Subdeacon Joe Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Sheep as lawn mowers at Los Angeles Municipal Airport (LAX), 1930. Source: USC Digital Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Only been to LAX twice. Sheep would be an improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Hmmm...It’s a metaphor. LAX was surrounded by sheep in the 30’s. It’s surrounded by sheeple in the 20’s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Seems like I saw a photo similar to that only it was on the White House lawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 wasnt one of the biggest complaints of sheep by cattlemen that they pulled the forage roots - killing the land - rather than trimming [mowing if yo will] leaving the plants to regenerate ? its what i remember as a kid as well on relatives farms , cows and horses graze [mow] the sheep and goats clear to the dirt and below , erosion to follow , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 4 hours ago, watab kid said: wasnt one of the biggest complaints of sheep by cattlemen that they pulled the forage roots - killing the land - rather than trimming [mowing if yo will] leaving the plants to regenerate ? its what i remember as a kid as well on relatives farms , cows and horses graze [mow] the sheep and goats clear to the dirt and below , erosion to follow , I seem to remember that too but from the movies so I’m not sure if it’s true. Hmmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 I've seen that in numerous westerns. That's the reason given by the cattlemen for their war on sheep. Sheep destroy the grasslands. But people have been raising sheep for centuries. If sheep were really that destructive, it seems like there would not be any grass left anywhere in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 1 hour ago, Alpo said: I've seen that in numerous westerns. That's the reason given by the cattlemen for their war on sheep. Sheep destroy the grasslands. But people have been raising sheep for centuries. If sheep were really that destructive, it seems like there would not be any grass left anywhere in the world. Because of how their mouths are shaped, Cows and Sheep graze a differently. Cows generally leave 2 to 4 inches of grass remaining as the graze. Sheep generally leave 1 to 2 inches when they graze. Grass that is cut really short is less drought tolerant that grass that is left longer. The extra length shades the ground and slows evaporation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Duncan Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 6 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said: Because of how their mouths are shaped, Cows and Sheep graze a differently. Cows generally leave 2 to 4 inches of grass remaining as the graze. Sheep generally leave 1 to 2 inches when they graze. Grass that is cut really short is less drought tolerant that grass that is left longer. The extra length shades the ground and slows evaporation. So you're saying cows are destructive to the range too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Steak Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Nothing has changed - the sheep are still at LAX. The sheep are still eating the plant life around to area - the only difference now is that they are driving around in a Prius wearing ripped blue jeans, vintage sun glasses, and unwashed graphic tees' but make no mistake - the sheep are still at LAX in force Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 It’s all about management of pasture. Too many grazers will denude an area. Doesn’t matter what species. Shep, cows, bewilderbeasts, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 2 hours ago, Matthew Duncan said: So you're saying cows are destructive to the range too. I took it as he’s saying since the cows leave grass longer it’s better for the grass. If I cut my lawn too short and it doesn’t rain for a month and it’s hot the grass can burn out. That’s what the sheep do they cut the grass too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 There are still a couple of people around here, that will bring out a number of goats and clear your property of weeds, ect. for a fee. One sits with her book, as her dog ushers the goats where they need to be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 They use that method of weed removal in Plymouth, CA. There are two properties on HWY 49 that are cleared by goats every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Dog Doug Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 In the SF bay area they had goats clearing grass in some steep hills next to the freeway worked out great until till some goats rustler stole a few goat they where caught later with goat in the freezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Duncan Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 2 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said: I took it as he’s saying since the cows leave grass longer it’s better for the grass. If I cut my lawn too short and it doesn’t rain for a month and it’s hot the grass can burn out. That’s what the sheep do they cut the grass too short. I understood. I forgot to add a as I was trying to be funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 3 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said: That’s what the sheep do they cut the grass too short. What if you put the sheep in high heels? That would raise them up a couple of inches = longer blades of grass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 High heels wouldn't help. If anything it would hurt. It would tilt the sheep forward, which would put its mouth closer to the ground. Now maybe if they used some 1980s platform shoes --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconKC Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Sorry the sheep in high heels reminded me of this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 4 hours ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said: What if you put the sheep in high heels? That would raise them up a couple of inches = longer blades of grass Funny, you don't look Scottish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Slim Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 4 hours ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said: What if you put the sheep in high heels? That would raise them up a couple of inches = longer blades of grass With some people I've met that would be a date...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Jack Calder Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 10 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said: There are still a couple of people around here, that will bring out a number of goats and clear your property of weeds, ect. for a fee. One sits with her book, as her dog ushers the goats where they need to be! Years ago I saw a TV News show here in NC that claimed the goats even cleared the Poison Ivy with no ill effect to them. I’m not sure of the accuracy of the report. CJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singin' Sue 71615 Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 43 minutes ago, Cactus Jack Calder said: Years ago I saw a TV News show here in NC that claimed the goats even cleared the Poison Ivy with no ill effect to them. I’m not sure of the accuracy of the report. CJ They are sturdy...and eat EVERYTHING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blarney Kid Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 The biggest problem with the sheep was they didn't free range like cattle, so when they grazed they stayed in a smaller area which didn't give the grass a chance to recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 On 4/15/2021 at 12:50 PM, Alpo said: High heels wouldn't help. If anything it would hurt. It would tilt the sheep forward, which would put its mouth closer to the ground. Now maybe if they used some 1980s platform shoes --- But the heels would also aerate the lawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 thanks for the education , i didn't know that - funny how childhood things stick in your head - but then it was cowboy TV and they couldn't lie on there , could they ? huh , who knew ???? it makes good sense that both cattle and sheep graze without destruction , there are a lotta sheep raised all over the world and it wouldn't make sense if they destroyed the natural ecology my uncles sheep got moved around to prevent 'overgrazing' but i was little/young what did i know ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Up Montana way, after the Big Die-up following the blizzards of 1885-1886, some of the local cattle ranchers turned to sheep and cows. Must have helped them recover financially. The one advantage to sheep is you get two products: lamb chops and wool. Of course, the cattlemen in that period were guilty of overgrazing at the behest of their English owners. Regardless, it got Charlie Russell on the road to fame and fortune after he painted "The Last of the 5000" or "Waiting For a Chanook". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El CupAJoe Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Free Alias; Goat Rustler I could go for a good goat roast right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 I have never liked the taste of mutton or goat. I won’t eat baby animals so I would not eat lamb. I’ll take cows any day over sheep for food. I do like wool in the winter though. EDIT: I also lost my taste for venison after I grew up. It tastes like mutton to me. I used to love hunting deer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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