Housing cattle grass on the ground

cacs

I am from Mayo we still have good grass growth for the time of year. It’s warm out this morning. I have my grazing ground closed up for two weeks in the hope letting cattle out early in spring. I have about 10 to 12 days left on my silage ground. It’s hard to house cattle with conditions like this and good covers on the grazing ground. Last year I grazed it all bare and j hadn’t a rib of grass until April. I know it is the spring weather the will dictate turn out date and not grass covers

Who2

cathal irwin wrote: »

I am from Mayo we still have good grass growth for the time of year. It’s warm out this morning. I have my grazing ground closed up for two weeks in the hope letting cattle out early in spring. I have about 10 to 12 days left on my silage ground. It’s hard to house cattle with conditions like this and good covers on the grazing ground. Last year I grazed it all bare and j hadn’t a rib of grass until April. I know it is the spring weather the will dictate turn out date and not grass covers

I’m leaving around ten acres with good covers everything else is being grazed bare. A quick dart of urea in spring will pull on covers. I’m taking what I can when I can this year. The ten acres will be a slight insurance policy.

patsy_mccabe

Years ago I remember a prominent local dairy farmer being interviewed for the journal. He was asked about what was better, late autumn or early spring grazing. He said graze it whenever you can. Makes sense to me.

SuperTortoise

I had good cover on a couple of fields this time last year but found the weather just burnt it. Have enough grazing here for another two weeks at a push but my ground is getting soft now so might house them next weekend, hope to put out early bag fert and turn out as they calf down.

cacs

SuperTortoise wrote: »

I had good cover on a couple of fields this time last year but found the weather just burnt it. Have enough grazing here for another two weeks at a push but my ground is getting soft now so might house them next weekend, hope to put out early bag fert and turn out as they calf down.

Its a hard call alright. We rarely get good enough weather in Mayo for early spring turnout. Paddy's day is great turn out if you can do it.

Cavanjack

cathal irwin wrote: »

Its a hard call alright. We rarely get good enough weather in Mayo for early spring turnout. Paddy's day is great turn out if you can do it.

I think as patsy said graze away. Have the bulls nearly all housed for finishing but still have a few bullocks still to be finished off grass. Stores that'll be finished off grass next back end and weanlings will stay out as long as there is grass (which there is plenty off) and the weather stays dryish. God knows when they'll get out next year. Could be the 1st may before they get back out.