Continuous grazing is a one-pasture system in which livestock have unrestricted access to the pasture area throughout the grazing season. It is a simple system to implement and manage, with minimal capital investment and movement of animals. Because of these factors, it is the most common grazing systems for goats.
If sufficient forage is available, continuous grazing may result in a higher individual animal performance than other grazing systems. There is less disruption of the animal than with more intensive systems. However, continuous grazing usually results in poorer forage quality and quantity which can decrease performance of the goats. Pastures are usually grazed unevenly by livestock, as livestock overgraze the plants they like and undergraze the plants they don't like. . Manure is also distributed unevenly. Stocking rates are usually lower. Weeds and other undesirable plants usually persist.
Rotational grazing, however, is a pasture system in which more than one pasture area is used and livestock are moved to different pasture areas during the grazing season. This rotational system of grazing can result in greater productivity per acre but does require more labor than continuous grazing. Pastures need rest periods to recover from grazing and allow plants to regrow. The longer a pasture rests, the less infected it will be with worm larvae also. For more information, see Goat Pastures Continuous Grazing. Source: Schoenian, Susan. 2010. Small Ruminant Page. University of Maryland.
