Establishing and maintaining a productive pasture is not too difficult. A few dollars spent on soil nutrients for your pasture is a good investment. Fertilizer will help your pasture to become more productive and produce more forage. Fertilizer costs will generally be offset from good pasture rotating and from savings in feed costs for hay and grain supplements.

Mowing is also important of pasture management. It minimizes spread of weeds to help maintain higher quality forage. Mowing weeds before seed heads are produced limits spread of weeds. Grass should be mowed to 3-4 inches.

No matter how well you manage your pasture, it will most likely thin. To help ensure pasture continues to produce good grass, new forage seed should be spread every year. It is recommended re-seeding be done in spring or fall. In spring, wet conditions will allow for germination and growth, but only if it is not too wet or muddy. In fall, there will be less competition from weeds. Grazing should not be allowed on new grass seedlings for approximately 6 to 8 weeks after emerging from ground to allow for proper root growth.

Caution! Turning your horse out on green lush pasture before conditioning him to a change in diet is dangerous and can result in sickness or possibly death. Start your horse out slowly by letting him graze for few minutes each day and gradually increase to a few hours each day.

Directions:

1.Wash and dry carton thoroughly.

2.Decorate your carton however you would like.

3.Using your scissors cut a square in each side of carton (a square big enough to fit at least head of a bird).

4.Using your hole punch (or your scissors) make a small hole below each square.

5.Push your sticks or rods through holes from one side of carton to other (the sticks will form a “t”).

6.Fill bottom of your carton with bird seed.

7.Punch a hole (or two if you like) in top of your carton.

8.Hang your finished feeder to a tree branch with string.

Although these bird feeders will not last forever (or even close), they are a fun, inexpensive way for children to learn about birds and importance of caring for our wildlife.