Spring sown crop for lambs

[beltextexel]

what would folk drill into a burnt off grass ley around May time, to fatten lambs off in August/September? Would want the field to go into wheat in October. Tried some forage rape this last year but found it got too stemmy by the time we wanted to use it and lambs didn't thrive as well as I'd hoped, they only did 1kg of gain per week which they would do off grass that time of year.

 

[scholland]

what would folk drill into a burnt off grass ley around May time, to fatten lambs off in August/September? Would want the field to go into wheat in October. Tried some forage rape this last year but found it got too stemmy by the time we wanted to use it and lambs didn't thrive as well as I'd hoped, they only did 1kg of gain per week which they would do off grass that time of year.

Proto plus maybe. But it would need grazed or cut before August.

 

[Great In Grass]

Italian Ryegrass with Persian/Crimson Clover needs no Nitrogen applications in the first year.

High DLWGs achievable for grazing stock through high yields of high protein this mix can shorten finishing period compared to grass only.

 

[Great In Grass]

@scholland beat me to it!

 

[neilo]

what would folk drill into a burnt off grass ley around May time, to fatten lambs off in August/September? Would want the field to go into wheat in October. Tried some forage rape this last year but found it got too stemmy by the time we wanted to use it and lambs didn't thrive as well as I'd hoped, they only did 1kg of gain per week which they would do off grass that time of year.

There was a trial/competition locally a coup of years ago, based om just that scenario. One of the teams was adamant that you can't beat creep feeding on the old pp too, so that ended up as a control if you like. The winning team DD'ed a Westerwold/IRG/brassica mix iirc, the advantage being that the lambs took to it readily and didn't see a check when they went onto it (as can happen with changing the diet onto straight brassicas).
I had a bunch on a similar mix last year (drilled post Winter Barley) and was astounded at how well they did, but the grass was left until the Spring before taking out for beet. I repeated it this year, and the dry weather meant that there wasn't much keep by the Autumn, but there will be a good early bite in the Spring as it's still growing now. Seed cost is about £27/ac, so it needs to supply a lot more than a straight (cheap) brassica mix. I'm planning on doing the same with an earlier drilling in sprayed off grass next year.

Another option would be a grazing turnip like Appin, which will grow as fast as rape/turnips, but will regrow after grazing if backfenced. I have a bit in my stubble turnip fields as a trial (thanks to Germinal and @Kevtherev ) and it looks to have plenty of good leaf there. If it did that from an earlier drilling, and regrew several times, it could be a valuable Autumn finisher crop. IIRC @JD-Kid has been growing it for a while?

I tried a bit of Protoplus too, and it does provide a lot of high quality bulk with little/no fert, but at around £50/ac for seed it's priced itself out for me. If it was staying in for the following year, the IRG in that mix certainly pushes up some grass (although thin in that mix), but if coming out for WW in October, the seed cost would be prohibitive IMO.

 

[Kevtherev]

If you want to put W Wheat in in October then a May sown brassica crop is you best and cheapest crop.
Easily established by direct drilling into a burnt off ley.
Plus you have a good window for weed control each side of your fodder crop window.
Putting in a clover/Ryegrass sward just for summer/Autumn grazing before WW would be very costly.

 

[beltextexel]

The protoplus looks good but does sound expensive for what we want. Leafy turnip might be more use. What are swift/redstart based on?

 

[Highcountryshepherd]

Italian Ryegrass with Persian/Crimson Clover needs no Nitrogen applications in the first year.

High DLWGs achievable for grazing stock through high yields of high protein this mix can shorten finishing period compared to grass only.

can you dd Persian/crimson clover into permenant pasture how long is its life span , and how dose it hold overwinter

 

[Kevtherev]

The protoplus looks good but does sound expensive for what we want. Leafy turnip might be more use. What are swift/redstart based on?

Those are hybrid rape/kale crosses
Appin leafy turnip is designed as a quick forage crop post first cut.
How old is the pasture?
Just thinking on wire worm for your following wheat crop.

 

[Great In Grass]

The protoplus looks good but does sound expensive for what we want. Leafy turnip might be more use. What are swift/redstart based on?

Swift is a Hybrid very, very similar to Limagrains 'Interval' which is far cheaper.

 

[Great In Grass]

can you dd Persian/crimson clover into permenant pasture how long is its life span , and how dose it hold overwinter

I don't know of anyone who has dd those clovers overseeded on to a scratched surface then rolled then yes and works very well. Hard frost and low temperatures will kill those Clovers some may survive but not many.

 

[beltextexel]

Those are hybrid rape/kale crosses
Appin leafy turnip is designed as a quick forage crop post first cut.
How old is the pasture?
Just thinking on wire worm for your following wheat crop.

Only 2 and 1/2 year old Italian ryegrass ley. Might come out this spring and straight into spring cereal yet but just looking at options. Might be short on lambing ground so thought about leaving it in grass until may when everything is motoring on but then would really be too late for a spring cereal.

 

[neilo]

Only 2 and 1/2 year old Italian ryegrass ley. Might come out this spring and straight into spring cereal yet but just looking at options. Might be short on lambing ground so thought about leaving it in grass until may when everything is motoring on but then would really be too late for a spring cereal.

I’d have thought any of the rape/kale hybrids or Appin would be ideal, backfenced so as to get a second grazing. Aim to get over it before it gets too mature, and you should avoid the ‘stemmy’ issue.

If the IRG is that old, it’s presumably quite thin in the bottom? Would it be an option to DD the brassica into the grazed off/mown grass, so that the regrowth acts the same as the sown grasses in the (more expensive) mixes mentioned above? A bit of grass would help the lambs’ transition without check, rather than a radical change of diet from grass to brassicas.

 

[Kevtherev]

As long as the grass didn’t swamp the brassicas then yes it would work fine.

 

[beltextexel]

I’d have thought any of the rape/kale hybrids or Appin would be ideal, backfenced so as to get a second grazing. Aim to get over it before it gets too mature, and you should avoid the ‘stemmy’ issue.

If the IRG is that old, it’s presumably quite thin in the bottom? Would it be an option to DD the brassica into the grazed off/mown grass, so that the regrowth acts the same as the sown grasses in the (more expensive) mixes mentioned above? A bit of grass would help the lambs’ transition without check, rather than a radical change of diet from grass to brassicas.

Tried this a couple of years ago in the same situation and the forage rape didn't come at all unfortunately. Got smothered by the grass I seem to remember.

 

[scholland]

We tried this with swift last year, paddock grazed it and got excellent regrowth. It was sown with irg but it didn't come to much with the dry.
Lamb performance was only OK and you need to watch going onto brassica before they mature as it can cause photosensitivity

 

[neilo]

Tried this a couple of years ago in the same situation and the forage rape didn't come at all unfortunately. Got smothered by the grass I seem to remember.

Never mind then. Just a thought, i’ve Never dared try it yet.

 

[Jonny_2]

Trying Tyfon this spring, direct drilled into burnt off pp. Not to worried about lamb performance as I might keep ewes on it after weaning and keep moving them round. Anyone know how long it takes to regrow?

Don’t want an autumn reseed so tempted to put some IRG in, or chuck some Westerwolds on and harrow it in.

 

[Bury the Trash]

oats.
buy a nice sample of feed grain , no dressing, but better sown in april bit of npk cheap herbicide and fungicde

very easy.to grow with plenty of keep not so good feed value as the rapes kales turnips swedes tho but will cope with dry time better.ir.

will need grazing before senesce obviously but eating green corns when in ear is ok and good feed.

would prob need to be finished by about end july so down side is a bit early for you but if back fenced early grazed would green up again maybe for aug/ sept.use.

just a realativly low cost sugestion

 

[neilo]

oats.
buy a nice sample of feed grain , no dressing, but better sown in april bit of npk cheap herbicide and fungicde

very easy.to grow with plenty of keep not so good feed value as the rapes kales turnips swedes tho but will cope with dry time better.ir.

will need grazing before senesce obviously but eating green corns when in ear is ok and good feed.

would prob need to be finished by about end july so down side is a bit early for you but if back fenced early grazed would green up again maybe for aug/ sept.use.

just a realativly low cost sugestion

Would you have to pay royalties on cereals grown for grazing I wonder? If so, presumably FSS rules would apply so that you couldn’t grow from someone else’s feed heap?