Turnip advice

[Timo245]

if you had 15 acres of stubble turnips and wanted to graze from November to March how many sheep would you keep on it? I know quality of turnip will make a difference but assume that they are average and would be grazing ewelamb mule crosses.

 

[norfolk n sheep]

35 to 40

 

[Agrivator]

An acre of stubble turnips should provide 1000 lamb days of grazing. 15 acres = 15000 lamb days.

Divide by 120 days (NOV - FEB) = 120 lambs.

 

[norfolk n sheep]

Not here, 1000 days per hectare, 150 days, including November. We are in a dry part of the country though!

 

[Northern territory]

Not here, 1000 days per hectare, 150 days, including November. We are in a dry part of the country though!

And on sand I shouldn’t doubt, big difference.

 

[HarryB97]

Around 75-100 to be safe and allow for bad weather etc.

 

[neilo]

Somewhere between 50 and 150, depending on many variables.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

100 lambs, pray it doesn’t freeze hard and bugger the tops. It’s done the 14 acre I’ve got at the back of the farm here. Bulbs fine but the tops are turning!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

When you planing to sow

 

[Agrivator]

Not here, 1000 days per hectare, 150 days, including November. We are in a dry part of the country though!

But at that, is it worth growing them?

 

[neilo]

But at that, is it worth growing them?

That would depend on how long they’ve been in the ground, cost to establish, etc.

I have some turnips DD’ed in late September that won’t keep much until March, but still worth doing compared to leaving bare stubble over winter. The same output from a crop drilled in June would be a different matter of course, but I have had the benefit of a loss making Spring Barley crop in those fields too.

 

[norfolk n sheep]

Our stubble turnips would be drilled mid August on black fen peat, no other inputs

 

[Agrivator]

if you had 15 acres of stubble turnips and wanted to graze from November to March how many sheep would you keep on it? I know quality of turnip will make a difference but assume that they are average and would be grazing ewelamb mule crosses.

35 to 40

That works out at about 2.5 lambs per acre. Does that make economic sense? It might be more productive just to let the ground stay fallow and graze the weeds.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

That works out at about 2.5 lambs per acre. Does that make economic sense? It might be more productive just to let the ground stay fallow and graze the weeds.

Its all in the system . Rotations

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Sorry too hijack the thread but the title is the same as what I’m after!

Got a lot of turnips this time. Not got a lot of sheep. So far I’ve grazed as normal with lambs. But the tops are starting too go in more places now.

If I was too speed up the grazing I.e. lambs take tops and start on the bulbs then move them up and hoover up behind on turnips bulbs with breeding ewes until late February would this work or would I need too feed as well? Wasn’t thinking of putting triplets on them, singles and twins. Thinking that forcing triplets too clean up might be asking for TLD?

Thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[Bracklandbarn]

Sorry too hijack the thread but the title is the same as what I’m after!

Got a lot of turnips this time. Not got a lot of sheep. So far I’ve grazed as normal with lambs. But the tops are starting too go in more places now.

If I was too speed up the grazing I.e. lambs take tops and start on the bulbs then move them up and hoover up behind on turnips bulbs with breeding ewes until late February would this work or would I need too feed as well? Wasn’t thinking of putting triplets on them, singles and twins. Thinking that forcing triplets too clean up might be asking for TLD?

Thoughts would be greatly appreciated

You might be asking too much from your triplet bearing ewes to clear up after the lambs unless you were to offer them an extra source of protein to compensate for the lack of tops available. I had an issue with TLD in twin bearing ewes last year in late gestation when I pushed them to clear a block of turnips 5 weeks from lambing live & learn

 

[norfolk n sheep]

Always thought that the roots were high in protein, it's energy you will be short of. A high energy block would sort the issue

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Always thought that the roots were high in protein, it's energy you will be short of. A high energy block would sort the issue

I would suggest the reverse
Tops being 16 to 20 % CP
Roots will be mainly Energy
If your feeding roots only they will be short on protein especially milking ewes .
Needs some high quality haylage or grass run backs

 

[norfolk n sheep]

Sorry, I'm wrong. It is other way around. I know neighbours who have grazed stubble turnips up to lambing, then lambed on grass. They have had issues with twin lamb that I put down to the food change at a critical time

 

[neilo]

Sorry, I'm wrong. It is other way around. I know neighbours who have grazed stubble turnips up to lambing, then lambed on grass. They have had issues with twin lamb that I put down to the food change at a critical time

That's exactly the system I've been doing since we moved to outdoor lambing in 2008, albeit with beet instead of brassicas some years. I can honestly say that I have never seen a case of TLD in all of that time.
A transition period before lambing would be nice, but it never happens. I never have enough grass early enough in the (old pp) lambing paddocks, so take the view it's better to keep quality food in front of them than to worry about transition. Diet transition has never been an issue, unless it was moving from a grazed forage ration to a housed hay & concentrate system, which we did previously.