3 cuts for sucklers

[P.O.T]

Thoughts for this year was to try and go for 3 cuts. Currently running 65 spring and 30 autumn calvers. Usual is 2 cuts beginning of june and then some time in august.100acres each cut roughly. So would instead go for 100acre first cut 3rd week of may, 100 acre 2nd cut middle of july then leave 50-60acres 3rd cut into september sometime. Spring born stirks fed silage and minerals only so thinking was if i could make better silage to even make them put on 0.1kg a day more this would more than pay for cost of extra fert, rowing, tedding and lifting the extra 50-60 acres plus better grazing available for lambs after 2nd cut. Does this sound half sensible?

 

[kill]

The down side is Third cut silage on loose housed stock gets through alot of straw as they like stinking water on 3rd cut.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

what is your silage analysis at the moment and do you think you can improve on it, ?

also do you do your own silage or get a contractor to do the work

 

[sleepy]

The down side is Third cut silage on loose housed stock gets through alot of straw as they like stinking water on 3rd cut.

Why not just ted it and leave it a few more days? Can still make hay in late September!

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Why not just ted it and leave it a few more days? Can still make hay in late September!

that would be good when your down in Devon, but i have a fair idea where the OP is at getting 2 dry days together is hard sometimes,
also agree it tends to be wetter sad stuf does 3rd cut in sept, than the other 2 earlier cuts,

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

i have sometimes wondered if something like a little dark grains or something with a nice smell was sprinkled on the silage in the feed passage a couple of hours after feeding time, without the use of a mixer wagon, just to try to get some more intake of silage

 

[P.O.T]

The down side is Third cut silage on loose housed stock gets through alot of straw as they like stinking water on 3rd cut.

Cows in cubicles so not really a problem.

 

[P.O.T]

what is your silage analysis at the moment and do you think you can improve on it, ?

also do you do your own silage or get a contractor to do the work

To be honest havent done a silage analysis this year. Earlier cut grass is bound to be better quality and the 2nd cut should be alot better too than normal. Do our own mowing, neighbour does tedding, contractor rows and lifted with wagon. We do the buckraking so 2 tractors on the pit.

 

[aled1590]

Why not just ted it and leave it a few more days? Can still make hay in late September!

I Find if our 2nd cut stuff is really dry, cows will still liquid, nothing like mature 1st cut hay/haylage

 

[tr250]

Thoughts for this year was to try and go for 3 cuts. Currently running 65 spring and 30 autumn calvers. Usual is 2 cuts beginning of june and then some time in august.100acres each cut roughly. So would instead go for 100acre first cut 3rd week of may, 100 acre 2nd cut middle of july then leave 50-60acres 3rd cut into september sometime. Spring born stirks fed silage and minerals only so thinking was if i could make better silage to even make them put on 0.1kg a day more this would more than pay for cost of extra fert, rowing, tedding and lifting the extra 50-60 acres plus better grazing available for lambs after 2nd cut. Does this sound half sensible?

Is this permanent pasture or seeds. We cut 2 year leys 3 times. Mid may beggining of July and about 10th sept when we Finnish combining

 

[tr250]

I Find if our 2nd cut stuff is really dry, cows will still liquid, nothing like mature 1st cut hay/haylage

This is why people buy feed wagons cows are hard to feed properly without

 

[M-J-G]

Why not just ted it and leave it a few more days? Can still make hay in late September!

Dumfries and Galloway isn't usually a place for making hay at all, let alone September.

 

[Wishful Thinker]

What way do you feed your cows? Ad lib silage?
Going 3 cuts and cutting earlier should in theory mean better silage but can mean cows will be getting too much of a good thing and may get over fat. It's great for young stock but just need to be careful with cows.

 

[tr250]

What way do you feed your cows? Ad lib silage?
Going 3 cuts and cutting earlier should in theory mean better silage but can mean cows will be getting too much of a good thing and may get over fat. It's great for young stock but just need to be careful with cows.

We just bulk it out with straw in feeder

 

[P.O.T]

What way do you feed your cows? Ad lib silage?
Going 3 cuts and cutting earlier should in theory mean better silage but can mean cows will be getting too much of a good thing and may get over fat. It's great for young stock but just need to be careful with cows.

Always fed spring sucklers with self feed silage but as silage pit floor is badly worn are jusy feeding them with feed trailer this year so can ration how much they are eating. Well the thoughts were the 1st and 2nd cuts would be fed to young stock and autumn calvers and the 3rd cut would be fed to spring dry cows through the winter.

 

[Kevtherev]

Sucker cows just need maintenance amounts of lesser quality silage.
Have you separate pits?
Or round bale the second cut?

 

[P.O.T]

Yeah well first and second cut would go in one pit and 3rd cut would be self fed to spring cows in another pit.

 

[Kevtherev]

Ever thought of barley and grass cut as whole crop for the youngstock?

 

[kill]

Why not just ted it and leave it a few more days? Can still make hay in late September!

Later cuts for cow's lose alot of bulk if overly dryed and becomes less palatable and can alter real fast from wet to dry. Feeder wagon mixing with first cut is ideal even tho on cost I am personally not a fan of them.

 

[Pan mixer]

First cut to keep.

Second cut to sell.

Third cut can go to hell.