Leader follower grazing

[Slowcow]

Saw something about this in fw a while ago, anyone on here doing it?

Basically grazing young stock ahead of dairy cattle, chap in the article put young stock in at 3000 for 24 hrs they graze to 500 or so then dairy cows go in I think after 6 days and take it down to 1500.

No concentrate needed for calf's (which would be great for organic) but can't help feeling this might be at expense of milk?

And would be a fair faff but once get used to it might be ok?

 

[DairyNerd]

Saw something about this in fw a while ago, anyone on here doing it?

Basically grazing young stock ahead of dairy cattle, chap in the article put young stock in at 3000 for 24 hrs they graze to 500 or so then dairy cows go in I think after 6 days and take it down to 1500.

No concentrate needed for calf's (which would be great for organic) but can't help feeling this might be at expense of milk?

And would be a fair faff but once get used to it might be ok?

Have used dry cows to clear up after milkers in summer before going onto standing hay. Can work well in a split block where you have a large group of drys to go over quickly. Problem is you need to be very aware of regrowth but also can improve quality for the next round while maximising milk from grass.

Wouldn't be keen on youngstock first as you are not teaching them to hit residuals and once you have started grazing a paddock i think you should graze it out well as quick as possible to get quality regrowth but never tried it so could be wrong!

 

[Slowcow]

Exactly my thoughts at the moment, but prepared be proved wrong!

Theory was young stock aren't great grazers anyway but dairy cows are so they work together, young stock get the ME they need. It needs a bigger platform and a calculator!

Trouble is with a article in fw they might have stopped doing the week after!

 

[In the pit]

Done it with calves
Calves nibble the best bit of the paddock and then cows come in and take it to the floor
Calves 24 hrs and moved and cows straight in behind

 

[Slowcow]

Done it with calves
Calves nibble the best bit of the paddock and then cows come in and take it to the floor
Calves 24 hrs and moved and cows straight in behind

That's what I was considering doing, will be autumn calving so 4-5 months at turn out

How well did it work? In the past tense so your not still doing it?

 

[Tirglas]

That's what I was considering doing, will be autumn calving so 4-5 months at turn out

How well did it work? In the past tense so your not still doing it?

If your calves could be or are trained with electric fence why not give them part of paddock and remove fence when cows follow in behind.

 

[In the pit]

That's what I was considering doing, will be autumn calving so 4-5 months at turn out

How well did it work? In the past tense so your not still doing it?

Different farm now
Worked very well
Cows going into covers of 2800/2900 the day after calves have been in them and had a nibble
Really need one paddock one day

 

[sidjon]

Done it with calves, where put 2 or 3 in each paddock from weaning for about 4 to 6 weeks until there's space on other farm, works well, odd calf will follow cow's in but they soon learn not too.

 

[Slowcow]

I'll look a bit more at this I think, could work quite well here, I've tried paddock grazing calves before and it's never been tremendous.
Be an interesting experiment if nothing else......

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I think for it to work they really need to be pretty small calves and not too many of them. They want to be grazing in the middle of the round and going into covers no higher than 2500 and moving on very quickly before they have any real impact on the paddock.

By 4 months they definitely want to be learning to graze properly.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

I think for it to work they really need to be pretty small calves and not too many of them. They want to be grazing in the middle of the round and going into covers no higher than 2500 and moving on very quickly before they have any real impact on the paddock.

By 4 months they definitely want to be learning to graze properly.

I wouldn't think so?

The calves will have the choice of the most nutritious grass in the paddock, the third leaf.

They're in there for 24 to 48 hours before being moved onto the next paddock and the grass will mostly be growing dry matter at higher rates than the calves are consuming so little effect on availability of forage for the cows, unless you do as you suggest and put them into paddocks just beginning to speed up growth. That will have an adverse effect on forage availability, I would say.

 

[Slowcow]

I think for it to work they really need to be pretty small calves and not too many of them. They want to be grazing in the middle of the round and going into covers no higher than 2500 and moving on very quickly before they have any real impact on the paddock.

By 4 months they definitely want to be learning to graze properly.

Would be around 30i-40 calf's, at 4-6 months, would I be right with around 4kg DM? With no conc that's only 120-160 kg DM/24hrs so would be nibbling the tops.

If they going in at 2500 would as you say be 8-10 days ahead of cows rightly or wrongly go in at 3000-3200 with cows.

Do you get your calf's grazing tight at that age? Any concs offered?

Could always clear up with older non milking cattle I suppose?