Where's all the grass going?

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roxanna319

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Hi

Just looking for some guidance as our 4 (ish) acre fields have been rested for about 3/4 months, yet virtually nothing has grown. I know that it is the wrong time of year to expect much, but our neighbours have had a considerable amount of growth compared to ours and i wonder why this is.

We have 1 goat and 2 geese that have access to the paddocks all day, and 30 ducks/chickens that are loose a couple hours a day. Could it be that these guys are nibbling away at the grass before it can grow? Or could they not make that much damage?

Anyone else with similar set up or problems? Am i wrongly blaming all the poultry?!!

Thanks for any help.
 
Grass only grows at SOIL temps of 5 degrees and above and this needs to be average. Frosty mornings will stop this happening. If your field is wetter than your neighbours then this keeps temps low also due to thermal capacity of water.

So yes, I'd stop blaming the poultry who are probably fertilising it for you!
 
Admittedly, there are some wet patches in our field, but the majority is probably dryer than our neighbours' fields. Which still leads me to think that perhaps the goat/poultry ARE a factor in it...even if minor.
 
The goat has hay at night, and eats a lot of the hay put out for the horses during the day.

Didn't think about rabbits/deer! That prob doesn't help. Altho luckily not too many of those about.

Grass too short right now, but as soon as it does come through i will be having the opposite problem! If it ever does grow...
 
I'd keep the animals to an acre or so and feed as necessary on there and watch to see how the grass grows on the rest of it. Then you'll know for certain.
 
We have wild geese that come to nest at spring time. They have about 4 acres to graze around the lake and crop the grass to billiards table standard.
Along with other fowl pinching the new shoots and webbed feet trampling around, their presence is bound to have an impact on your grass land IMHO.
 
More likely sneaky rabbits at night than a goat - but also your neighbours may well do a lot of fertiliser, different grass species seeding , different hedges so more light/ heat etc.
 
I have 3 paddocks resting since Dec. They have definitely greened up although no real length yet.

Although the daytime temps are getting there, the nights are still cold - give it another few weeks and the grass should start coming through quicker.

I plan to move our horses onto the rested paddocks in april, and would hope there would be enough grass by then to sustain them without additional hay.
 
Kings Lynn is not far from me, the land around here is not the best, my paddocks are really just green dirt, heaven knows what they are eating out there! However, it always seems to come good in the end, some fertiliser and a good harrow usually does the trick!
 
My rested fields are looking VERY green, even the one that got grazed for longer than was ideal. However once you get out there the length isn't great yet, but give it a few weeks and I'll be worrying about too much grass!
 
A hill farmer once told me 10 rabbits will eat as much as a sheep, and 10 sheep will eat as much as a cow. Rabbits and geese would be my guess, especially the geese. May not seem much on 4 acres but they will be taking the shoots as soon as they come through. And who can blame them - they don't have a nice owner feeding them hay :)
 
Id get the geese off for sure, they feed on grass for a start. They eat the equivalent of half a pound of grass a day each, which doesnt sound much in the grand scheme of things but when you add it all up & consider the grass isnt really growing, it will make an impact on your field.
 
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