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Spring turn out

  • 11-02-2017 11:16am
    #1
    The Cuban
    Closed Accounts Posts: 492 ✭✭


    11 feb now I`m letting the Calved cows out to grass after 5 days. I`m a bit worried that this could be a false start to the spring. Would I be better off keeping them housed for another few weeks. Fodder isn`t a problem as I had them out till Christmas week but I can see the farm becoming very bare after a few weeks. Anyone else let cattle out? and do ye bring them in again if the weather breaks? No fertilizer out either.


Comments

  • #2
    freedominacup
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    The Cuban wrote: »
    11 feb now I`m letting the Calved cows out to grass after 5 days. I`m a bit worried that this could be a false start to the spring. Would I be better off keeping them housed for another few weeks. Fodder isn`t a problem as I had them out till Christmas week but I can see the farm becoming very bare after a few weeks. Anyone else let cattle out? and do ye bring them in again if the weather breaks? No fertilizer out either.

    Get fert out. Ration out the grass to last until the first week of April. You should be ok. Spread slurry on ground grazed between now and first of March. 30% grazed by first of March, 30% by Patrick's day and the balance by first week of April. They can always be rehoused if weather goes against you.


  • #3
    cute geoge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,110 ✭✭✭cute geoge


    In my book fert. is a waste until weather turns mild ,all it going to do is sit on top of the ground until we get a flood and it is leeched then .Go with a good dose of slurry following grazing and when temperature rise bag then


  • #4
    Keepgrowing
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,485 ✭✭✭Keepgrowing


    cute geoge wrote: »
    In my book fert. is a waste until weather turns mild ,all it going to do is sit on top of the ground until we get a flood and it is leeched then .Go with a good dose of slurry following grazing and when temperature rise bag then

    Get fert out, measured yesterday and farm growing 12 kg per day ATM. Urea out 3 weeks. One of the best responses I've seen for some time.


  • #5
    charolais0153
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,225 ✭✭✭charolais0153


    The Cuban didn't put the cows in till late ish so I doubt he will have too much slurry to spread.


  • #6
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    The Cuban wrote: »
    11 feb now I`m letting the Calved cows out to grass after 5 days. I`m a bit worried that this could be a false start to the spring. Would I be better off keeping them housed for another few weeks. Fodder isn`t a problem as I had them out till Christmas week but I can see the farm becoming very bare after a few weeks. Anyone else let cattle out? and do ye bring them in again if the weather breaks? No fertilizer out either.
    Did you build a bank of grass for the spring or are all the fields bare?


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  • #7
    The Cuban
    Closed Accounts Posts: 492 ✭✭The Cuban


    Sam Kade wrote: »
    Did you build a bank of grass for the spring or are all the fields bare?

    I have a few fields that have great cover. The rest was grazed late so theirs nothing in them yet. I`m not going to have much slurry either unless I can import some.
    I`d just rather get the calves out of the sheds asap, they are a lot healthier outside.
    Off topic My neighbor reckons my farming system is wrong and that i shouldn't have any cows as the farm was a noted fattening farm years ago, but the price of store cattle would frighten you to even think about it!


  • #8
    pedigree 6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,559 ✭✭✭pedigree 6


    You have to graze grass to have grass.

    It won't grow properly till it's grazed in the spring.

    No grazing, no fert, no grass.


  • #9
    Bass Reeves
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,585 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    Drystock is different to milk as generally we do not have roadways or want to supplement cattle on grass in spring as damage to paddocks now will not recover. However Cuban if you have heavy covers I would be grazing them now if you have light cattle if you do not need it for cows when they calves. Have slurry out now over two weeks and any ground that did not get slurry for 20 units of N ( urea) per acre.

    I am chomping at the bit to let them off but I am waiting to this day fortnight. Couple heavy covers but letting bullocks with compensatory growth off and especially hungry 2 year old fresians means that you need grass ahead of them. Cuban I would not worry about having to house yearling again or even to restrict there grass for a few weeks in April. They will knock great value out of heavy covers and can be left to fairly bare them. Try to feed it in sections and then back fence them from grazed sections. When it is grazed try to get N out on grazed sections.

    Get N out ASAP on rest of farm looking at at data from met Eireann while ground temp are down it is very dry and ground temp will raise fast. A bid bagnof Urea (375 kgs) @ 20 units of N a little less than a half bag per acre will cover 17 acres. It will cost a little bit 100 euro.

    http://www.met.ie/latest/agri_soiltemp.asp

    Slava Ukrainii



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