so then we put this horse out with sheep in a huge 10 acre field and what happened was so awful; it just charged every sheep it saw and tried to basically bash it with its hooves and trample it. It was the same if a dog got into its field as well, the same thing would happen.

If I was introducing a horse to sheep now, I'd play very careful and make sure there was some electric fencing or something up so the sheep could escape if the horse(s) did decide to charge or whatever, this was just so scarey and made me afraid of ever again turning out a horse with sheep.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

heres a post less than a week ago from the british farming forum :-( illustrates that lambs are not always a good mix with horses


"HELP - TRAMPLED LAMBS by EWE2

i turned a ewe and her two 2 week old lambs out in a field next to the house last night as one of her lambs was a little lame and i had given it some anitbiotics and wanted to keep an eye on it. they were in a field that was divided in half by horse double taped electric fencing - i didn't think the ewe would take them under it, but she did and my 3yr old warmblood has trampled them. not in a chase them for fun way, in a 'i want to kill you' way, strikinf out and then going back for more. luckily one of the liveries was turning out her pony next door, saw and managed to get them out, but they are massively in shock, as is the ewe, who he also struck out at.
one of them will stand but has had a nose bleed. the other is breathing heavily and wont stand, although he looks brighter. have had a feel and all legs seem ok, perhaps a sprained knee, but i am worried about ribs and internal damage but don't want to poke around too hard in case i make it worse.
they are now in a stable and i have left them alone to try to get over the shock. what would be the best painkiller to give them? is there anything i can give them for shock? i feel so bad, it's my fault, i shouldn't have presumed that they wouldn't go under the fence and i shouldn't have trusted the horse. i will never put sheep out with him again. he has been with the ewe lambs before and cantered around them a few times, but never been nasty like this. "

 

[FairyLights]

our old shetland pony killed lambs. I have horses and sheep, the sheep are brilliant for the land but i no longer graze them together.