Sheep Corral at Mint Creek
MINT CREEK SHEEP ON GRASS
Ruminant animals, if managed appropriately, play a critical role in addressing soil health and carbon sequestration. On our midwestern native prairie grasslands these ruminants previously moved as herds, constantly roaming for fresh palatable forage, and held closely together as a group for protection from predators. They found water and food without our help and evolved to survive in this bioregion.
Often the root structure of prairie grasses and forbs mimic or exceed the above ground growth of their leaves and stems. When the above ground portion is consumed the below ground portion dies back equivalently. This growth and dying back is a critical element in the formation of soil organic matter. Carbon is formed from the digestion of this dying root mass by the multifarious detritivore critters that make their living constantly mining that trophic sphere.
The cycle of photosynthesis, plant growth and decay, and root detritus consumed is the process of soil formation by which these ruminant animals play a key role. It literally becomes a carbon pump, sucking the CO2 out of the atmosphere and injecting it into the soil. At Mint Creek Farm we have made our specialty the management of these livestock on perennial grasslands to enhance the formation of soil organic matter. We have seen first hand how this benefits the soil. Areas that we didn’t graze for years seemed stunted in comparison to ones we have grazed. Remember, as above so below, if your above ground biomass is lacking, probably your below ground soil organic matter is as well.
Sheep being our first livestock to employ as grazers, we have 28 years of experience working with them and know quite well their strengths and weaknesses. While sheep evolved in the more mountainous dry climate of northern Iran, they have spread far and wide and are found just about everywhere that there are people. They are one of a very few domesticated livestock species that have formed a pact with humans. As we take care of them, they take care of us. Our sheep are the measure of us as shepherds, so we seek to improve their comfort and ability to thrive in our bioregion.
Probably the greatest weakness that sheep have in east central Illinois, is with their hooves. Our prairie soils are heavy clay, and quite often wet. While this makes for some of the best forage growth, the absence of an abrasive quality in the soil doesn’t wear down the hooves of the sheep. The hooves tend to over grow and require trimming to not become problematic and sources of infection. Back in the days when we had a few head, trimming their hooves was quite manageable. Today we are grazing about 750 sheep and goats. That is 3000 hooves to trim. We just don’t have the labor resources for trimming 3000 hooves. Moreover, these fine creatures reproduce at about a 130% net rate assuming we harvest the ram lambs and billies and a few ewe lambs and doelings. Therefore their hooves become a major impediment to our successful operation and growth. That begs the search for a better way.
SHEEP GRAVEL CORRAL
Sheep love to run in circles. Many years ago, on our first farm property, that which we now call the Kempton Farm, one day the sheep got out. They ran into the farmyard and started circling the house. As the leaders circled the house, the sheep following became a full circle. The leaders became the followers and whoa, there were no leaders, just one full circle of sheep. I was absolutely amazed at how long it took them to figure out they were not getting anywhere. I will refrain from any political or economic analogy here, although it’s very tempting! That was about 25 years ago.
After one of our earliest farm tours, we had a campfire at night in the middle of our Stelle farmland. The sheep got out and started circling us, the leader becoming the follower syndrome again occurred, and voila’ ...the mesmerized farm tour participants may have felt some deep instincts spring up from being humans with sheep out on grassland, surrounded by wild beasts. Sheep love to run in circles.
Today, when we set up to catch lambs for market, we will form an outer and inner circle with portable fencing. We get the sheep going in a circle and then using a leg crook, to catch the lambs we need, as we can view the entire flock while it passes by. One day it dawned on me that this would be a way to group trim 3000 hooves. We can build a corral about the size we do with portable fencing but with a more permanent style fence. We would also need an inner fence circle to keep the flow of sheep moving round, and then lay down a sharp gravel bed for them to run on. If we periodically corralled them and gave them some exercise in the corral, our hoof trimming would be reduced to just a few that may have some more serious issues. We thought you’d be interested in these exciting plans!