Turnout

TUBBY

When ye think the cattle will be leaving the sheds.

I aiming for 1st March now.
Ground in good nick and the winter has been pretty kind. Usual target is Paddys day.

See teagasc leaflet wants valentines day. Bit ambitious in the Midlands on heavy ground.....

sh1tstirrer

There's a lot of freshly calved cows out in Cork over the last week.

keep going

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

There's a lot of freshly calved cows out in Cork over the last week.

Ah sher its nearly time for them to be going back in here

BOND747

I left out a few to graze some strong grass, biggest problem lads around me is too much grass around so there is no place to spread slurry

Farmer Pudsey

Big difference between turn out and average turnout. Last few years average date slipped in me to beyond mid March. Hope to bring it back this year. Hope to start letting cattle out last Saturday in February and to have all out by St Patricks day or the Saturday after it. Will need a little luck as have higher numbers than normal.

Big difference between drystock and dairying is with drystock there will be no supplementry feeding when they go to grass. On dairy farms grass might only make up a fraction of the diet for February. They use grass to increase solids.

It is important to target right cattle for turnout. In my case that tends to be the more forward cattle so as to help finish them earlier. Spring seems to be coming right ground condition is very good and grass is plentiful.

Robson99

Yearling heifers going out in the next 10 days and as they are bought in. Heavy heifers finished out of shed

Dunedin

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

It is important to target right cattle for turnout. In my case that tends to be the more forward cattle so as to help finish them earlier. .

is this not a 'rob peter to pay paul' rationale. your younger cattle will be your forward cattle next year so the early turnout will benefit next year and obviously younger cattle will do less harm than heavier cattle if the ground is a bit softer.

Farmer Pudsey

Dunedin wrote: »

is this not a 'rob peter to pay paul' rationale. your younger cattle will be your forward cattle next year so the early turnout will benefit next year and obviously younger cattle will do less harm than heavier cattle if the ground is a bit softer.

Not really the earlier you get forward cattle sold the more grass at the end of the year for younger cattle.

onyerbikepat

There's a big cloud with two weeks rain coming in over the Atlantic. It'll be here in a week or two.:mad:

Greengrass1

I cut this grass two weeks ago.
Only way to grow more grass is get it grazed off early and get it growing back.
I'd loose a 1t/ha if I didn't graze anything till march

Reggie.

I haven't put the cattle in yet

darragh_haven

About 25% of the lighter animals going out Monday or Tuesday. Weather depending for the rest.

Hershall

darragh_haven wrote: »

About 25% of the lighter animals going out Monday or Tuesday. Weather depending for the rest.

Let off a few last Tuesday spread them out well. They're going on fine. Will chance a few more next week if weather ok.

Muckit

Weather and ground is unbelievable for time of year. A different year to last year. I walked fields yesterday and couldn't believe how dry they were under foot and a nice pick of grass on them.

Only for the day that was in it l'd have the spreader on!

simx

Let out a bunch of bullocks there now, one of the wetter fields with a good cover, kinda going yellow stage, they can stay out for the day anyway, would like to let out cattle just can't at the minute as be leaving for work too early and back in the dark also

yellow50HX

Was walking the fields to see how they are this morning. Will be looking to let the called cows and calves out to them in a few weeks. Once they are out I'll look to let the rest of the cows and calves out as they calf. The dry ones will stay on the beet and silage till it's gone.

When we were milking we would have the milking cows out by day on grass from mid feb ( weather permitting). Was over with my neighbour yesterday as he was leaving out his 1st 20 cows that had calved. It was like watching sugar filled toddlers been let loose in tesco.

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

Weather and ground is unbelievable for time of year. A different year to last year. I walked fields yesterday and couldn't believe how dry they were under foot and a nice pick of grass on them.

Only for the day that was in it l'd have the spreader on!

Hope it stays that way. Have a bit of fencing to get done

Muckit

Reggie. wrote: »

Hope it stays that way. Have a bit of fencing to get done

Your grand. I'II get around to it myself

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

Your grand. I'II get around to it myself

But you don't do it right is the thing

freedominacup

Maiden heifers out this evening. Can't get pictures to attach.

freedominacup

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freedominacup

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Greengrass1

freedominacup wrote: »

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Any idea of weights freedom?
They look big heifers

Farmer Pudsey

Did they have to go for a spin before you left them off Freedom. They look very settled and ground is undamaged. looked fairly square as well I taught you only had big leggy Holsteins.

freedominacup

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Any idea of weights freedom?
They look big heifers

Judging by their brothers and cousins weights in the mart in Nov/Dec the group would be around 280-300kg average now.

freedominacup

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

Did they have to go for a spin before you left them off Freedom. They look very settled and ground is undamaged. looked fairly square as well I taught you only had big leggy Holsteins.

Holsteins all. Leggy is a choice as is deep ribs, wide pelvis and broad chests. Height never gave a litre of milk.

They got a bit of a spin. 600m of our own roadway, 400m of the public road and they'd been to the far end of a 300m long paddock and back by the time they were ready for photos.

freedominacup

Those girls came back in yesterday evening. Thought it was the wrong call at six this morning very glad they were in by eight.

Bullocks

freedominacup wrote: »

Those girls came back in yesterday evening. Thought it was the wrong call at six this morning very glad they were in by eight.

I don't think anything would be happy to be out today . The week isn't promised to great either