stubble turnips have gone soft/woody.

[sticky]

I have just got back from checking a bunch of lambs on some roots and I was disappointed to find these recent frosts have hurt the turnips, they are not big bulbs due to the drilling date. My question is will the turnips keep feeding them or is whats left a bit of a right off?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

my cattle used to eat them until nothing left,soft ones that is

 

[neilo]

They'll keep eating them OK, but whether the feed value is the same (assuming they are fattening lambs)? Better than an empty belly for this week anyway.

 

[Six Dogs]

Ours have done exactly the same,think it is more the time of year,and bit milder last week the plant starts to try and seed

 

[neilo]

Ours have done exactly the same,think it is more the time of year,and bit milder last week the plant starts to try and seed

Yes, I noticed that my remaining turnips are just filling out in the tops again, which happens just before they bolt to head. This cold snap should hold them back a while, otherwise I'd just let that group of sheep over the remaining 3ac to take the tops out.

I see it as a sign that Spring is nearly here....

 

[Downton_shep]

They’ll be hard by the middle of next week!!

 

[sticky]

They’ll be hard by the middle of next week!!

yes I know and that is another concern if it snows will they find enough of them to stay fit. At the moment the lambs are clean and dry and I would expect most of them to be ready, they are out of drug retention next weekend and I was going to pull for the Monday. I have half a mind to bring them home tomorrow, as they are 4 miles away and I'm busy tues/wed, stick the fat in a paddock with a hopper and put the rest in the feeding yard.

 

[sticky]

They'll keep eating them OK, but whether the feed value is the same (assuming they are fattening lambs)? Better than an empty belly for this week anyway.

on another vein if I emptied the field until this week is over do you think a fresh set of lambs, that have never seen roots before, would go and tidy up bearing in mind there is no greenery just bulbs?

 

[Downton_shep]

on another vein if I emptied the field until this week is over do you think a fresh set of lambs, that have never seen roots before, would go and tidy up bearing in mind there is no greenery just bulbs?

I doubt Lambs that haven’t been on roots before will clear up just bulbs without going backward a lot.

 

[sticky]

I doubt Lambs that haven’t been on roots before will clear up just bulbs without going backward a lot.

just putting it out there but that was what I was thinking. Bit of a conundrum dirty wet lambs or waste some feed.

 

[neilo]

just putting it out there but that was what I was thinking. Bit of a conundrum dirty wet lambs or waste some feed.

Is it your field, or someone else’s? Any spoiled turnips aren’t wasted, as they will be returning nutrients and OM to the soil for the next crop. Just go all trendy and call it a ‘cover crop’ instead.
I appreciate it’s not quite so good if you’ve paid by the acre for someone else to reap the benefits though.

 

[sticky]

belongs to best friend, fields for nothing, I put the crop in will do the same next year. He's happy for the extra nutrients and I have no problem leaving anything for him and will probably do that as clean, dryish lambs will be better.