Grazing 2021

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117947554#Comment_117947554

I don’t ever remember a year where I had as much grass at this stage of the year as I do now. Stock are moving through it alright but I’m hoping ground conditions will hold up for another few weeks. I’ve most of the stock spread across 1 block of heavy ground trying to get it grazed as quick as possible as once it gets wet you’d hardly walk it. This usually happens by mid October. I’ve enough grass on dry land then for a few weeks after that too but I’ll probably put the heavier stock in at that stage and leave the lighter ones out until Xmas weather permitting.

Danzy

Never had so much grass this time of year.

And still growing, though that is surely coming to an end.

Some amount of bales made the last few weeks.

dohc turbo2

its unreal , only for the amount of rain falling , to see the grass growth in the paddocks that cows are being moved from in a few days is unreal

Bass Reeves

While you may seem to have a lot of grass you have to remember DM is now only 12% or less. As well grass will be physically wet as well. However grass still growing strong and ran out by stores is still quite good compared to cattle on ration. Stared to graze really heavy covers this week.

Have the least cattle at this stage of the year than I have had for many years. 23 finishing cattle and 34 stores( 5 of them only bought yesterday). 6 to go next week and 6 more the week after I think. Will have finishing numbers well reduced by mid October as well. Might even make the BEAM figures but doubt it

Easten

Grass hasn't stopped growing, if anything this rain will make it bloom even more and will stay growing till the temperatures drop. I mob grazed the silage fields but they lasted over 10 days longer than expected and now have the grazing land with over a foot of grass cover all over.

I'm like everyone in the area, having cut back a few cows and now have enough grass to last half the winter bar we get snow or it keeps raining and the ground goes to sh1te. It looks like I'll only be housing cows pre-calving and for a few weeks after. The problem I see now will be the lack of slurry next year on top of the High fertilizer prices coming down the road.

whelan2

Plenty of time to produce slurry yet, it's not even October

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948222#Comment_117948222

You will have a bank if silage left. Close less silage ground next year, buy less N fertlizer as you will have more grazing ground. Buy a bit of extra P and K fertlizer

endainoz

The growth from the recent dry spell coupled with the recent rain has grass flying it at an early springs pace. Granted the DMD won't be as high as stated above but it's a serious bonus to get this time of year. The young stock won't see a shed for a while with any bit of hope.

The concept of compensatory growth has been proven over and over again the last few years and in particular years with droughts and slow growth. The land will always find a way to make up for the growth lost earlier in the year, it's fascinating really.

k mac

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948220#Comment_117948220

Is there any point in making a few bales of silage from ground that the grass is gone very heavy, am tempted if i got 2 dry days, fear is the cattle will just trample most of it into the ground, plus its wet and might only get a few weeks grazing as they would dig it up alot. Flip side the bales would be poor enough quality and i am not short of bales as it is

Mooooo

Would be very slow to make bales, lack of a proper wilt, lower sugars and higher N which would be associated with this growth would likely lead to very poor bales. Strip graze if you can would be best bet. While it looks like there is load of grass about a 2k cover this time of year, esp when wet, is similar to 1400/1500 earlier in the year

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948711#Comment_117948711

I be similar to Moo and would not be inclined to make bales with it. I try to get cattle to eat out as much as possible. Strip graze although I am not a fan of that either.

Timmaay

Agreed I made bales in Oct 2018, and they were nearly as green as the day they were baled when feeding lol. Cow's thankfully still ate them, but I definitely wouldn't be bothered again.

Autumn rotation planner, so everyone still closing up 1st paddocks 1st of October lol?

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948895#Comment_117948895

Weather always closes things down here regardless of plans, just a question of getting a grazing off the more suitable spring paddocks in oct if we can to help things out then.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948895#Comment_117948895

2018 was a very late year for grass. It was almost into November when we finished baling. Nearly half of what we baled that year was done in September and October. I baled some of my own in mid October that year and I swore never again would I make silage in October. I tried feeding the bales around Xmas and they were still as green as when they were baled. I left them and said I’d use them last. In early March i fed some and they were terrible. They didn’t look too bad and were reasonably dry but there was a smell off them I’d never got from silage before and the cattle would stand at the barrier roaring with the hunger rather than eat them. I forced them to eat a certain amount and I used the rest for bedding the following year just to get rid of them.

If anyone does need to make bales at this time of year I’d strongly recommend using an additive and at least you might get some value back from them.

cute geoge

I had some baled in October '18 some got the additive and the cattle went mad for them the silage in the bales was a dark brown with sweet smell ,

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117949005#Comment_117949005

I bought an applicator for the baler the following year. Thankfully I didn’t have to make any October silage of my own since then but if the circumstances dictate that it has to be done in the future, then I’d certainly be using the additive on it. Do you mind me asking what additive you use?

whelan2

Better looking at the bales than looking for them...they'll be ate

trg

Hi, grass tightening up and I suppose losing value so thinking of upping the ante with the concentrates for weanlings, Feb/Mar born stock. Getting about 1.7 kg per day now......question is how much would be too much in one feed for those stock?

Would 2.5kg per day in 1 go be too much?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117949126#Comment_117949126

That is true to an extent and maybe on places with s little Ng winter it makes sense. But bales cost money to make. Bales this time of year will be sub 20 DM, dawn to 15-17%. It's much harder to bale.

The DM in bales will be as low as 15-17% so 130-160kgs DM/bale. They are harder to handle and for ever kg of DM an animal eats they will take in they will take in 6kgs of water which during winter or a hard cold Spring will be only 6-8C. That liquid will be heated to body heat 38C before it is excreted.

Easten

Had a Cow go downhill very quickly over the last few days, seems that there just isn't the feed value in that leafy wet grass and it was just running through her. On top of which the calf on her is a more hungry in the wet cold weather. I have her housed and the calf removed. It could be an early housing for her as I don't think she'll build up again that quickly

Mooooo

May be no harm to take a dung sample from her, while the grass can cause it could be rumen fluke as well, vet has come across a few cases

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117973189#Comment_117973189

Whatever about them being able to take it, couldn’t see it being viable to give over 5lb nuts to weanlings on grass (I’m taking from your post that these are not weanlings you’ll be selling)

if they were mine, I’d be sticking with the 1.7kg. Only giving 2lb at present to my own and they’re doing fine.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117977282#Comment_117977282

Correct Teagasc did research the results were published last spring and anything over two kgs was a complete waste. Even the difference between 2kgs and 0kgs where the correct amount of minerals were did not really give an economic return. That was with 70-72 DMD silage. I go as you do 0.8kgs/ head/ day and top it up with bagged minerals so they are getting 20 grams/100 kgs

893bet

any link online for where to buy bagged minerals?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978544#Comment_117978544

I always found Agritech had good minerals.

https://agritech.ie/livestock-mineral-supplements/beef/welmin-beef/

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978599#Comment_117978599

Dairygold has good minerals as well. About 17/25kg bag

Who2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978155#Comment_117978155

They also stated in another article how even with high protein silage and two kilos of a 16% nut that weanlings were well below the required protein levels needed to maintain growth at optimum levels.

stores are different but I was always disappointed with weanlings that didn’t get at least 2kg over the winter.

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117979181#Comment_117979181

I priced them from dairygold like everything else gone up to E19/bag .I have 16 late calves never out about 160/180 kg will be feeding them 1.5 kg rolled barley and some soya .What amount of minerals per day roughly and what amount of soya anyone?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981148#Comment_117981148

Six parts barley to one part soya is about a 16 -17% protein ration.

It's usually written on the bag of minerals how much to give per animal

Good loser

6 x 11 + 1 x 48 = 114 /7 = 16.3% protein.

That is if barley is 11% protein.