Grazing season - suckler cows

[The Ruminant]

When do people turn their suckers out and when do they house them (average)?
What soil type are you on?
What’s your average annual rainfall?

I’m interested in people’s approaches to keeping sucklers.

We turn out as they calve in late March - early April.
We’re on medium-heavy clay that waterlogs. Average annual rainfall is 660mm

 

[Crex]

Go out end of May, in mid-November, early December. Soil varies, shallow sandy soils, some peaty. Average rainfall 1.6m. Aim to calve all inside March April.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Out as early as possible....in as late as possible

 

[milkloss]

Calve mid April so they hopefully can calve outdoors (not enough room inside). Come back from the marsh about now and we run them at the home farm until too wet. Looks like we might get another week out if we're lucky. Came in early Feb last year!

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Stay out until calving (March) and then only come in at night.

Would struggle to make a profit if they went inside. We are on a mix of soils but only 650 mm rain.

 

[willie waver]

out - may
start feeding - aug to oct depending on weather
in - when the weather forces it sep to nov
soil - horrible heavy clay
rain - it never f**king stops

 

[Sharpy]

As above. Copyright @willie waver
Rainfall approx 6ft. Oh for a drought and only 4ft.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I have never seen a housed beef herd, curious as to how much that costs per pair/yr?

 

[Pan mixer]

I have never seen a housed beef herd, curious as to how much that costs per pair/yr?

I reckon that I have built a 60 place - so 30 pairs - shed for £50,000, nothing fancy, straw bedded laying area, scraped passage.

They are in it (to get back to the OP) from about now until mid-April, each pair will eat about 6 round bales of dry silage in that time and use about double that in straw.

It takes 30 minutes a day to look after them excluding putting them through the race for scanning and worming.

You add it up, I am too frightened.

 

[Wishful Thinker]

Aim mid March to mid October (this year end of April to end of August).
Sand/gravel running down to peat bog.
About 1.2m rainfall.

 

[digger64]

Don't come TE="The Ruminant, post: 4419852, member: 487"]When do people turn their suckers out and when do they house them (average)?
What soil type are you on?
What’s your average annual rainfall?

I’m interested in people’s approaches to keeping sucklers.

We turn out as they calve in late March - early April.
We’re on medium-heavy clay that waterlogs. Average annual rainfall is 660mm[/QUOTE]

Dont come in unless for fattening culls or 1st calving , turn to marsh april- home mid Dec ,10 days deffered grazing pd sort 115 days kale straw silage calve( bit of maize or fodder beet sometimes) tag turn out as get lorry load , low rain fall though

 

[muleman]

like to get them all out by 25th may if its a good spring,will usually have most of them housed again by 10th oct.

 

[Old Tip]

Out as early as possible....in as late as possible

Same here, but can be a month different at either end of the year, some stay out all the time mind. Rainfall is around 2500 to 3000mm and soil is thin and on gravel or rock on the hills and clay in the valley

 

[Sharpy]

Same here, but can be a month different at either end of the year, some stay out all the time mind. Rainfall is around 2500 to 3000mm and soil is thin and on gravel or rock on the hills and clay in the valley

That is soggy!

 

[hally]

out - may
start feeding - aug to oct depending on weather
in - when the weather forces it sep to nov
soil - horrible heavy clay
rain - it never fudgeing stops

Ditto

 

[Old Tip]

That is soggy!

It sure is

 

[Henarar]

out mid april to mid may
in beginning of oct to mid nov
weather dependent
we never turn everything out at the same time or have them all in at the same time

no idea of rainfall, not much to be done about that anyway

 

[had e nuff]

Turned ours out early April and they are still out now. Started giving them some silage 2 days ago. Now the bloody things come shouting at the gate every time they hear a tractor. Got loads of grass still, hoping to get at least a couple more weeks grazing.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

When do people turn their suckers out and when do they house them (average)? - As they calve, Mid / End April
What soil type are you on? - Horrible wet clay that never wants to dry
What’s your average annual rainfall? 1015mm average but it really never seems to stop

We tend to bring in at testing time mid October but last year they were out until late November and out this year by start of April due to weather, a lot calved out only maiden heifers stayed in to keep an eye on. This year I started bringing in at the start of October....

 

[Hilti]

In longer than there out ! Spring calving cows can be in from mid September to mid October , some of them will be out a few weeks before the back end lot that go out end of May
somewhere about 11ft of rain , thin soil on gravel mostly