feed value of rushes

epfff

Might be a crazy question
but I stuck for straw/ silage for bulls going into shed soon
seen a piece of old steamy grass that is for sale in bales
only prob is in one piece there are a bit of rushes
when there mixed up in feeder with meal etc will they be ate or???

agriman27

I'd say it would be good enough. Bulls would be eating so much meal all they need is some kinda roughage. Might be handier than locatin straw or payin big money for real good quality silage

bbam

I dont know..
Some of our bales would have had a bit of rush and I know that the weanlings will leave them on the floor of the feeding passage.. They'd have to be fairly hungry to eat them.. and if you have th leave cattle get hungry to eat something then you're at the wrong game..

maybe through a diet feeder.. but it just seems wrong


Also think about it.. if your land is fairly rush free you're importing rush seeds by the tens of millions. The damn things live in the soil for near 100 years waiting to grow. If youre lucky enough to have land with little/no rush seedbank in the soil then think very carefully before you start importing it!!

Figerty

If rushes were any good I'd have the fattest cattle in the country..

Bale them, you will have clear away what they won't eat. No big deal.

The man in red and black

Figerty wrote: »

If rushes were any good I'd have the fattest cattle in the country..

Brilliant statement!

pakalasa

You would think they would be very high in fibre.

Viewtodiefor

epfff wrote: »

Might be a crazy question
but I stuck for straw/ silage for bulls going into shed soon
seen a piece of old steamy grass that is for sale in bales
only prob is in one piece there are a bit of rushes
when there mixed up in feeder with meal etc will they be ate or???

From what I have seen as others have said they won't eat them. U could bale them n they will eat the rest of the bale n leave rushes there for u to do as u please with. Easiest way to clean the field

iverjohnston

Had about 10 bales of very rushy grass baled into silage last year. Cattle picked every bit of the grass out of them, the remaining rushes bedded a pony for the entire winter........

Dampintheattic

Viewtodiefor wrote: »

From what I have seen as others have said they won't eat them. U could bale them n they will eat the rest of the bale n leave rushes there for u to do as u please with. Easiest way to clean the field

But they will eat them in the field. Especially if you have cut them previously. They come along and top them again for you. -;)

Sam Kade

Dampintheattic wrote: »

But they will eat them in the field. Especially if you have cut them previously. They come along and top them again for you. -;)

They do but have very little feed value.

Figerty

Dampintheattic wrote: »

But they will eat them in the field. Especially if you have cut them previously. They come along and top them again for you. -;)

Ya. top them, eat the seed and spread it in their dung!

There is one value to rushes, well two actually.

1. The are supposed to have a relatively high nitrogen content as a fertiliser when cut and left to rot.

2. As my uncle found out last year.. He sprayed every rush in the place and in the wet summer there was no rushes left to 'keep him up' when driving on wet ground!

Suckler

Wasn't there a breed of cattle mentioned here before that will eat away at them? I could be remembering that wrong though

Figerty

Suckler wrote: »

Wasn't there a breed of cattle mentioned here before that will eat away at them? I could be remembering that wrong though

Hungry.....

bbam

Suckler wrote: »

Wasn't there a breed of cattle mentioned here before that will eat away at them? I could be remembering that wrong though

When I see them at the rushes I find it's a little past time they should move on to fresh grass.

Suckler

Do Highland Cattle eat them?

pakalasa

All cattle will eat them when they are hungry.

bbam

pakalasa wrote: »

All cattle will eat them when they are hungry.

That's the problem.
They have to be hungry, keeping your stock hungry isn't really the goal. It'll hardly lead to maximum growth rates.

moy83

bbam wrote: »

That's the problem.
They have to be hungry, keeping your stock hungry isn't really the goal. It'll hardly lead to maximum growth rates.

Be no harm for a few pampered suckler cows though

Dampintheattic

Figerty wrote: »

Hungry.....

I'm not a fan of rushes, but I do not agree with that statement.
I cleaned and mowed a paddock in March. A lot of rushes due to heavy poaching last year. Fertilised with 10.10.20.
Intention was get nice cover of grass, as well as the inevitable regrowth of rushes. Give it a quick grazing with cows and calves. Move them out and spray. Had hoped spraying after the grass had been eaten would lessen the check on the regrowth.
They were not hungry going in, BUT, they gave a good cleaning to the young green rushes. Bah humbug!
Of course won't touch older rushes.

crackcrack30

Would a tag along goat keep down the rush?........

Hill123

Rushes will make no difference in stemmy grass once there is meal added and that you are feeding with the diet feeder.

Bleating Lamb

In fairness if rushes had any feed value Leitrim would have the most expensive land in Ireland!!......only codding Reilig before I'm banned.

99nsr125

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

In fairness if rushes had any feed value Leitrim would have the most expensive land in Ireland!!......only codding Reilig before I'm banned.

Here's an idea for Relig who has a gasifier I think. Graze a rushy field, spray rushes with roundup, wait for them to die, mow and bail them with an small square bailer set to smallest size, burn in the gasifier, return ashes to field to return nutrients.

Respray any rush regrowth with roundup and repeat above till they are gone.

Dont be daft

Said I'd dig up an old one instead of starting afresh.

Mowed a plantation of these yokes yesterday and there's a roaring match going on here as to what to do with them now.
Would it be better to leave 'em rot in the field or bale them up?
Their so heavy that I'd be worried that by the time they've rotted they'll have smothered the grass. Am I flaming or what?
If we did bale what would you do with the bales then?

Bactidiaryl

Dont be daft wrote: »

Said I'd dig up an old one instead of starting afresh.

Mowed a plantation of these yokes yesterday and there's a roaring match going on here as to what to do with them now.
Would it be better to leave 'em rot in the field or bale them up?
Their so heavy that I'd be worried that by the time they've rotted they'll have smothered the grass. Am I flaming or what?
If we did bale what would you do with the bales then?

Burn um.

ABlur

Dont be daft wrote: »

Said I'd dig up an old one instead of starting afresh.

Mowed a plantation of these yokes yesterday and there's a roaring match going on here as to what to do with them now.
Would it be better to leave 'em rot in the field or bale them up?
Their so heavy that I'd be worried that by the time they've rotted they'll have smothered the grass. Am I flaming or what?
If we did bale what would you do with the bales then?

If theyre mown they will stay on the ground for ever unlike topping where they disappear a bit quicker. Bale them try sell them for bedding €6-€10 depending on where youre located. Otherwise haul them to a ditch and eventually they will rot.

Dont be daft

ABlur wrote: »

If theyre mown they will stay on the ground for ever unlike topping where they disappear a bit quicker. Bale them try sell them for bedding €6-€10 depending on where youre located. Otherwise haul them to a ditch and eventually they will rot.

Yeah, I was thinking they might be some use as bedding. They'll probably end up tossed in the corner if we go the baling route.
But if someone can get a bit of use out of 'em and cover the cost of baling, happy days:)

Was told to burn them by a local, but not gonna risk it.

Figerty

Bactidiaryl wrote: »

Burn um.

Next year, spray them. Let them rot where they stand.

Dont be daft

Figerty wrote: »

Next year, spray them. Let them rot where they stand.

Are you allowed burn 'em?

ABlur

Dont be daft wrote: »

Are you allowed burn 'em?

Evelyn just on warning about wildfires and yere going burning!!

Dont be daft

ABlur wrote: »

Evelyn just on warning about wildfires and yere going burning!!

Dont be daft wrote: »

Was told to burn them by a local, but not gonna risk it.

No intention of burning. Just asking if its allowed.