Forage crops

[Jim75]

Currently pondering options for winter forage. Ideally our plan is to keep all ewes off the grass once the tups come out in December until turnout at lambing so that it gives the ground a break and hopefully a bite of grass to turn ewes and lambs out onto. Need to keep roughly 700 ewes and dry Hoggs occupied and any lambs that aren't fat off the grass.
Seed company was talking about putting in kale but advisor reckons it's more a catttle feed?
One 8.5ha block is getting taken out of grass as an eventual entry for SB and the possibility of another similar field which grass will follow. Or it would be possible to follow the combine out of the field and get some stubble turnips sown sometime in august on lower lying ground. Ground will probably be ploughed but if it could be direct sown will it dramatically help with poaching in the winter time? Suggestions? Thanks

 

[Great In Grass]

Kale won't be a problem if you choose a short/med type suited to sheep, ideal for finishing lambs. A leafy type is what you need like Keeper which is also low in SMCO.

 

[Kevtherev]

Rape and stubble turnip crop can be direct drilled after combining.
Good feed for sheep and economic too

 

[MJT]

Currently pondering options for winter forage. Ideally our plan is to keep all ewes off the grass once the tups come out in December until turnout at lambing so that it gives the ground a break and hopefully a bite of grass to turn ewes and lambs out onto. Need to keep roughly 700 ewes and dry Hoggs occupied and any lambs that aren't fat off the grass.
Seed company was talking about putting in kale but advisor reckons it's more a catttle feed?
One 8.5ha block is getting taken out of grass as an eventual entry for SB and the possibility of another similar field which grass will follow. Or it would be possible to follow the combine out of the field and get some stubble turnips sown sometime in august on lower lying ground. Ground will probably be ploughed but if it could be direct sown will it dramatically help with poaching in the winter time? Suggestions? Thanks

Kale would be a good bet ! Plant a kale,swede and turnip mix here for our ewes to graze through the winter until lambing !

Kale and green globe type turnips would work well together, a lot of feed and will hold them for a long time, as Great in Grass said a leafy type would be best bet, we use keeper here too. Stubble turnips are an option but won't hold anywhere near the quantity of sheep as a proper root crop.

 

[neilo]

The only problem with Kale, is trying to put fences up through it to graze in blocks.

Swedes will produce the best DM yield/ha of a balanced feed, but will tie the ground up from June. Stubble turnips are a cheaper crop to grow, and only take the ground up after a cereal crop, but will produce half the DM of swedes IIRC. I'll probably be direct drilling 22ac of swedes into sprayed off pp this year come June, and similar of stubble turnips after Winter Barley, and a bit of beet to cover bases/crop failures.

IME direct drilling will make one hell of a difference to poaching compared to ploughed ground, unless you are on very light ground, not to mention costing less and saving the worms.

 

[Great In Grass]

Also a very big advantage with Kale (any variety) because it flowers in it's second year it can be treated against Flea Beetle.

 

[Kevtherev]

Out of all the forage crops for sheep swedes take some beating in terms of yield.
Does like a dose of boronated fertiliser
There are also rape/kale hybrids that are becoming quite popular
PULSAR being one of those.
Cheapest option after combining would be a rape/stubble turnip mix but it won't carry the stock that swedes would.

 

[Dkb]

Personally I don't like rape stubble turnip mixes. I find both very crops individually but together I find the rape can keep the turnips back a lot.

Swedes wont be bet for carrying a number of sheep

 

[Jim75]

The only problem with Kale, is trying to put fences up through it to graze in blocks.

Swedes will produce the best DM yield/ha of a balanced feed, but will tie the ground up from June. Stubble turnips are a cheaper crop to grow, and only take the ground up after a cereal crop, but will produce half the DM of swedes IIRC. I'll probably be direct drilling 22ac of swedes into sprayed off pp this year come June, and similar of stubble turnips after Winter Barley, and a bit of beet to cover bases/crop failures.

IME direct drilling will make one hell of a difference to poaching compared to ploughed ground, unless you are on very light ground, not to mention costing less and saving the worms.

That was an issue I could see. Would you give them blocks rather than strip grazing kale is that what you mean? Some of the arable ground is almost sandy free draining whereas the land coming out of grass can get very wet feet in mid winter. What sort of dm/ha can be expected from kale @Great In Grass only problem I have with swedes is being harder on their teeth and how soon do they go woody? How well will both options last into the season if we were still utilising them after lambing?
I could agree to an extent @Dkb having seen a hybrid mix in November last year it looked excellent but coming to using it this spring, they didn't get nearly as much feeding out of it as expected.

 

[neilo]

That was an issue I could see. Would you give them blocks rather than strip grazing kale is that what you mean? Some of the arable ground is almost sandy free draining whereas the land coming out of grass can get very wet feet in mid winter. What sort of dm/ha can be expected from kale @Great In Grass only problem I have with swedes is being harder on their teeth and how soon do they go woody? How well will both options last into the season if we were still utilising them after lambing?
I could agree to an extent @Dkb having seen a hybrid mix in November last year it looked excellent but coming to using it this spring, they didn't get nearly as much feeding out of it as expected.

I give blocks every few days, unless I'm really short on feed and need to eek it out. Daily moves is a grind, but would ultimately give you most control.

Ignore the nonsense about being hard on teeth. I've 9 yr old ewes here that have never seen concentrates, lambed every year from ewe lambs and have spent every winter grazing only roots. Some sheep will lose their teeth faster than others and I'm convinced feeding roots makes no difference to that. If they have loose teeth, they will lose them. Genetics/breed will have a far greater influence than feed imo.

 

[Great In Grass]

That was an issue I could see. Would you give them blocks rather than strip grazing kale is that what you mean? Some of the arable ground is almost sandy free draining whereas the land coming out of grass can get very wet feet in mid winter. What sort of dm/ha can be expected from kale @Great In Grass only problem I have with swedes is being harder on their teeth and how soon do they go woody? How well will both options last into the season if we were still utilising them after lambing?
I could agree to an extent @Dkb having seen a hybrid mix in November last year it looked excellent but coming to using it this spring, they didn't get nearly as much feeding out of it as expected.

Average DM yield would be 8 to 10t/ha with average fresh yield around 60t/ha.

 

[jbl]

We graze crossbred dry Hoggs on sweeds and an acre will hold 2000 lambs for a day on average.

 

[Jim75]

Just had a look and it was a rape/kale mix that was quoted for. Is yours straight kale @neilo

 

[unlacedgecko]

We graze crossbred dry Hoggs on sweeds and an acre will hold 2000 lambs for a day on average.

Great stat. Thanks very much, will be most useful for planning.

Does that swede crop need planted in June though?

 

[Kevtherev]

Swedes in June but beware of the fly

 

[Great In Grass]

Great stat. Thanks very much, will be most useful for planning.

Does that swede crop need planted in June though?

Here you go.

 

[neilo]

Just had a look and it was a rape/kale mix that was quoted for. Is yours straight kale @neilo

No, I don't grow Kale now. If I'm planting roots early in the season, I put swedes in.

 

[neilo]

Great stat. Thanks very much, will be most useful for planning.

Does that swede crop need planted in June though?

Yield is hugely variable according to rainfall IME. Well suited to areas with regular rainfall (like North Wales). @Yale posted some pictures of a phenomenal crop a couple of years ago.

 

[Yale]

Dug these out.

 

[neilo]

Dug these out.
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Those pictures are as annoying now, as when you first posted them.