- Location
- God's side of the border.
Silage bales finished, R1s back to grazing. Could be tight until magic day.
All things Dairy
- Thread starter Cows 'n grass
- Start date
Farmer Keith
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
When typically is magic day for you?
- Location
- God's side of the border.
First week in April, usually 4th.
- Location
- somerset
water buffalo might be easier
Tirglas
Member
- Location
- West wales
Mid April here usually 15th
Farmer Keith
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
We’re the 15th to, relatively heavily stocked on the platform which doesn’t help. We’ve a lot of land out of range of the cows.
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
at what point due you said sod it they are going out? Tuesday was giving dry and a nice week now more rain and nothing nice forecast. Think they are going to get the boot tomorrow and hope for the best
Short of grub?
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
Loads of food but not milking as they should off it big feed bills that are hurting and cows still not performing from whatever they didn’t perform from before……. Truth be told I’m just pee'd off with seeing cows in a shed.
It hasn’t stopped raining here for any meaningful length of time since August. That grinds a bit on everything.
Where you dairy men live to be thinking of letting milk cows out at this time of year would be a total athema to where I live you are very fortunate to be able to let cows out at this time of year.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
Young stock block is a bit later. Bit higher and bit more exposed, but cover appears to have gone backwards more than usual this Winter.
- Location
- Co. Antrim
BBC been saying the same here for the past week with rain everyday we didn’t have any all week
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
We’d aim to start grazing in Jan. won’t have any grass here June July.
Tirglas
Member
- Location
- West wales
We'd be less than 20 miles Carmarthen side of you and growth rates safe through summer here, its the wet that buggers things up here
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
shallow soils on a south slope here sadly. Normally that means we can safely graze early. This has been a challenge for even us.
Farmer Keith
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
I’d of said that 15 years ago, we jumped from mid April to early March by changing the way we manage the grass over winter. I’d of never thought it possible before we tried it tbh.
How do you manage grass over winter? I don't understand. It's not growing.
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
What climate are you in. We get much colder weather, snow and ice. Ryegrass still grows, maybe we get more sun
Farmer Keith
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
Big changes were kicking the sheep off and rotational grazing in the autumn allows you to leave a wedge. We don’t grow that much over winter but once they’re out it really kickstarts growth at this time of year.
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Ours grew 2.1 kgs dm per day over last 3 months
Key to getting cows out early is having the right infrastructure ,,tracks with multiple gateways. Always make sure cows run out of food and go out hungry ,then once full up they’ll lie down ,then as they get up to wander round bring them back in and onto a new break tommorrow
Never ever put sheep any where near your grazing land as they’ll just keep nibbling the grass and poach the surface and grass roots will get compromised