Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
If we do not hit our goal we will be forced to close the site.

Current status: https://keepboardsalive.com/

Annual subs are best for most impact. If you are still undecided on going Ad Free - you can also donate using the Paypal Donate option. All contribution helps. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.

do cows eat more in day or night?

  • 25-08-2011 08:54AM
    #1
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭


    was wondering , ok during the winter we can monitor what they eat by using feeder wagon, as i have never- and dont intend to- stood in a field of dairy cows at 3am , was wondering do they eat more during the day or night :confused: i understand that there might be longer between milkings etc so mre time to graze


Comments

  • #2
    snowman707
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,279 ✭✭✭snowman707


    reckon ours eat more during the night, as we only allocate fresh grass once a day or every second day depending on the field size

    we always give the new grass after the evening milking when the sugars are higher


  • #3
    linebacker52
    Closed Accounts Posts: 476 ✭✭linebacker52


    I always thought cows eat the most in the three hours after milking morning or evening.


  • #4
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,937 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    If you are block grazing allocate 2/3 area for day and 1/3 by night.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • #5
    keep going
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    i graze land during the day away from the home place and find that they eat almost nothing at night if they had a big feed during the day


  • #6
    aidanki
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,301 ✭✭✭aidanki


    linebacker52 wrote: »
    I always thought cows eat the most in the three hours after milking morning or evening.

    agree with this


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    20silkcut
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,741 ✭✭✭20silkcut


    Ours go mad lepping around the field in the evening time and are quiet docile in the morning so I presume they get an energy kick in the evening after eating all day ?


  • #8
    flatout11
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 609 ✭✭✭flatout11


    aidanki wrote: »
    agree with this

    yea that sounds about right


  • #9
    Tipp Man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,025 ✭✭✭Tipp Man


    Cows do eat most in the 3 hours after milking which is why you will see nearly the entire herd lying down at 10 or 11am on a typical day

    The difference is that the cows will get at least 2 more heavy grazing sessions in during the day - so around 1pm and 3 or 4 pm whereas at night they will only get 1 extra grazing session i.e. before you bring them in for milking

    If we were to subdivide a paddock it would be 2/3rds for the day, 1/3 for the night


  • #10
    pakalasa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,552 ✭✭✭pakalasa


    20silkcut wrote: »
    Ours go mad lepping around the field in the evening time and are quiet docile in the morning so I presume they get an energy kick in the evening after eating all day ?
    I notice it's easier to round up cattle too in the morning. They'd be as sleepy as yerself.:D


Advertisement