Turnip advice

[digger64]

Sorry, I'm wrong. It is other way around. I know neighbours who have grazed stubble turnips up to lambing, then lambed on grashttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48019189s. They have had issues with twin lamb that I put down to the food change at a critical time

We have had calcium / prolapse issues doing this , vet says we need a slow release calcium bolus like dairy cows have pre calving but no one makes them for sheep , apparently the roots are to high in calcium and the ewes can't utilise it , also the turnips start to b olt in march loosing their goodness just when iit's most needed . I don't like using turnips for in lamb ewes but that's what we have , I hope to try making some high quality hay available to them this time , fodder beet didn't help last year as they are high in calcium to but great on the grass post lambing .

 

[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.

For ewe lambs cheaper to send them away on tack .

 

[norfolk n sheep]

Depends, if your neighbour wants muck on his land. You buy seed at £5/acre, he drills it, everyone's a winner

 

[Agrivator]

Depends, if your neighbour wants muck on his land. You buy seed at £5/acre, he drills it, everyone's a winner

Not if his 2.5 lambs/acre die of loneliness.

 

[adam_farming]

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.

Would this fit in with my proposed system on the other thread? Turnips could go in after wheat or barley

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Would this fit in with my proposed system on the other thread? Turnips could go in after wheat or barley

Is club root and issue other than that cheap fertility booster, soil compaction may be the other issue

 

[Agrivator]

Would this fit in with my proposed system on the other thread? Turnips could go in after wheat or barley

Yes, but if late sowing gives poorer yields, it would be sensible to eek them out with an electric fence.

 

[adam_farming]

Thanks both, some good points to note

Is club root and issue other than that cheap fertility booster, soil compaction may be the other issue

Do you mean the turnips won't like compaction or they'll cause compaction? Club root shouldn't be an issue as I've known the land for 10 years and it hasn't had OSR, to be honest I don't think it's ever had OSR.

Yes, but if late sowing gives poorer yields, it would be sensible to eek them out with an electric fence.

Good point, something we'd have to watch with numbers