cross fencing on small lots

[foxywench]

im in the process of buying a house with 4 1/2 acres and trying to plan things out.

as it stands right now im planning on setting aside 1 acre for a couple of dairy goats...
relitvly small pasture, but im only plannign on haveing 4 girls total...
i want to keep the worm load down as i dont want to have to worm too regularly (i hate dosing my animals up with chemicals) and heard rotating pasture helps keep the worm loads down...
so i was thinking of fencing the acre and then cross fencing it into 2 seperate feilds with a shelter smack in the middle (openable on both ends so i dont have to buld 2 run ins)

would it be worth it to cross fence and rotate between the 2 1/2 acre padocks given such a relitivly small space and only 4 dairy does. (and of course thier future kids while there with me...)

thoughts? suggestions?

 

[freemotion]

I have about 2 acres of fenced area and four does (9 kids here for a total of three months) have done quite a number on it. I did get one area cross-fenced this year and used it as a weaning pen. Kept it mostly closed to recover and I let the does in once in a while. I also cut fresh grass from in there to bring to the buck, as he is confined to a smaller pen.

I plan on cross-fencing more paddocks as time and finances allow, as the weaning pen has recovered a bit. I just planted peas in there and will close it off once they start to emerge as an additional experiment on getting more from a small space. 12 Aprils Dairy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLDKRXPyOh4) was the inspiration for that experiment.

Since you will have four acres, I'd recommend making more paddocks, at least 4 paddocks of a half acre each. You can make an aisle or central small paddock to connect them all so the does have access to the shelter no matter which paddock is open.

 

[kstaven]

im in the process of buying a house with 4 1/2 acres and trying to plan things out.

as it stands right now im planning on setting aside 1 acre for a couple of dairy goats...
relitvly small pasture, but im only plannign on haveing 4 girls total...
i want to keep the worm load down as i dont want to have to worm too regularly (i hate dosing my animals up with chemicals) and heard rotating pasture helps keep the worm loads down...
so i was thinking of fencing the acre and then cross fencing it into 2 seperate feilds with a shelter smack in the middle (openable on both ends so i dont have to buld 2 run ins)

would it be worth it to cross fence and rotate between the 2 1/2 acre padocks given such a relitivly small space and only 4 dairy does. (and of course thier future kids while there with me...)

thoughts? suggestions?

With 4 does I would split into 4 and seed in quick recovery grass and legumes that are suitable for you area. Shelter in the middle like you planned with a perimeter fence out about 4 -6 feet and then 4 small gates. In that way when you need them contained you have a small containment area around the shelter. Especially handy at kidding time when you want them to have outdoor access and yet have them handy in case something goes wrong.

It allows you to have one water trough and feeder they can access no matter which field they are in.