Need to drop some heavy covers before this gets out of hand. So pre mowing has started.
All things Dairy
- Thread starter Cows 'n grass
- Start date
Our cows are loving the pre-mowing right now. Leaving the paddocks as tight as a snooker table.
That's the plan here. Marquee looks right over the platform, don't want people to be looking at rejection patches
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
Snap. Mine are on mown stuff for the first time tonight. Grass has gone crazy here in the last week but it's desperate to throw seed heads at quite low covers so I don't think my mower will be coming off for a week or two.
No we are on now for a whole round.
- Location
- Northumberland
So for us northern grazers that the grass has just started growing, can you give us your procedure for premowing?
Do you just cut enough once a day or twice a day, time of cutting, Do they eat evrything up better than grazing? etc.
Do you just cut enough once a day or twice a day, time of cutting, Do they eat evrything up better than grazing? etc.
They mop it right up. Cut to suit you, but no more than 24 hours worth at a time is he rule I go by
Kingofgrass
Member
I'll second that but watch the weather we stop if the rains coming etc
Not worried about a little rain. But yes if it's was coming in heavy then agree.
Kingofgrass
Member
Does leave the field nice and tidy
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
By the time I shut mine out tonight they'd already eaten 90% and most were lying down cudding.
lazy farmer
Member
- Location
- som/dor border
what sort of covers are you pre mowing?
and i presume you are not pre mowing aftermaths ?
3400. Just started to get untidy in the last week.
Making it smoke!
7000s should be parked in a shed,if I had one it wouldn't be out much.
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Is it not 96 or 98 hp?
Sorry for being so picky
We usually pre-mow this time of year. There are rejection sites, docks and thistles start to coke through - pre-mowing resets all of that. It leaves the sward clean and at ~1600kgDM/HA - perfect for regrowth.
You're training the cow to eat off a plate here - it will take a certain degree of training. When we first tried it was horrible for 48hrs. The cows werent clearing the grass and were bawling like crazy. After 3 days there was not a problem. That was 10 years ago and I wouldn't be without it now.
As an aside, I based my degree project on pre-mowing as a regular treatment as opposed to clearing up a paddock. Regular pre-mowing led to an increase of DMI of 1kg/head/day which equalled an extra 1l of milk.
With pre-mowing you can get cows into higher covers without a lack of utilisation.
You're training the cow to eat off a plate here - it will take a certain degree of training. When we first tried it was horrible for 48hrs. The cows werent clearing the grass and were bawling like crazy. After 3 days there was not a problem. That was 10 years ago and I wouldn't be without it now.
As an aside, I based my degree project on pre-mowing as a regular treatment as opposed to clearing up a paddock. Regular pre-mowing led to an increase of DMI of 1kg/head/day which equalled an extra 1l of milk.
With pre-mowing you can get cows into higher covers without a lack of utilisation.
Irish NZ
Member
- Location
- The mighty Waikato NZ
Y
You only coming in from night milking ross or are you about to go out for morning milking
Irish NZ
Member
- Location
- The mighty Waikato NZ
Pre mowing is fairly popular out here so dairy NZ decided to do a trial and the results are that they "proved" it was a waste of time.
That said I've said many times on here dairy NZ are just full of Sh1t.
If you are offering the amount of grass that the cows can clear themselves down to 1500 then premowing isn't going to help don't need a trial to show that.
Trick with pre mowing for us is to start BEFORE you have quality issues not after
That said I've said many times on here dairy NZ are just full of Sh1t.
If you are offering the amount of grass that the cows can clear themselves down to 1500 then premowing isn't going to help don't need a trial to show that.
Trick with pre mowing for us is to start BEFORE you have quality issues not after
newholland
Member
- Location
- England
94hp I agree these details matter @multi power