Meet the Menagerie

In what we call our “front pasture” you can find a wide variety of livestock. That’s where our Miniature Hereford cattle graze, along with Loretta the dairy cow, and a few heifers that aren’t old enough to go with the bull in the big herd. Also frolicking through that pasture are the goats and Dottie, my horse who gets very dramatic on the days she doesn’t get turned out with her friends. The question we commonly hear is: Why are they all together?

Multi-Species has Multi-Benefits

The easy answer is space – we only have so many pastures. Fencing is expensive – especially fencing that can keep goats contained. As special as my animals seem to think they are, they also know sometimes they must share.

Another benefit is better pasture utilization. If you were to ask most people what cattle, goats, and horses eat, the initial response is going to be grass – which is accurate – but not specific. Each species has its own personal preference when it comes to what they consume. Goats are considered browsers, given the option, they prefer brush and broadleaf weeds for the majority of their diet. Cows are grazers and prefer the high-quality grasses and forages. Whereas cattle are picky and want to devour the bermudagrass, fescue, and clover, the goats will choose the wild blackberry, honeysuckle, briars, and young, leafy trees. Not only do goats act as weed control, they do so without lowering the carrying capacity of that pasture.

The most important benefit? Parasite control. Internal parasites are the number one struggle of small ruminant producers. An article from Penn State Extension summarizes: “Multi-species grazing also contributes to breaking the parasite life cycle. While sheep and goats share many of the same parasites, cattle and horses do not. Cattle and horses grazed with sheep and goats help to break parasite life cycles because the sheep and goat parasites cannot survive in those other species.”

Challenges

There are a few challenges with the multi-species grazing. The main issue we faced was when it came time to feed. While our livestock survive mainly on forages during the spring, summer, and fall, we do supplement with grain throughout the year, and especially through winter. With the size difference between the cattle and goats, and the goats’ lack of respect for personal space, we knew we would need a way to feed them separately. Our solution was what we call a creep feeder gate. We welded a panel so that it had holes large enough for the goats to walk through, but not so large the cattle could get through. This allows us to feed the goats in the barn, while the cattle are fed in the pasture.

Challenges I’ve read about for other producers are fencing and predators. We originally fenced this pasture for goats, so it has net wire on the perimeter, therefore keeping the goats contained isn’t an issue for us. Predators are always a concern with livestock. Our main predators locally are coyotes and buzzards. I believe this is another benefit of running cattle and goats together, as the cattle keep the predators at bay. Our pasture location is also surrounded by highway and housing, which lessens the predator pressure. If you are considering multi-species grazing in an area with heavy predation, you may consider a livestock guardian animal.

Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best Friend

Overall, the multi-species grazing has been more than worth the effort for our operation. Just like with any new method there have been a few setbacks, and adjustments have needed to be made, but the benefits have been extremely valuable.