Cows loose on grass/rotation grazing ?

[Andrew1983]

A percentage of my sucklers are very skittery since the last 3weeks or so. I sent a sample to vets to get tested and it has come back negative for fluke or worms. We normally put straw out in rings from end of August onwards to buffer the remaining grass growth of the year and I’m sure this will help dry up the cows assuming it’s just lush grass that’s causing the problem.

My question is what do people using rotational grazing do at this time of year, do you feed straw or not need it..... it’s something that’s always been done by my previous generations and also done by others in the area, I’m interested to know what happens in other areas where straw is a lot less plentiful than here too.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What round length are you on?

 

[Andrew1983]

What round length are you on?

I have some set stocked and some getting a shift roughly weekly depending on field size, 66 cows and calves on 72 acre split in 4, 35 on 40 acre set stocked. Various other set ups. Will split up more fields for next year I think

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I have some set stocked and some getting a shift roughly weekly depending on field size, 66 cows and calves on 72 acre split in 4, 35 on 40 acre set stocked. Various other set ups. Will split up more fields for next year I think

Ahh, I see, I'd be aiming for about 40-60 days from when they leave to when they come back at this time of the season. It may just be a bit too lush/immature if you've had a good dry summer and then a dump of rain?

 

[czechmate]

Lush?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Feed dry silage bales

 

[czechmate]

A percentage of my sucklers are very skittery since the last 3weeks or so. I sent a sample to vets to get tested and it has come back negative for fluke or worms. We normally put straw out in rings from end of August onwards to buffer the remaining grass growth of the year and I’m sure this will help dry up the cows assuming it’s just lush grass that’s causing the problem.

My question is what do people using rotational grazing do at this time of year, do you feed straw or not need it..... it’s something that’s always been done by my previous generations and also done by others in the area, I’m interested to know what happens in other areas where straw is a lot less plentiful than here too.

Do they eat straw in ring feeders if they have lush grass. Mine don’t even look at top quality hay

 

[TelesnaAg]

Ive unless out of feed they wont touch straw.

However ive been putting out silage bales at 50% DM and they lap that up. Still a bit loose some of them but overall very good.

Steers are on new irg.

Ant...

 

[Dian Landman]

Feeding 500g of straw, 250g of maize silage and 250g of pulp/cow/day and seems to be working on the lush pastures.

 

[Samcowman]

Feeding 500g of straw, 250g of maize silage and 250g of pulp/cow/day and seems to be working on the lush pastures.

I take it this is for dairy cows?
With the lush pasture would it be better to have a longer rotation in the future so it goes a bit more mature rather than adding extra cost by feeding other things?

 

[Dian Landman]

I take it this is for dairy cows?
With the lush pasture would it be better to have a longer rotation in the future so it goes a bit more mature rather than adding extra cost by feeding other things?

Yes dairy cows. If you let your ryegrass go over a 3 leaf stage you start wasting resources and time. Try and eat ryegrass between 2.5-3 leaf stage. So we go more on the plant than day rotation. Work out your leaf emerging rate and base rotation on that. So some parts of the year, for us July to Oct, we add some roughage. It helps with the stomachs and helps the solids from not dropping to much because of production increase

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I take it this is for dairy cows?
With the lush pasture would it be better to have a longer rotation in the future so it goes a bit more mature rather than adding extra cost by feeding other things?

+1
or, if topping/mowing grazing fields, leave the outside round, then you save money and time in two directions.
We topped the east half of fields on the second round, west sides on the 4th round, and only spread urea on the mown part.

Guess which the cows preferred?

Mow the whole paddock, they pushed through the fences to graze the rank old roadside grass ahead of the "nice grass", and when the roadside was skint they'd then fill up on the nice grass.

Obviously the cows hadn't read the "fact sheets" from DairyNZ

 

[nails]

Do they eat straw in ring feeders if they have lush grass. Mine don’t even look at top quality hay

Yes they will pick a bit which is all they need to balance the lush grass, bit of molasses helps. They will eat straw over good hay at grass, don,t know why but that is what they choose.

 

[nails]

+1
or, if topping/mowing grazing fields, leave the outside round, then you save money and time in two directions.
We topped the east half of fields on the second round, west sides on the 4th round, and only spread urea on the mown part.

Guess which the cows preferred?

Mow the whole paddock, they pushed through the fences to graze the rank old roadside grass ahead of the "nice grass", and when the roadside was skint they'd then fill up on the nice grass.

Obviously the cows hadn't read the "fact sheets" from DairyNZ

Using a topper in New Zealand?

 

[czechmate]

Yes they will pick a bit which is all they need to balance the lush grass, bit of molasses helps. They will eat straw over good hay at grass, don,t know why but that is what they choose.

Barley straw? Or any straw?

 

[Dian Landman]

Barley straw? Or any straw?

With my cows i have seen they run after the good quality wheat straw

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Using a topper in New Zealand?

Oh, hell yeah! Gotta wear those tractors out ?

 

[nails]

Barley straw? Or any straw?

Best is weathered spring barley, enough weather to just knock the shine off it. Wheat can be o.k. Winter Barley , not so good. Oat straw, well it used to be good, but it does not seem the same nowadays

 

[Danllan]

Weird, two threads, same poster, same title, a minute apart and with some different conclusions...

 

[Andrew1983]

Weird, two threads, same poster, same title, a minute apart and with some different conclusions...

I don’t know how I managed to make 2 threads ?‍[emoji15]?‍