when do your cows go out grass ?

polod

teagasc seem to be pushing the earlier you get your cows out to grass the better fair enough im on fairly heavyish soil and my cows didnt get out till the second week of april this year mainly due to cold weather i was afraid of newly born calves getting sick ....im a suckler farmer BTW ...so whats the earliest you have let your cows and calves out at any problems with blood scours pneomiona etc.? im aiming for mid march next year fingers crossed

Min

Depends on the weather, last year the winter had the grass all burned and it was too cold so no spring growth, plus we had a blizzard that had three foot snow drifts at the end of March which lasted into April so it was mid April which is late but what can one do, there are ideals but you have to take conditions into account.

This year the cows were out from the start of March, it was really great conditions this year compared to last year or the previous year.

I had a lame cow out this year from mid February and she did fine, she calved out in the field, normally a milker but had bad lameness so kept the calf on her till she recovered. No problem, all alive and well today anyway

49801

typically hiefers/weanlings out end of feb or start of march
cows and calves out mid march.

free draining land

reilig

Cows were out the first week in April this year because of the good weather. Its normally the first week in May.#

I find that calves are much healthier outside - less scours, pnumonia etc. Cold weather is fine for them, its the big downpours of rain that makes them sick.

On the down side, 20 of my cows spent from May 20th to June 20th back on the slats because of serious wet weather. They were doing a lot of poaching and grass was just being wasted. This used up any excess silage that I had hoped to carry over.

caseman

polod wrote: »

teagasc seem to be pushing the earlier you get your cows out to grass the better fair enough im on fairly heavyish soil and my cows didnt get out till the second week of april this year mainly due to cold weather i was afraid of newly born calves getting sick ....im a suckler farmer BTW ...so whats the earliest you have let your cows and calves out at any problems with blood scours pneomiona etc.? im aiming for mid march next year fingers crossed

Cows and calves out first week in march this year an heavy land.
Alot less hassle with scour.One calve out of 32 got pneomiona, got him treated early. Had to feed silage for 5 days first week of may no problems since

bob charles

If Teagasc say it regarding suckling it must be right. I took their advice one step further and had cows out on christmas day, actually I never bothered putting them inside or havnt for 15 years. thankfully I havnt really a suckling herd no more as it has to be the one of the fastest ways of losing money as Teagasc clearly researched recently

pakalasa

I have them out from mid to late March (east Clare). All down to weather of course.
I tend to put them in that bit earlier more recently too. I found it a good idea too, to leave a cover of grass on a field or two over the winter. You can let them out in early March then if it's very dry. It cuts down on work big time.

Bizzum

The funny thing here is that when I "didn't know how to farm" I outwintered cows, calved them outside (well some inside for a few days pre calving).
Now that we all have moved on and became "educated" the cows are in most of the winter. I then discovered scours and chills and delicate calves.
Maybe I'll go back 15 years and see how it goes!

5live

Feb 1 thank god.

But have to as if july any way dry then they are on silage for most of august so not much of a gain overall

whelan1

let milkers out 1st of march this year , that was a first for us , last year it was 17 march... had them out well in to november... sucklers came in in december and went out at end of march after the tb test

polod

5live wrote: »

Feb 1 thank god.

But have to as if july any way dry then they are on silage for most of august so not much of a gain overall

ye must have a short winter down in the south west

5live

polod wrote: »

ye must have a short winter down in the south west

Same length as everywhere else:D. Shallow loam over limestone so no soil moisture reserves. Drains quickly in winter:). Very quickly in summer:(

sh1tstirrer

bob charles wrote: »

If Teagasc say it regarding suckling it must be right. I took their advice one step further and had cows out on christmas day, actually I never bothered putting them inside or havnt for 15 years. thankfully I havnt really a suckling herd no more as it has to be the one of the fastest ways of losing money as Teagasc clearly researched recently

What you say is true bob. Sucklers only took off here when farmers were paid a subsidy for them. Before that they used to be kept on poor ground to rear a calf. The cows they used then were poor quality compared to cows today. Today the cows are well bred so they also need to be well fed which eats into profit.

Tipp Man

Bizzum wrote: »

The funny thing here is that when I "didn't know how to farm" I outwintered cows, calved them outside (well some inside for a few days pre calving).
Now that we all have moved on and became "educated" the cows are in most of the winter. I then discovered scours and chills and delicate calves.
Maybe I'll go back 15 years and see how it goes!

I agree

If you have suitable ground then there is absolutely nothing wrong with outwintering stock - having fancy sheds etc doesn't necessarily make you a better or more educated farmer. Doing something which has a direct impact on your bottom line does make you a better or more educated farmer.

The guys in teagasc and the department aren't the one's that have to worry about bottom line

bob charles

Tipp Man wrote: »

I agree

If you have suitable ground then there is absolutely nothing wrong with outwintering stock - having fancy sheds etc doesn't necessarily make you a better or more educated farmer. Doing something which has a direct impact on your bottom line does make you a better or more educated farmer.

The guys in teagasc and the department aren't the one's that have to worry about bottom line

unfortunately our County Councils have put a sudden stop on outwintering if farming over 140kgs N per Ha. Now I have a large number of animals in one yard and spend oodles of diesel hauling food to and crap away from them all in the interests of the environment. well done the buffons as im probably now doing more harm than an animal taking a crap in the middle of a field during winter.

Seemly those accredited with quality assured Bord Bia status will soon receive an estimate of how carbon friendly there farming is. I was informed that mine would be dreadful due to my intensive system