molinia or purple moor grass

djmc

I know it has feeding value during summer months but often wondered if anyone ever saved it made bale silage from it.
Does it die off the same time of year if grazed tight by sheep etc. or does it stay greener for longer.

djmc

I know its basically bog but has anyone here grazed sheep or other animal's on it ?

ihatewinter

Yeah I do, graze sheep on it. It normally starts dying back slowly in September whether or not you graze it tight. The frost will finished it off. I normally graze to middle of November on my own enclosed bog. One thing is you want to start grazing around April with hoggets that wouldn't need much to maintain condition as once it starts growing it can get out of hand very quick and become coarse.

Never heard on anyone saving silage/hay off it. I wonder would the machine not sink.

djmc

Thanks for that info. I read online that people used to save it for hay long ago probably cut by hand.
I leave cows access during summer but there's plenty grass everywhere then and the cows prefer better reseeded ground.
Was wondering if I would get more use of it to put some sheep on for summer as they might graze it tighter than cattle
I'd be afraid some department man telling me I'm not grazing it to claw sfp off me .
It also seems a waste of grass to be dyeing off at the end of year and having no feeding value when you need it most in winter and spring.
I never had sheep would it be possible to fatten lambs over summer on it or just a waste of time and money.
A bailer would probably be dodgy on it but wondered if anybody ever tried it on dryer cutaway bog.
Can't reclaim or reseed as its in spa.

ihatewinter

What about yearlings on it. Put them on earlier and close them in. It will force them to graze lower. Believe me, lambs will not fatten on it, it will only sustain them. They will still put on weight but maybe only a half of what they would on fertilized land. They won't get to the magic 40kg either without plenty of concentrate. The breeds don't necessarily need to be native, I found a good Cheviot/Texel will do the best.

It's the same what would be on a commonage hill over Winter so sheep and cattle should graze the white stuff. Mine don't, if I do leave them on it they will break out.

Is your bog ground level, if so you could put a topper to it once, might help cattle eat it better.

Farmer Pudsey

It would be ok to use to over winter weanlings or light stores at a low stocking rate. With 2-4kgs of barley it would be cheap wintering. Give them just enough to keep ticking over. At 3kg/head /day your wintering cost would be 60c/day

djmc

I thought it would have no feeding value over winter as grass is dead. it is level ground might try a topper
I put later calvers up there at end of march but found older cows do better than heifer's I heard it was something to do with the development of teeth in older cattle that helps them eat better.

Bullocks

djmc wrote: »

I thought it would have no feeding value over winter as grass is dead. it is level ground might try a topper
I put later calvers up there at end of march but found older cows do better than heifer's I heard it was something to do with the development of teeth in older cattle that helps them eat better.

I put a few heifers onto some we have in September , and only took them out at Christmas because a couple of them were for calving and it was easier watch them beside the house . They were in good nick going in and didn't lose a bit of condition on it without any nuts .
I think the trick is to keep it well clipped so the grass doesn't get tough and unpalatable.
Our bit is an SAC aswell , I'd love to reseed and drain it but can't .

Good loser

I would expect the nutririon to stay in it even when it shrivels up at end of season. Could send a sample away to have it tested for DM and DMD.

Would it correspond to the winterage grasses in the Burren?

djmc

Bullocks wrote: »

I put a few heifers onto some we have in September , and only took them out at Christmas because a couple of them were for calving and it was easier watch them beside the house . They were in good nick going in and didn't lose a bit of condition on it without any nuts .
I think the trick is to keep it well clipped so the grass doesn't get tough and unpalatable.
Our bit is an SAC aswell , I'd love to reseed and drain it but can't .

Might try fence it into smaller sections in the hope they will graze it tighter thanks for the information

Limestone Cowboy

Good loser wrote: »

I would expect the nutririon to stay in it even when it shrivels up at end of season. Could send a sample away to have it tested for DM and DMD.

Would it correspond to the winterage grasses in the Burren?

It's in parts of some winterages. The Burren life crowd recommend you graze it off in summer when it actually has some feeding value and is palatable to cattle. You'll thin it out a lot if you do that over a few years. They hate to see it in the Burren and they'll knock the score down on the grassland payment if you have it.