Baler as Zerograzer

[BobbySusie]

Neighbour is a contractor, I told him today that I was going getting another lad to zerograze grass for me in spring and Autumn, he would be a bit odd about someone else doing my work. And to be fair hes a brilliant neighbour, I can borrow any machine I need free of charge. I do bits for him in return.

He said to me he can mow the grass and bale it with a Mchale f550 and not wrap it.
Doing my math's, it would work out cheaper in bales than a proper zerograzer, and the added benefit is my neighbour wont be pee'd off.

Any body doing this.

 

[Davy]

Is he gonna cut the net off them in the yard too?

 

[BobbySusie]

Is he gonna cut the net off them in the yard too?

I very much doubt that, he is not one for leaving a tractor.

 

[Beef farmer]

Tell him to grow the feeck up. Upset because you'll use someone else to do an job he dosnt offer as a service? Mad. If he had a zero grazer then maybe understandable.
The bales will heat quick as lightning

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I've done it in the past. The bales can be so heavy they will break the net and because the grass gets well bruised and smashed it needs to be fed immediately or it will start to heat.

It's not perfect but it does work.

 

[Scholsey]

Tell him to buy a zero grazer/forage wagon if he wants to do it for you. Grass would heat up and smell like old socks within a couple hours.

 

[steveR]

Tell him to buy a zero grazer/forage wagon if he wants to do it for you. Grass would heat up and smell like old socks within a couple hours.

Interesting.

I have absolutely no experience with ZG and it has no use or appeal to me either. However, I have fed the odd baled bit of newly bales grass straight to cattle, usually a broken bale or something, and as you say, it heats up like buggery, BUT the cattle to love 'em! Seen a 24hr bale, steaming like a pudding, wham, gone on a couple of hours...

Does proper ZG long chop stay cool and edible for longer?

 

[fred.950]

A neighbour bought a really old welger baler and just goes out and picks up a chamber full and brings it back and feeds it, no net or string to worry about it works really well!

 

[le bon paysan]

Neighbour is a contractor, I told him today that I was going getting another lad to zerograze grass for me in spring and Autumn, he would be a bit odd about someone else doing my work. And to be fair hes a brilliant neighbour, I can borrow any machine I need free of charge. I do bits for him in return.

He said to me he can mow the grass and bale it with a Mchale f550 and not wrap it.
Doing my math's, it would work out cheaper in bales than a proper zerograzer, and the added benefit is my neighbour wont be pee'd off.

Any body doing this.

Yes , see pictures from France. I don't net it either.
I cut , bale ,cart and spin it out with a bale unroller

 

[Scholsey]

Interesting.

I have absolutely no experience with ZG and it has no use or appeal to me either. However, I have fed the odd baled bit of newly bales grass straight to cattle, usually a broken bale or something, and as you say, it heats up like buggery, BUT the cattle to love 'em! Seen a 24hr bale, steaming like a pudding, wham, gone on a couple of hours...

Does proper ZG long chop stay cool and edible for longer?

Put one of those steamy pudding bales out every day for a month and see what the cattle thing of them towards the end.

Use a forage wagon here and if I leave the conditioner set hard or forget to reverse the bedchain and ‘mush’ it up at the front of the wagon or overfill it and ram the last bit in the last bit out of the wagon (the squashed bit) is always the last to be eaten so less appetising and a horrible steamy mess if left 12-18hours whereas the normal stuff is still fine.

 

[steveR]

Put one of those steamy pudding bales out every day for a month and see what the cattle thing of them towards the end.

Use a forage wagon here and if I leave the conditioner set hard or forget to reverse the bedchain and ‘mush’ it up at the front of the wagon or overfill it and ram the last bit in the last bit out of the wagon (the squashed bit) is always the last to be eaten so less appetising and a horrible steamy mess if left 12-18hours whereas the normal stuff is still fine.

Thanks for that. ?

I think I will carry on with "trying" to put plastic around the Bales....! Or only feed fresh bales

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Neighbour of mine does it from time to time. Seems to do the job.
Uses it more as a buffer feed rather than the main meal iyswim.

 

[Mf310]

Interested in this, currently have a contractor doing zerograzing for us as a buffer feed in the shoulders of the year but its working out too much per year so going to buy something to do it myself next year. Pricing up zerograzers and they are fierce money altogether so half considering buying a combo baler and be able to draw 2 bales up when needed? In theory itd work but maybe the bales would heat too much and it wont work?

 

[le bon paysan]

I bale not wrap transport in baler and feed at home 2 mile draw in half an hour, never has chance to heat.

 

[Conrod96]

Interested in this, currently have a contractor doing zerograzing for us as a buffer feed in the shoulders of the year but its working out too much per year so going to buy something to do it myself next year. Pricing up zerograzers and they are fierce money altogether so half considering buying a combo baler and be able to draw 2 bales up when needed? In theory itd work but maybe the bales would heat too much and it wont work?

Surely combo baler is the same money as a zero grazer anyway?

 

[Fendt516profi]

Put one of those steamy pudding bales out every day for a month and see what the cattle thing of them towards the end.

Use a forage wagon here and if I leave the conditioner set hard or forget to reverse the bedchain and ‘mush’ it up at the front of the wagon or overfill it and ram the last bit in the last bit out of the wagon (the squashed bit) is always the last to be eaten so less appetising and a horrible steamy mess if left 12-18hours whereas the normal stuff is still fine.

Surely he would have to come every day and bale the days feed not come one day and bale a month's worth

 

[Scholsey]

Surely he would have to come every day and bale the days feed not come one day and bale a month's worth

I think the point I was making was cattle may demolish the odd bale now and then as it’s different but do it every day for a month and see what milk does. I can see the difference if someone else does our zero grazing and is too hard on the grass, cows eat a lot less/lots of waste/steamy grass, imagine a baler would be harder on fresh grass than a forage wagon.

 

[Suckndiesel]

Interested in this, currently have a contractor doing zerograzing for us as a buffer feed in the shoulders of the year but its working out too much per year so going to buy something to do it myself next year. Pricing up zerograzers and they are fierce money altogether so half considering buying a combo baler and be able to draw 2 bales up when needed? In theory itd work but maybe the bales would heat too much and it wont work?

2nd hand zero grazers aren’t that big a money

 

[Chips]

I've tried it with a baler and the cows love it , but usually start squirting like hosepipes after a few days , also it becomes another chore , also while the quality is better when the weather is nice , you spend many days waiting around for the rain to stop , where as if you just buffer feed bales you only need to find a couple of dry days in the month to make all the bales you need and I feed them out evey 48hrs with no heating ,then you have a dry buffer to balance the grazed grass and a less variable diet which cows like , all depends on your system though really

 

[Mf310]

I've tried it with a baler and the cows love it , but usually start squirting like hosepipes after a few days , also it becomes another chore , also while the quality is better when the weather is nice , you spend many days waiting around for the rain to stop , where as if you just buffer feed bales you only need to find a couple of dry days in the month to make all the bales you need and I feed them out evey 48hrs with no heating ,then you have a dry buffer to balance the grazed grass and a less variable diet which cows like , all depends on your system though really

I’d definitely consider doing this also, and probably would work out the same money really. Bought a bale shear this year also so bales would be no chore at all, even found this year during the summer the silage really complements the grazed grass well and you’d see it in the tank the solids would even go up. But all dependent on the quality of the silage itd probably have to be the same cover youd zerograze off at maybe about 3/4 bales to the acre? The one thing i found about feeding bales during the year was residuals in paddocks definitely suffered