Can they handle the swamp?

[carolinagirl]

I have about 6 acres at the back of my property that I plan to fence this winter. It's a mix of wetlands, swamp and dry ground. I know folks who have cattle in areas like this and they do fine and clear it out very nicely. There is also a very deep creek that I doubt they will try to cross. Will my dexters be able to handle this? Do cattle get stuck in the mud? lol. I plan to call them all back out every evening for feeding and head counts.

[cddexter]

Hi cg:

From experience,. the short answer is yes, the long is sort of.

Watch for foot issues if the area is too wet

If the creek sides are steep, I'd want to maybe fence it off, as sometimes calves can end up in the creek and can't get themselves out. Well, cows, too, actually. Electric would work well here, but make sure you have two wires, one high enough to stop the cows and another low enough to catch calves...maybe Hans with his experience can wade in here (pun intended).

The cows will love all that year round green grass. Reed canary is coarse, but provides excellent protein especially in the early spring and if the cows start to graze it early, they'll keep it down so it does't develop those broom handle stalks.

cheers, c.

[carolinagirl]

I would probably not let young calves go in there. But yes....electric is a very good idea along the creek edge. It is pretty steep. There is usually green growth back in that area year round, and since calves wont be born until May or so, I'll be able to take advantage of some free winter grazing for the cows.

[Dahdo]

We have some low ground here too. There is standing water on the lowest parts from December through April, so it's hard to get anything to grow except sedge and rushes. Reed canary grass does well, and we have some creeping in from my neighbors place which has basically gone wild. Like CD said, the cows love it and I'm thinking now about planting some and see if it will crowd out the sedge, which they don't like much. I mentioned this to the local Conservation District guy and he just about had a coronary as he mentioned Reed Canary is on their invasive species list!

As for the creek, I have a small boggy creek that they have have to cross to get to a little pasture. They hate crossing it because it's mud up their knees even in the summer. Once they are across, I put in a double electric fence up to keep them out until I can supervise the return crossing...I really do worry about the calves getting stuck. Of course, I have such a small place I get used to being able to see them from the house, and this little pasture is the only place I can't do that.

[carolinagirl]

Thanks...good to know. This low area is right behind the house so if a cow does end up stuck in there, we will be aware of it pretty quickly. And I'll probably send my livestock guardian dog in there with the cows. He's really good at letting me know if there is any kind of problems with the livestock.

[dollarlessbill]

I have pastured cows in a swamp fer 20 yrs with no problems they keep it mowed down were a tractor cant go. they get in there marred up to their bellies slopp n round like swamp monsters and on hot days will just stand in there to keep cool they have never got stuck either.
The SL cows were very carful and only go around the edge never go out in the deep muck, guess they new better?

we had a rough piece of ground that was growed up bad, it had every kind of obstacle there was in there humps holes creek downed trees up trees farm equ. old house and building u name it it was there and the cows cleaned it up in bout a yr everything they could get to on 4 feet or 2 they r better than goats on land clearing they have even ate the cattails and bullrush well if they did not eat them they tromped them out

[lonecowhand]

Genebo, Do you remember the name of the particular fern? Did he say why it was undesireable?