Paddock Services
We have many years of erecting paddock fencing to allow your animals to graze in safety and keep them on your land. We only use the highest quality materials and animal safe stains should you require us to stain your fence. We also have experince of creating manage and school rings of any size and design.
Electric Fencing
Electric fencing is a very economical and effective method for containing horses and ponies. It can be set up as a temporary fence, or in combination with wooden strainer posts at corners and ends, will act as a low cost semi-permanent fence.
A temporary electric fence can be used for strip grazing, or keeping horses away from dangerous areas (and each other). Being very light it can be carried around on 'treks' and used as an 'instant corral'.
Permanent electric fencing i.e. post and 'electric' rail costs between 25-30% of the cost of a normal Post and Rail fence and it can be erected in less than a quarter of the time.
Paddock Maintenance
Why you need to maintain your pasture.
Horses & Livestock
If you keep horses, it is important that you maintain your paddock and pasture lands properly as a well-kept green pasture is essential to their health and wellbeing.
Horses can also damage the environment, their hooves causing ruts, holes and furrows when the ground is wet, and their droppings can prevent the growth of healthy grasses and harbour parasites.
Land Use
Left unattended, your pasture will become choked with weeds, grass will grow unevenly and wild plants such as docks, thistles and nettles will stunt the growth of healthy grass.
Pasture Maintenance
Pasture Maintenance can help prevent this, and our services, ranging from soil analysis, ground maintenance and spraying through to "poo vacuuming", the mechanised removal of droppings from the pasture, will ensure that your paddock or pasture remains healthy, valuable and a safe environment for your animals.
What We Can Offer
Parker Fencing & Forestry Ltd offers a complete paddock maintenance service within the Lancashire area.
Whatever the size and shape of your land, our highly specialised machinery is compact and manoevrable and we can gain access to fields too small for large agricultural machinery. We can therefore help you to maintain even the smallest paddock at extremely competitive rates.
Below is a list of services we provide. If you have any special requests, please feel free to contact us to discuss them.
- Advisory Visits - We are happy to visit your paddocks and give our advice on how to maintain them.
- Harrowing - Harrowing prepares your pastures for healthy grass growth by removing dead grass from the base of the healthy grass and levels uneven areas created by your horse's hooves over winter.
- Spraying - Spraying should be undertaken when weeds are actively growing. Spot and boom spraying will kill weeds such as docks, thistles, nettles and buttercups. By eliminating your weeds you allow new grass growth in their place and prevent them from re-seeding.
- Weed Wiping - Weed wiping has a direct contact with the weed only and is best used when weeds are stood well above the grass. Weed wiping should be undertaken when weeds are actively growing.
- Topping - Grass should be kept at 5-7cm throughout the growing season. Topping helps encourage new leaf growth and increases sward density, which reduces the opportunity for weeds to grow and protects your pastures from the effects of hoof damage in winter.
- Top Seeding - Seeding tired pastures will prevent weeds from establishing in areas that have been churned up over winter, it will also help to bind the soil and give your pastures a stronger base.
- Mechanical "Poo Vacuum" - We can remove droppings from your pasture using a vacuum which will suck droppings from short or long grass, helping to reduce your parasitic worm count and eliminate patches of rank grass and prevent selective grazing.
- Fertilising - Fertilising helps to maintain the nutrient status of the soil to promote healthy grass growth.
- Soil Nutrient Testing - This allows us to establish whether there are any nutrient deficiencies in the soil. The optimum pH for grass growth is 6 to 6.5.