How to get your animals to move.

The other day I was talking to a co-worker, and he was telling me of his problem with his horses. I am not a horse guy and don't claim to know anything about them. But, here is his problem. His horses just stand in one spot, pugging the ground, waiting for food. Like I said, I don't know horses, but I have learned a thing or two about livestock in general.

I, too, am learning. I faced this same issue. The quickest way I could figure to get them to move was to feed the cows in a different spot every time. This serves two purposes, it get them to move, and the left over hay gets trampled into the ground. That makes for good, mulch or organic matter. Last year, I observed the ground after I had fed hay in one spot the whole winter. The ground was thick with decaying grass, which I scooped up and spread on the pastures. After removing it, I found a large area that was as black as could be. As the summer wore on, nothing, and I mean nothing grew there. The grass along the edge of it was thicker and greener than any other grass in the pasture. That is what mulch does, it puts nutrients back into the soil. Thus, I decided to do this on a smaller scale and feed in different spots.

But, he said that they will go eat wherever he puts the hay, then return to the spot they stood at before. This is another defining moment in my farm journey, understanding the "management" part of Management Intensive Grazing. I told him that he can control where the animals stand with a single strand of electric wire. I never understood, until recently, that MiG is about control. You, as the thinker in your operation, control where your animals graze. It is more than just rotating the animals. You control where they eat and how much.

I advised him that another way to get them to move is to change where their water tank is. On our farm, I am limited in this area because I have only so much garden hose. But, I have found that even a slight movement of the tank (say 20 feet) makes a difference. Also, keep the mineral block or salt block on the other end of the pasture or paddock.

On hot days, to get the animals to forget the heat and move, give them a fresh break of grass. Grazing animals will forget anything for new, fresh, sweet grass.

I don't know if he has done anything yet, but I hope this helps. So, have you moved your water tank lately? How about where you feed, have you changed that? Can you give a fresh break of grass or move the mineral or salt? Remember, we are the thinkers on our farms. The animals job is to eat and produce. Let the animals do the work for you.