Eventually I'll get a picture of the plan for the paddocks for the rest of the pasture. As it stands we have 6 paddocks that are very irregular in size. I was expecting to see better grass in those paddocks, but I've been really surprised by how evident the improvement is. After a couple of rotations through I'm convinced it'll be the best thing we can do for the rest of the pasture.
For the back part of the pasture we're going to put a main line straight down the middle of the pasture and probably start with another 8 paddocks in the back. They'll be much bigger than the ones in the front, and with the number of cattle we have now each paddock will probably see two weeks of grazing each. This will also give us enough time to over seed half the pasture at a time keeping the cattle off of it for 3 months when you figure in another month for the front paddocks.
The plan now, after learning a lot is to run 1/2" irrigation hose the length of the middle of the field. We'll run a 1/4" hose off to a water trough that can be easily dumped and moved as we shift the cattle. The 50 gallon Rubbermaid set on 2 pallets has worked really well for us. The pallets came into play because without them the Belties were using the trough as a wading pool. The plus side to this is I can still empty the trough easily when it's time to move it. The down side is that when something malfunctions, there's a lot less water there for the cows until I discover the empty trough.
The Zareba electric fencing has been fantastic to work with, but only time will tell how it holds up in the harsh Texas sun. As we get this stuff figured out, we'll try to make it more attractive versus the Redneck Special Needs paddocks that we're rocking right now.
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