Cows Out

Miller80

Got the cows out this morning for first time this year, just wondering has many people them out and is it just for few hrs during day or at night as well?

pakalasa

Sorry,
This is an IRISH farming forum!

vanderbadger

oh gawd..usually April before mine see grass..and often well into april

reilig

vanderbadger wrote: »

oh gawd..usually April before mine see grass..and often well into april

May for mine and sometimes well into may

blue5000

I've had about 40 cattle out all winter!




on kale



:D:D

linebacker52

have had cows out for the last week during the day hoping to get them out at night as soon as weather improves a bit plenty of grass around now

reilig

linebacker52 wrote: »

plenty of grass around now

Mine appears to have been washed back into the ground over the last week :mad:

funny man

linebacker52 wrote: »

have had cows out for the last week during the day hoping to get them out at night as soon as weather improves a bit plenty of grass around now

unffortunately i never have enough grass in to let out in feb but i hope to get them out around mid March and this year going to try and keep some grass spring, there must be some growth where you are.

Muckit

We've a very wet farm so cows won't be out til late april/May.

Hoping (and I stress hoping:p) that I'I get a few of last year's weanlings out before this on a bit of silage ground broken into temporary paddocks. All very dependent on weather

ihatetractors

Out by day last 3 weeks, no grass coming though!!:mad::mad:
Coming out of a cold dry january to a wet spring.

djmc

I have milking cows and yearling hefiers out with 3 or 4 weeks plenty grass but if only I could put a roof on the farm
Lucky we have temps a bit higher than up the country during the winter but
the atlantic brings the southwest more than its fair share of rain.
If anyone up north wants the mcgillycuddy reeks for landfill etc work away
as there only in the way here and stop us having a sunny southwest:)

linebacker52

funny man wrote: »

unffortunately i never have enough grass in to let out in feb but i hope to get them out around mid March and this year going to try and keep some grass spring, there must be some growth where you are.

Most grass was closed off last october.have some good growth last week starting to get wet now hard to keep them out even with back fence.also using spring rotation planner so should have enough grass till April.

gerico

all cattle outwintered, not so bad this year even though the last weekor so has being so wet its cut up the ground a bit.

kboc

are people getting animals out early because they have dry ground regardless of location or is it purely down to location. Or maybe both?

ihatetractors

djmc wrote: »

If anyone up north wants the mcgillycuddy reeks for landfill etc work away
as there only in the way here and stop us having a sunny southwest:)

If you need the Blackstairs for a granite wall, work away!! . Might have a less rainy Sunny SE

stanflt

Miller80 wrote: »

Got the cows out this morning for first time this year, just wondering has many people them out and is it just for few hrs during day or at night as well?

tightened wire and checked electric fencer today-cleaned out water troughs and cows go out in the morning:):)

babybrian

have cows out a week now for a few hours/day in the midlands. Like linbacker52 have the spring rotation planner is in action(heres hoping it works).. Still struggling to get Urea out with this broken weather. grass is beginning to grow now too especially where slurry went out...Roll on Spring Love to see the cows out

dar31

babybrian wrote: »

have cows out a week now for a few hours/day in the midlands. Like linbacker52 have the spring rotation planner is in action(heres hoping it works).. Still struggling to get Urea out with this broken weather. grass is beginning to grow now too especially where slurry went out...Roll on Spring Love to see the cows out

same here watching the weather every night to see for an opening to get the urea out, getting late now.
cows out by day since the 26th jan had to leave them in 5 days since then.
hoping to let them out by night at some stage next week.
as of today the shed is full, room for 25 more in old youngstock cubicles, that will be filled very soon too.
really they have no choice to go out day and night next week.
better get the lights on the quad fixed over the weekend.

breaker2011

My dad put his out a few days ago. They love it and the new calves are in their element. He brings them in at night as there are more left to calf but they love going in to be fed they wait at the gate to go back in. Its good to put them in at night for the first while as the can climatise to the weather change from being in for so long. Its our first year puttung cows in but I always believe cattle left out all year round are in much better shape. You can always tell the difference in the marts.

jeff greene

No, nothing out yet,I see little advantage letting cows out in this unsettled weather, grabbing a day here and there is no good for the cow. As a matter of interest what kind of production are the guys out getting?

stanflt

jeff greene wrote: »

No, nothing out yet,I see little advantage letting cows out in this unsettled weather, grabbing a day here and there is no good for the cow. As a matter of interest what kind of production are the guys out getting?

cows not yet out but milk recording results from 25jan

cows recorded= 94
average days in milk= 256
milk kg-24.9 or 5.3gal
fat%=4.26
prot%-3.51
lactose= 4.61
kg fat=1.08
kg prot=0.89

looking forward to grass:):)

dar31

milk tank and milk fed to calves, cows doing 21l
very hard to tell what is doing what this time of year.
autum calvers, carry overs, fresh calvers, late calvers still milking
saving 3 kgs meal/hd/ day

linebacker52

only been back milking a week so still a bit early to get a idea on yeild. i think it helps alot to get grass into them even if its only for a few hours and saves alot of money on meal and saves labour

Muckit

babybrian wrote: »

Still struggling to get Urea out with this broken weather.

What's the 'ideal' weather for to stick out UREA? Are you concerned about ground conditions or it being washed away?

I suppose P and K levels would have to be right first before applying nitrogen??

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

What's the 'ideal' weather for to stick out UREA? Are you concerned about ground conditions or it being washed away?

I suppose P and K levels would have to be right first before applying nitrogen??

Dampish weather is best for it. It needs to have moisture for it to break down. That's why is doesn't work too well if spread during dry summer weather.

Personally I'd have a concern about any fertilizer I spread being washed away with heavy rain. However sever posters on this thread spread fertilizer 3 weeks ago and were not concerned about it with the amount of rain that we had over the last 3 weeks. So I honestly don't know.

Muckit

I usually take my cues from the neighbour in the village who's into Dairying. He'd be classed as a 'right good' farmer, and in all fairness he is. He's an out farm right across the road from us for the followers and a couple of suckler cows he picks up cheap. I always aim to spread fertiliser and cut silage within a couple of days of him.

Twas gas there one year we both happened to be cutting silage the one day (with two different contractors)........ AND the council were doing the road and had a stop/go system in operation!!

Twas the talk of the village about the big 'traffic jam' :D

keep going

grazing with a week with the cows grass by day on to beet by night, yearling going onto grass next thurs covers look ok

snowman707

calving started 30th January, have the milkers out as they calve for a few hours most days,

grass is tight but we are sticking to rotation,

spread watery slurry over 3 weeks ago and it seems to be kicking in ok

have 220 ewes and 375 lambs approx on the out farm, lambs are just starting on creep, no meals to ewes

if we don't get severe March frosts or floods, we should get cows out day and night reasonably early, most likely will be supplementing with silage at milking times

jeff greene

Cold, wet and windy here in Killarney today, perfect for grazing? My cows weren’t loitering around the gate this morning, straight in for cover they were. I get the apparent cost savings but to say its labour saving on-off grazing is nonsense in my experience. You still have all the indoor jobs and now you have cows to be let out, move fence, back fence, let them in again etc. all In this weather.

I have urea out and plenty of grass but the weather isn’t good here enough yet, on-off grazing only works if you let cows out hungry which in freshly calved cows is the last thing I’ll do.

funny man

My girls are lying up looking out at the rain, current yield 29litres on 6kgs meal, silage and maize, on/off grazing it's horses for courses.

stanflt

funny man wrote: »

My girls are lying up looking out at the rain, current yield 29litres on 6kgs meal, silage and maize, on/off grazing it's horses for courses.

thats great figures-what are solids like- mine are dropping at the monent

funny man

stanflt wrote: »

thats great figures-what are solids like- mine are dropping at the monent

3.78 BF and 3.26 PR and dropping, alot of cows calved 30 days