Forage rape stalks

[Jim75]

Grew interval last year, similar stalks left. Wintered a heap of cows on it after lambs had taken the best of it. Nothing left of it come feb/March .

 

[neilo]

trouble is we run plenty of young and old females, the idea for me Frisia would be an easier bite .

From a salesman’s photo?

My ewe lambs, in-lamb and empty, have wintered on Massiff turnips for the last few years. They seem to eat them as readily as stubble turnips, but seem to keep their tops better in a cold snap.
Swedes seem to keep them for longer, from a visibly similar crop, but expensive seed makes for bigger risk with flea beetle.

 

[Dave6170]

How does everyone get their lambs going on brassicas avoiding them taking a check?

 

[neilo]

How does everyone get their lambs going on brassicas avoiding them taking a check?

i think they will always take a check while they adjust to a different ration, but it can be minimised by running them on & off perhaps, although they will take longer to get onto the brassicas if given the choice.

I have grown crops of IRG and brassicas together for Autumn lamb feed and they take no check at all on that as the ration isn’t abruptly changed. Animal performance on it was phenomenal, but seed cost is £30/ac rather than £6.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

How does everyone get their lambs going on brassicas avoiding them taking a check?

Always had a grass run back . Not so easy if your not all grass
Swedes we used to harvest and feed on the grass fields anyway

 

[Dave6170]

i think they will always take a check while they adjust to a different ration, but it can be minimised by running them on & off perhaps, although they will take longer to get onto the brassicas if given the choice.

I have grown crops of IRG and brassicas together for Autumn lamb feed and they take no check at all on that as the ration isn’t abruptly changed. Animal performance on it was phenomenal, but seed cost is £30/ac rather than £6.

They definitely took a check this year on the Italian and interval. I thought the Italian would avoid that. Next year I might sow an acre or 2 of straight grass in the field as a lye back.
I like the Italian mix then I have grazing the following spring.
We just give lambs the whole field, should I be using an electric fence?

 

[Skintagain]

They definitely took a check this year on the Italian and interval. I thought the Italian would avoid that. Next year I might sow an acre or 2 of straight grass in the field as a lye back.
I like the Italian mix then I have grazing the following spring.
We just give lambs the whole field, should I be using an electric fence?

You should use electric they would clean up better but it’s a pita

 

[Bury the Trash]

and a run back grass area should always be available surely , that's basic stockmanship I thought? especially for transition period, Even got one for the FB grazing area


and I'm not even farm assured

 

[Dave6170]

Farm assurance man has seen it and was happy because its basically undersown with grass

 

[Anymulewilldo]

and a run back grass area should always be available surely , that's basic stockmanship I thought? especially for transition period, Even got one for the FB grazing area


and I'm not even farm assured

You can when it’s your farm. But most of mine are on arable farms. The only grass is the field margins!

 

[Bury the Trash]

You can when it’s your farm. But most of mine are on arable farms. The only grass is the field margins!

Good point .
Big area of Greened up stubble is next best thing

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Hybrid Kale . Lambs all gone . Showing waste on the ground

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Frisia Turnips same ground . Lambs all gone . Was sown latish . Still leaf waste but plenty left for the ewes when we get to it
Maybie salesmanship pictures but this salesman is a farmer 1st and been fattening lambs for 40 years

 

[Kevtherev]

Tighten them lambs up a bit derek.
Good roots there.

 

[spin cycle]

Beet lifting man ,said some one had done it ,and got about 18 ton acre last year , will find out more about what they did

like @neilo says beet bit expensive as a catch crop....i think you'd get near to that yield cheaper and quicker with something else

 

[neilo]

Just for a bit of fun, seeing as we can judge fodder crops by a picture of a single bulb, without reference to sowing dates, plant populations etc, I offer up some snaps taken this afternoon...

Geronimo fodder beet:

Massif main crop turnip:

Barkant (or Barabus) stubble turnip:

Then last, and very definitely least (sorry @Kevtherev ), Frisia stubble turnip :

All Barkant/Barabus going in next year?

 

[Dave6170]

I ve never seen fodder beet before, is a lot of it wasted by grazing?

 

[davidroberts30]

I ve never seen fodder beet before, is a lot of it wasted by grazing?

no shouldnt be once they get a taste for it

 

[JD-Kid]

most would hammer the storks down alot more on rape biggest problem if to old can become stringy and too much finer in them. slow to break down in the gut
good looking turnips in pic tho

 

[Jim75]

I ve never seen fodder beet before, is a lot of it wasted by grazing?

you no trust me