Grazing kale twice

[Party Pete]

If I put kale in at the start of April and grazed it off in June or July would it grow back again ok to graze in the winter ? I’m sure there was a thread on here somewhere about it but can’t find anything

 

[Already disillusioned]

We put forage rape in after cutting for silage middle of may.
Grazed of September October and it grew back again and we grazed it again until end of January.
Was wet in summer and mild all winter so i think it depends on the weather.
Just try it and see should work fine.

 

[neilo]

If I put kale in at the start of April and grazed it off in June or July would it grow back again ok to graze in the winter ? I’m sure there was a thread on here somewhere about it but can’t find anything

I doubt if kale would regrow reliably, but any of the rape/kale hybrids certainly would, assuming it was warm enough after the first grazing. IME they shut down as soon as it comes cold in the Autumn.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What are you grazing it with but as said the Hybrids would be better suited
But leafy Shorter Kales will regrow , but if grazing for a while you would need to backfence to stop grazing new shoots and don't graze it much lower that 4 inches

 

[Party Pete]

What are you grazing it with but as said the Hybrids would be better suited
But leafy Shorter Kales will regrow , but if grazing for a while you would need to backfence to stop grazing new shoots and don't graze it much lower that 4 inches

Would be grazing it with young cattle . Thoughts were to split it into paddocks and graze a few days each then leave it

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Would be grazing it with young cattle . Thoughts were to split it into paddocks and graze a few days each then leave it

That should work but , I would go with the Hybrids though, it will be ready to graze a lot sooner than kale , Kale is very slow getting away

 

[Great In Grass]

We have a new forage rape for this coming season.

* Early maturing, 10-12 weeks
* Highly palatable
* Excellent regrowth potential
* Tolerant to Aphids
* High leaf percentage and sowing rate superior animal preference

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I find here Rape is fantastic up to first hard frost then you start to lose leaf
Even the hardiest Kales will lose leaf under hard frost , after that the yield will drop to 1/3 that of roots ,although stubble turnips can get unpalatable if sown to early and grazed late
For grazing cows ,I had a big problem with bloat one year when grazing very leafy rape that was grazed early

 

[Devil's advocate]

Losing the advantages of rotation too.

I'd be more inclined to graze it & sow something else. Grow some more elsewhere for later.

 

[TlymarT_028]

What would people's opinions be on utilising this method for fattening lambs and then use for flushing/tupping ewes? Thoughts at the minute are:

Establish in spring
Wean lambs onto crop
Allow regrowth
graze with sheep 4ish weeks pre sponging/tupping (end of October) to flush

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What would people's opinions be on utilising this method for fattening lambs and then use for flushing/tupping ewes? Thoughts at the minute are:

Establish in spring
Wean lambs onto crop
Allow regrowth
graze with sheep 4ish weeks pre sponging/tupping (end of October) to flush

How long do you want it to last , we supply a lot of Clover /Chicory for lambs
In NZ they call it Rocket Fuel
The Kale Regrowth idea sounds good but for what I've done here the regrowth is quite slow , nothing like Chicory Clover Ryegrass

 

[TlymarT_028]

How long do you want it to last , we supply a lot of Clover /Chicory for lambs
In NZ they call it Rocket Fuel
The Kale Regrowth idea sounds good but for what I've done here the regrowth is quite slow , nothing like Chicory Clover Ryegrass

Not really got a timescale on how long it needs to last
Chicory was another one on the list however there's a MASSIVE weed burden of docks on the place so was hoping the use of a high cover brassica to supress weeds
Chicory may be an option after the rape/kale hybrid?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Not really got a timescale on how long it needs to last
Chicory was another one on the list however there's a MASSIVE weed burden of docks on the place so was hoping the use of a high cover brassica to supress weeds
Chicory may be an option after the rape/kale hybrid?

Mixed that up this week
You won't see the docks if you grow Chicory