Cattle in or out

Mac Taylor

Given the amount of rain that has fallen and due to fall are people considering housing. I’ll be housing next week the first few and if this keeps up they’ll all be in within the next two weeks. I’ve no shortage of grass but I suppose it’s of very little value now.

Hard Knocks

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Given the amount of rain that has fallen and due to fall are people considering housing. I’ll be housing next week the first few and if this keeps up they’ll all be in within the next two weeks. I’ve no shortage of grass but I suppose it’s of very little value now.

Have all in here
When farming alongside a full time job, the shed light is better than a flashlight

Bass Reeves

Have bought 17 I last 10 days. I have housed them as I saw not point in turning them out. I have 16 heavy bullocks outside in 3 lots and 40 odd stores outside in two lots. I also have 12 bullocks inside that I housed over the last six weeks in different stages.

Depending on how many I get away this week will decide if I house more stores this week. Hopefully will have stores out for another 15-30 days

FintanMcluskey

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Have all in here
When farming alongside a full time job, the shed light is better than a flashlight

Remember hearing many years ago

“Slatted sheds were built for man, not beast”

Cavanjack

The 1st of April is early to have cattle out round here. So it’s a long winter to have them in from now. I’ve stores scattered round the farm and hope to keep them out until at least the start of December.
Have bulls in and all big cattle housed to be finished in the next month or so. No craic feeding them outside this time of the year.

Mooooo

In calf heifers housed, cows in by night out by day, will be fully housed in 10 days. Calves I hope to keep out till 1st dec if I can, will see how they go.

Mooooo

Cavanjack wrote: »

The 1st of April is early to have cattle out round here. So it’s a long winter to have them in from now. I’ve stores scattered round the farm and hope to keep them out until at least the start of December.
Have bulls in and all big cattle housed to be finished in the next month or so. No craic feeding them outside this time of the year.

If you can keep them out till dec there are surely a few fields that can be grazed in feb/ March? If so if you start closing those it will allow you to have some early grass

Danzy

February and March tend to be bad here, so an early turnout can be missed.

Scattered in smaller groups around the place and hope to keep till end of month.


Have often in last few years got cattle out in January, for a couple hours a day, it's been great weather at times.

AckwelFoley

Mooooo wrote: »

If you can keep them out till dec there are surely a few fields that can be grazed in feb/ March? If so if you start closing those it will allow you to have some early grass

April was always known as the Hungry month.

Theres very little growth. Although there may be grass it doesn't regrow. We always budgeted feed until the second week of May.

We dont keep them in until then, but a brutal bad winter and you might need it

Dozer1

Housed all spring calving cows bar 4 heifers and their calves they can keep the bull company. All autumn calvers out till dec hopefully. Stuck with 23 heifers outside shed I'm building is delayed if weather doesn't pick up some will have to be sold

Stihl waters

I've them let out into the middle of the heather and freach until end of January, I'll start feeding in a month so at least they wont be going in for another while yet, sheds are only good for man, I find they're a lot healthier when left out as long as possible, all down to the breed as well i suopose

_Brian

It’s dependant on land and situation.

We’re saturated here at this stage so they are in, its handy for work too, well that’s mute since I’m off now.

We find we loose more in spring from excessive poaching now than keeping them out now would be worth.

patsy_mccabe

East Clare ....... Opened my first bale of silage yesterday. Dry cows still out but only a week or two of grass left. They are on low corcas type land that holds up well in wet weather. Upland gets ploughed to hell.
Dragging the round feeder across the yard in the dark last night. Light goes out of charge and cattle standing at the gate in the mud. Deffo the start of winter here. Can't for the life of me, find my head torch and I have 2 of them.

White Clover

Dozer1 wrote: »

Housed all spring calving cows bar 4 heifers and their calves they can keep the bull company. All autumn calvers out till dec hopefully. Stuck with 23 heifers outside shed I'm building is delayed if weather doesn't pick up some will have to be sold

Did you demolish old sheds when building the new one?

zf0wqv9oemuasj

Wow, we wouldn’t even be considering housing yet will be at least another month before we house. They will get another while from grass and then we move them to a rough patch we have where we start to supplement with bales as they pick away at the grass in that area we generally keep feeding them outside for a few weeks.

It’s generally getting towards December before we house but of course it can vary too and be a bit earlier. We straw bed rather than slats also and wouldn’t budget enough straw to have them in this early.

Stores are generally turned out (supplemented with a bale in a feeder) before the first cow calves as their winter pen is the calving pen in spring so they are usually out sometime in feb. Cows are let out as they calve from then on with everything out only when the last cow calves.

Hard Knocks

Reid Low Mandible wrote: »

Wow, we wouldn’t even be considering housing yet will be at least another month before we house. They will get another while from grass and then we move them to a rough patch we have where we start to supplement with bales as they pick away at the grass in that area we generally keep feeding them outside for a few weeks.

It’s generally getting towards December before we house but of course it can vary too and be a bit earlier. We straw bed rather than slats also and wouldn’t budget enough straw to have them in this early.

Stores are generally turned out before the first cow calves as their winter pen is the calving pen in spring so they are usually out sometime in feb. Cows are let out as they calve from then on with everything out only when the last cow calves.

You’ve good dry land
Look after it

grange mac

A picture tells 1000 words from South West.. Cattle housed 2 weeks...

keepalive213

Housed about a week here. 6 month winter the norm now, mid October to mid April.

kollegeknight

Housed everything yesterday. Cattle were getting unsettled and land is saturated.

A neighbour passed away a month ago and the family have destocked. so I’ve access to bales if I am stuck. I’ll buy 10/20 anyway.

Spent the day sorting out pens and water missed the hurling but didn’t miss much. Glad to be done now.

I’m hoping to scan the cows this week that I’m doubtful of.

I definitely have two to sell but with lockdown, they will be grand around.

893bet

Mostly in.

2 late calvers (June still out). Three early calvers (one calved this week and two due next week) still out. 7 weanling heifers are out at night and in during the day.

Places are wet as %#€$

Limerick

memorystick

Herding over the gate here. Trying to get until Sunday. Paddocks need to be grazed tight.

patsy_mccabe

Reid Low Mandible wrote: »

Wow, we wouldn’t even be considering housing yet.....

What part of the country?

Might help if everyone did the same.

Ladeeen

Very wet here in SW last few days and as another poster has said cattle starting to get unsettled. Everything will be housed by this eve.

zf0wqv9oemuasj

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

What part of the country?

Might help if everyone did the same.

In the west, we would have some sections that never get too wet but as I mentioned when everything goes to the rough patch it doesn’t matter what way the weather is really as that section isn’t used for anything else. We used to out winter there before we got the shed. Granted there is both advantages and disadvantages to housing vs keeping them out longer. If I was having to manage all myself I’d properly house once regularly feeding was needed as I would be doing it in darkness morning or evening (and still do when needed). But at the same time when out we can put out a few bales at a time to last a few days and never hand to lay hands on a fork. Swings and roundabouts really.

If we had slats also might be inclined to house a bit earlier as we would not be doing clean outs every few weeks and be trying to minimise straw useage.

Cavanjack

Mooooo wrote: »

If you can keep them out till dec there are surely a few fields that can be grazed in feb/ March? If so if you start closing those it will allow you to have some early grass

We do try and get silage ground grazed before 1st of April with yearlings but Find it very hard to get heavier cattle out that early here after a wet winter.

CHOPS01

Question.
Have a group of heavy cattle here for the factory between now and the middle of December and I have a batch of stores then that I hold around the yard over the winter.
Have about 3 weeks grass left for one bunch.
Which batch would ye keep on the grass ?

Jb1989

CHOPS01 wrote: »

Question.
Have a group of heavy cattle here for the factory between now and the middle of December and I have a batch of stores then that I hold around the yard over the winter.
Have about 3 weeks grass left for one bunch.
Which batch would ye keep on the grass ?

Beef cattle will set back inside for a duration, so if they near ready leave alone.

Cavanjack

Jb1989 wrote: »

Beef cattle will set back inside for a duration, so if they near ready leave alone.

I would have said that too but housed a few heavy bullocks two weeks ago that are due to be gone the end of November and they Have done a great thrive in the two weeks.
It’s 7 weeks till mid December yet. I’d prefer to have my stores out on that grass than the finishers.

Bass Reeves

Cavanjack wrote: »

I would have said that too but housed a few heavy bullocks two weeks ago that are due to be gone the end of November and they Have done a great thrive in the two weeks.
It’s 7 weeks till mid December yet. I’d prefer to have my stores out on that grass than the finishers.

Usually cattle are set back because if a huge change in diet. Lads having cattle outside on a dust if meal and put them in on middling silage. Then they go back. However if outside and ate build up to 5-6kgs/ day before housing when they go in they tend to stay going forward.

As well lads may have cattle outside on silage along with grass and ration again these should be ok when housed.

Cavanjack

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Usually cattle are set back because if a huge change in diet. Lads having cattle outside on a dust if meal and put them in on middling silage. Then they go back. However if outside and ate build up to 5-6kgs/ day before housing when they go in they tend to stay going forward.

As well lads may have cattle outside on silage along with grass and ration again these should be ok when housed.

Yeah they were eating 5 kg outside so silage was the only change. The good was gone out of the grass for them as it was after raining plenty when they were housed.

Count Mondego

South Galway here and will have everything out for another six weeks. Heavy rain fall the last week but there's break of a day or two in between which is giving the land a chance to soak it. A ball of grass has grown around here since August and I didn't put out 10 bags of CAN all summer. Normally housing around the first of December.

ChuckieEgg

Bucketed down rain over the weekend. It woke me in the middle of the night it was so heavy, the type of showers that would fill a bucket for ya.
Went out this morning expecting the cows to be bawling after me but they have no interest in going into the shed.
Happy out for another while they said.

Dozer1

Flattened all existing sheds here..started knocking June 23rd...still waiting on sheeting and barriers 3 weeks to go still. I've another shed a few miles away but that can only house about 2 thirds of what stock are on hand.

Hagimalone

Going to to house 4 650kg bullocks tomorrow in the hope to finishing them in the next 2 months. On 4kg Aurivo Nutrias Excel Beef ATP 14% and good silage and fresh grass every other day. A neighbour suggested feed the nut and introduce a mixture of barley and oats as well. Is this a good idea? Also going to feed the nuts 3 times a day, how many kg of nut can l build up to?

mr.stonewall

Heavy farm here and also part time. Grass running out quick,. Will have most stock (suckler cows and calves, and 25 year store heifers, housed here by the weekend. Hoping to keep out 40 bucket fed calves for another 3 weeks. Have 40 year and half bullocks housed since Saturday.
Having heavy covers at this time of the year can be tough going, with the weather. Could graze a little bit more of some of the ground grazed late September, early Oct, but held off to mind ground. Will be off more value in the spring with light yearlings

Cavanjack

Hagimalone wrote: »

Going to to house 4 650kg bullocks tomorrow in the hope to finishing them in the next 2 months. On 4kg Aurivo Nutrias Excel Beef ATP 14% and good silage and fresh grass every other day. A neighbour suggested feed the nut and introduce a mixture of barley and oats as well. Is this a good idea? Also going to feed the nuts 3 times a day, how many kg of nut can l build up to?

You could feed them 8kg or more a day if continental’s or go ad-lib if you need them gone. For four bullocks I wouldn’t be bothered with your neighbours idea. Keep it simple

memorystick

All in. Ground is fair wet.

Dickie10

have them in since friday, opened the pit, have 20 acres of lovely green grass on driest field but kept it for the store lambs, thought it would be a waste to see heifers trample it and dirty into the ground, 200 lambs on it should flesh them up well before meal needs introducing. saving fields and closeing for lambing as well so get cattle in out of the way,

memorystick

Dickie10 wrote: »

have them in since friday, opened the pit, have 20 acres of lovely green grass on driest field but kept it for the store lambs, thought it would be a waste to see heifers trample it and dirty into the ground, 200 lambs on it should flesh them up well before meal needs introducing. saving fields and closeing for lambing as well so get cattle in out of the way,

You’ve a good few lambs. Have you a race or do you just tighten them in a pen?

orm0nd

Terrible rain here today, kept cows in after milking,this morning, last night was their first night in this autumn.

Tomorrow looking middling weather wise and we have decided to house most of the cattle, main reason is to spare the fast disappearing grass for ewes hoping to keep them outdoors for as long as possible..

We hope to get the milkers out for a few hours most days

Could be a long winter. Never know we might get an early spring hopefully.

Danzy

The wheel has really fallen off the cart here, ok to absolute shi7 wet in 48 hrs.
All in.

Danzy

The wheel has really fallen off the cart here, ok to absolute shi7 wet in 48 hrs.
All in.

Dickie10

memorystick wrote: »

You’ve a good few lambs. Have you a race or do you just tighten them in a pen?

theres a permanant pen in the corner of the field their in. if im weighing and doing feet i just use pen, if dosing i set up the race within the pen , its a 20ft race, set up gates etc to tighten as i go.

Dickie10

Got hedges cut yesterday didn’t mark the ground good job it’s not today , awful lot of rain fell.

older by the day

Dickie10 wrote: »

Got hedges cut yesterday didn’t mark the ground good job it’s not today , awful lot of rain fell.

This might sound simple but that is one lovely looking field. All in here except calves. Not worth rotavating the land for spring. Might dry next week !!!!!!!!

CHOPS01

Too late and dark yesterday evening to move wire for cattle so I did it early this morning.
Despite the barrage of cold wind and rain over the last 36 hours they were happy out and full as ticks this morning.
Expected them to be hungry and miserable looking.
They're alright for another while

Siamsa Sessions

Waterford.

Weanlings in and out here. They’re grazing a field beside the cubicles so I’m feeding them meal/barley in the yard and leaving it up to themselves if they want to go into the shed itself. They’ve slept inside the last few nights and I wouldn’t blame them!

They’ll move onto rape over the next few days but have a lie-back to graze there too. It’s wet though so I don’t think they’ll get much good out of it.

Sheep have another month to go grazing here and there. Will start feeding them beet outside from 1-Dec til 1-Jan, then into the cubicles/shed til they start lambing in Feb/March.

It’ll be Spring before we know it!

I wish it was as I’m wary enough with the weanlings on rape. It’s our first year keeping cattle over winter and I’m hoping our little Deutz 6806 will manage OK drawing bales out to them.

Bass Reeves

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Waterford.

Weanlings in and out here. They’re grazing a field beside the cubicles so I’m feeding them meal/barley in the yard and leaving it up to themselves if they want to go into the shed itself. They’ve slept inside the last few nights and I wouldn’t blame them!

They’ll move onto rape over the next few days but have a lie-back to graze there too. It’s wet though so I don’t think they’ll get much good out of it.

Sheep have another month to go grazing here and there. Will start feeding them beet outside from 1-Dec til 1-Jan, then into the cubicles/shed til they start lambing in Feb/March.

It’ll be Spring before we know it!

I wish it was as I’m wary enough with the weanlings on rape. It’s our first year keeping cattle over winter and I’m hoping our little Deutz 6806 will manage OK drawing bales out to them.

Ideally you should have put the bales out first. Doing it now you need appoint near a gap or fence where you can drop the bale into or under the feeder. I did this next to a fence once but had it red hot with an electric fence. They be slow to eat the raoe until the grass on the lie back is gone so give them very limited access to it. You need to supplement iodine you can add it to a water trough or squirt it on top of silage if they all have access. Have fed weanlings and store bullocks that way over the years. They always did ok out if it. You need to have it finished by March 7th as yellow flowers are poisioness to cattle. A few are not an issue but a flush of them is. It really a learning experience and adapting you system to work off it

Siamsa Sessions

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Ideally you should have put the bales out first. Doing it now you need appoint near a gap or fence where you can drop the bale into or under the feeder. I did this next to a fence once but had it red hot with an electric fence. They be slow to eat the raoe until the grass on the lie back is gone so give them very limited access to it. You need to supplement iodine you can add it to a water trough or squirt it on top of silage if they all have access. Have fed weanlings and store bullocks that way over the years. They always did ok out if it. You need to have it finished by March 7th as yellow flowers are poisioness to cattle. A few are not an issue but a flush of them is. It really a learning experience and adapting you system to work off it

Thanks for that.

What’s the iodine for? I’m going to continue giving them barley/meal. Could you mix the iodine in with that?

I says

Still out at least another fortnight trying to get heavy covers pared before the winter. Ground just about holding up.

Bass Reeves

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Thanks for that.

What’s the iodine for? I’m going to continue giving them barley/meal. Could you mix the iodine in with that?

Cattle on brassicas get deficient in it. Its recommented that you supplement it. Its only a small amount not sure is it about 4-5cc/ head. Have d to spray it evenly over ration unless you had a mister bottle. I have squeezed it into water and over silage. You get a gallon in any vets shop. He should be able to tell you how much per head.