Animal Husbandry

When embarking on a targeted grazing program, both land and animal managers should consider the simultaneous needs of maintaining animal health and production and manipulating vegetation. While strategies for each can work in concert, the goals for managing vegetation may impose extra burdens on both animals and their managers. For example, a grazing prescription may limit the use of non-target vegetation like native grass, which could mean moving animals more frequently than might otherwise be the case. In addition to stress from frequent moves, managers and animals must find and adapt to new bedding grounds, campsites, and trails, all of which can disrupt normal production practices.

Land managers should be aware that using sheep or goats to manipulate vegetation is a long-term treatment that can achieve long-term effectiveness when prescriptions are properly applied. The first year will seldom run smoothly – the herder may be unfamiliar with the terrain and the sheep may be untrained on the target plant. But skill and patience can overcome these.

The key to success lies with a skilled herder who understands that the sheep are being used as a vegetation management tool. When the target vegetation is grazed to the prescribed level, animals should be moved to the next area. The herder should never attempt to remove 100% of the target plant. For example, it can be effective to “remove the yellow” from leafy spurge or to “hedge the top” off knapweed. The herder should pay close attention to the desirable forbs and grasses to keep them from being overgrazed. It may be more important to assure that desired species are not overused than to attain a certain degree of use on the target plant.

Targeted grazing with sheep and goats can be a powerful tool to manage vegetation. Success on the ground starts with a healthy, well managed herd or flock and effective planning to address key questions: When to breed? Herding or fencing? Guard dogs, donkeys, or llamas? How to minimize seed transport? Cooperative, share agreement, or contracted grazing service provider? A successful targeted grazing enterprise is built on maintaining a productive flock and making good decisions to manage grazing.

Proper management of all aspects of animal husbandry, including nutrition, supplements, breeding, health, and preventative maintenance, is essential for a successful grazing project.

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