poo picking in the winter

[L&M]

To poo pick or not - that is the question!!

I am planning to winter out my 2 cobs this winter - they will have access to a 4 acre hill field with natural shelter and will be on it from the beginning of nov until the end of feb, so 4 mnths give or take. This field has been rested since spring and is pretty much standing hay so thought of playing 'find the poo' is not an encouraging one!

I have my own harrow so the plan would be not to poo pick all winter, then harrow in the spring, and rest the field again until the following autumn. I will also be splitting it into two sections - one for up until xmas, then the other for use until early spring.

Any thoughts?

 

[lelly]

I would leave it to be honest, it would be a nightmare. Like you said you can harrow it in the spring as long as you will be resting it after that. Also make sure your worming programming is up to date. You might find if it is left they will probably go in regular places.

 

[Joyous70]

We don't poo pick in winter either, come spring the fields are harrowed and rolled, unfortunately we don't have resting paddocks etc., but always seems to work out o.k. for us. I would hate to have to poo pick in winter in the dark by torchlight.

 

[Stroppy Mare]

I was always told that we don't get the heat for the harrow to truly work breaking down the bacteria and worms in the poo therefore anything in the poo just ends up getting eaten again and multiplied. Can you not strip graze it down and poo pick the small area they're on at that point? It won't cut back the amount they eat as you can move the fence as required.

 

[CPayne]

We don't poo pick in winter, as you do, we have a large field which is only for the winter. It is then harrowed in the spring and we actually have it flail mowed in July if it is really long like this year as otherwise I find it falls over and the horses won't eat it, they just trample it. Personally I would leave the field as one big area as the more fence lines you have the more wear there is but that will depend on your soil a bit. We are on clay so once the fence line is poached it takes a long time to come back and often is mainly weeds.

 

[Polos Mum]

If you can rest it fully for 6 months between them coming off at the end of winter and on again at the start the next year - that will probably break the cycle better than poo picking - Unless you poo pick in full a couple of times a day the worms will still make it out of the poos and into the pasture

I don't pick my winter field

 

[L&M]

That's great guys and has put my mind at rest. I am very anal about the summer paddocks (excuse the pun!) and poo pick religiously, but they are in neat 1 acre sections, with well grazed grass, and don't involve pushing a loaded barrow up the side of a hill!

 

[Sukistokes2]

I do not poo pick, to be frank it could get dangerous as fields get so wet and deep. It gets trodden in anyhow. I do however not use those same fields in the summer to allow them to recover. Also I work full time, I would be doing it All weekend and nothing else, my horses have survived all this time so I don't worry about it, or care what others think. My fields get very wet so I do stable at night.

 

[happyclappy]

summer, winter, spring, fall, i always poo pick daily. it's just what i have always done and i like seeing clean fields

 

[Twinkley Lights]

summer, winter, spring, fall, i always poo pick daily. it's just what i have always done and i like seeing clean fields

Yes this is me done daily it's easier.