Hi all! I'm brand-spankin' new to all of this homesteading stuff (as in, I haven't actually started yet), so I was wondering if you all could help me out. I'm thinking of a very small-scale farm: a dexter cow for milk, a couple boer goats for meat, a horse, maybe a miniature horse or two, and some chickens. So not a ton of animals. Anyway, I was thinking about having two one-acre pastures, with the cow and goats in one and the horses and chickens in the other, and rotating every three weeks so that the chickens can clean up the pasture a bit. The problem is, this doesn't give the pastures any down time. However, I wasn't sure if that would really be a problem, since the pastures won't be crowded. I mean, a small cow and 2 goats aren't going to clear an entire acre, right? So would that system be okay, or would I wear my pastures out?
Also, if the animals are out grazing all day, do I need to feed them hay, too? Or is just grazing fine for the warmer months?
Thanks for your help!
Megan
