Suggestion: Use of sheep, goats ponies to maintain shared managed grassy areas?

Does any one have any unusual systems of grass cutting or what I am realy talking about is using sheep or goats to keep the grass down.

I heard that some councils in england use sheep .

I would be interested in peoples opinions on this .

Now inner city living would not realy suit such an arrangement but towns around Ireland with estates who have management companies who dont have members paying up or are in financial difficulty could do it if a local farmer agreed.

I might be mad but just thinking about it today.

Maybe having a pony in for a few hours a week might be just as effective for large green areas.

just remember, that what goes in - must come out and who is going to pick it up?

well yea thought of that , sheep droppings are small , I am thinking scotch not suf****s or chevetttes , nice small hardy sheep. eletrict fencing too to keep them in.
just wondering if its going on any where in the country .

I wouldn't think so, dept of Ag has v. strict rules and you can't just keep sheep unless you have a herd no., which to get you need to have your farming certs ie been to Ag college, and I don't think you can just borrow sheep as again the farmer has to account for all movement, traceability and all that mollarkey

Hi Karen,

thanks for the suggestion. I have reflected this in the title.

I am moving it from Management Companies, Apartments, as it does not fully properly belong in that section.

BTW. You need to spell the Sheep breed named after an english county correctly!

aj
moderator

hippy1975 said:

... you can't just keep sheep unless you have a herd no., ...

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I think the proposal is to rent the grassed common areas as grazing to farmers who already have herd numbers.

A few downsides

• Grass grown using lawn-seed is unsuitable for grazing animals
• Unsupervised, sheep and goats can graze grassed areas down to the soil, overnight
• Common areas with live-stock on may not be rendered suitable for childrens' use (dung, aggressive rams, ewes, billies or nannies)
• Renting out common areas, a commercial activity, may be outwith the charter of management companies
• Animals in areas like this may attract stray dogs with unfortunate consequence for the animals
• Whose insurance covers the animals against injury or residents against injury by the animals?

ajapale said:

... You need to spell the Sheep breed named after an english county correctly!

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I think the other is Cheviot, which is primarily a hill breed.

we have considered this , as we have 3/4 of an acre on our site which is quickly over growing, but dont know who to aproach!

Basically, you're talking about going into farming; there's a lot more to keeping sheep or any animals than you think. You need to register them, get flock no., dip them, clip them, dose them, feed them in winter, house them, etc. etc..

Another problem is that they absolutely ruin the lawn in damp times. A couple of years ago before we gated our site we had "intruders" as the local farmer called it. It took me about 5 weekends on hands and knees filling in the thousands of holes from their hooves ! AAAAAH

Get a ride on !

Secman

We got a few sheep in from a local farmer for a holiday home where the grass was difficult to keep under control as we weren't there for long periods of time.

When we did go to stay there the grass area, which had a BBQ pit in the middle of it, was covered in poo.

We also had a problem with a very aggressive ram who wouldn't let us into the field.

I am surprized this was moved .
should have explained more .
I live in a mixed multi unit development of 64 propertys. town houses, duplexes and appartments.large lovely green areas but people wont pay thier management fees and the and we had an agent but he resigned !! cos of the lack of payment.
Many of the people who bought do/ did and wont understand the function of a management company.
in england councils do keep sheep and volenteer herds men to mind them , it seems like a great idea.
The more people on here say it cant be done the more I want to do it. its got to be a way forward in some cases, i know it wont be possible for all estates or towns but ireland has become such a urban sprawl under constant regulation and rules that many have forgot there are Ideas and jobs to be had If this was thought out and developed.

.. people wont pay thier management fees ...

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If that's the problem, all the sheep and goats in the world won't solve it.

Originally you posted -

.. I would be interested in peoples opinions on this ...

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On the evidence, I believe this was not the case. What you actually wanted was acclaim for your big idea.

... The more people on here say it cant be done the more I want to do it...

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Whatever about our opinions, which you dismiss out of hand, have you spoken to the management company in the estate concerned? Legally they must be consulted as the common areas are vested in them and their opinions and reactions are much more important than ours.

One of the many little things that encourage people to keep posting to sites like AAM are common courtesy, things like "Thanks for reading my post(s)" or "Thanks for your feedback".

KARENJ said:

Does any one have any unusual systems of grass cutting or what I am realy talking about is using sheep or goats to keep the grass down.

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Is this area you are talking about properly fenced and gated. What would stop the sheep wandering out into the road and causing a road accident.

If you intend owning livestock or minding them for someone else, the single most important issue you have to consider is your responsibility towards their
welfare and the welfare of other users of the land.

As well as morally responsible for the animals, The owners of livestock are legally responsible to damage done to others by the animals.


Your original post suggested that you considered having some sheep to be cheaper and easier than using a lawnmower every few weeks, and all of the posters here have pointed out all the ways that it will cost you time, money and effort, and they have done this to help you decide if this is a viable
idea or not.

Oh dear have I made a mess of this. I am very sory I have not thanked every poster for their contribution , I value every ones opinion either way.
I find it difficult to convay a level of personal interaction in my typed english. its ok I wont discuss it further. thanks all.