Spring will be here before I know it. Shoot, I feel like it's already here. This winter has been highly unusual for Northwest IN. We should be in the 20's with snow... it was around 50 today. We've had snow on the ground TWICE so far this winter. Now, I don't particularily like winter. I don't like our recent winters where we've had numerous days at or below 0. However, I'm kinda concerned. Either we're going to get slapped with a huge snowfall soon, or we're going to have a horrendous bug season this summer.
Anyway, back to the point, planning the pasture. My girls have a 12x7 dog pen as their enclosure. I'm planning on either picking up a 10x10 pen with double gates or building some sort of tractor. If I can swing the pen, I will let them out in it at limited times, or every other day, some sort of schedule so they don't tear up the grass. At least with a tractor, I can move it around, but it would need to be predator-proof or resistant. I'm leaning more towards the 10x10 pen with double gates. That way, I can line up one door with the existing door and not have to cut any holes in the existing pen. And, I can technically shift the pens to give one area a break/reseed.
The ground cover is mostly clover and weeds right now. In the area where either the pen or tractor will be, I'd like to plant something else. Something more durable, but nutritious. I've been doing some research and found there are special poultry blends of seeds. It also seems like deer forage might work. Basically, a blend of ryegrass, flax, clover, buckwheat, millet, and alfalfa. I'd also throw some herb and wildflower seeds in there just because.
