Brand new - looking for any advice/help

[thistlewick]

Going to be starting up a hobby enterprise - just for me and my partner, we're retired. Just 1 Jersey Cow/calf operation (and a few chickens)

I have 2 pastures of 3 acres each to let her have her way with (I have more land than that much 1 cow/calf only needs so much! haha)

I live in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Was wondering if a loafing shed was enough for her to comfortably calve in or if I needed a little barn? Our weather is fairly mild.

Also was wondering how often I'd need to move her from one pasture to another, since 3 acres is quite big for one cow/calf.

Any advice is welcomed -- and please ask any questions if you need more information. Thank you so much for any replies!

 

[Dsth]

Welcome to the CT forum. hope you enjoy your time on here. A loafing shed would be suitable for shelter and calving as long as it is clean and dry for calving. some type of holding area for various reasons (vet, vaccinations, calving problems) is almost a must also. I wouldn't worry too much about rotating pastures unless you get more cattle. probably a good idea to mow one pasture down when the grass gets tall to let new growth restart and let her and calf graze the other until you mow that one. Is your cow already bred back or what is your plan for rebreeding?

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Hello Miss Thistle. Please see your private message

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Going to be starting up a hobby enterprise - just for me and my partner, we're retired. Just 1 Jersey Cow/calf operation (and a few chickens)

I have 2 pastures of 3 acres each to let her have her way with (I have more land than that much 1 cow/calf only needs so much! haha)

I live in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Was wondering if a loafing shed was enough for her to comfortably calve in or if I needed a little barn? Our weather is fairly mild.

Also was wondering how often I'd need to move her from one pasture to another, since 3 acres is quite big for one cow/calf.

Any advice is welcomed -- and please ask any questions if you need more information. Thank you so much for any replies!

Welcome to Cattle today! It would be good to know the kind of grass that you have. With only 1 cow/calf pair and ultimately 6 acres to graze on, you aren't going to have any concerns about overgrazing, not really even if you never rotate your cow. Typically I tell producers to develop a 5 pasture rotation system allowing livestock to graze a pasture for a week and never graze it closer than 3 inches, and then rest each pasture for 4 weeks between grazings. Do watch the grass height to ensure spot grazing isint occurring and heights get shorter than 3. I don't expect that to happen. Do make sure that an excessive amount of seedheads aren't produced by your grass pastures. A couple reasons for this. First, grass growth slows down (less production) if it occurs. I'd say this isn't a big deal to you. However, plants get a little coarser and less palatible and lower in nutrition in older, more mature (seedhead producing) individual plants. Also, and more important, you probably have tall fescue. It's a double-edged sword. Its one of the most durable and productive cool-season sod producing forage grasses you can have (It's a good thing). It also contains an endophyte (the 'wild, Kentucky 31 variety) that is going to be the variety you have. This endophyte is present throughout the plant but is most likely to reach problematic concentrations in seedheads. So, what would do, is I would graze a pasture for two weeks and on the day you move the cow to the other pasture, mow the pastureyou just moved the cow OUT OF, to a 4 inch height. This will remove any forming seedheads and allow for removal of less edible forage and result in regeneration of fresh forage (more nutritious) when cows are rotated back into the pasture 2 weeks later.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Welcome!

Hope to see your animals soon. Sounds like your gonna have plenty grass

 

[4hfarms]

Remember there is the 30 day life cycle or worms. The rason to rotate isnt only food!

 

[SBMF 2015]

Welcome to CT!
Lots of good folks and good information here.

 

[coachg]

Unless you have a lot of snow or severe cold you really don't need a loafing shed if you have shade or a place to get out of the wind . If you want to provide one I'm sure your cow(s) will use it .

 

[thistlewick]

Welcome to Cattle today! It would be good to know the kind of grass that you have. With only 1 cow/calf pair and ultimately 6 acres to graze on, you aren't going to have any concerns about overgrazing, not really even if you never rotate your cow. Typically I tell producers to develop a 5 pasture rotation system allowing livestock to graze a pasture for a week and never graze it closer than 3 inches, and then rest each pasture for 4 weeks between grazings. Do watch the grass height to ensure spot grazing isint occurring and heights get shorter than 3. I don't expect that to happen. Do make sure that an excessive amount of seedheads aren't produced by your grass pastures. A couple reasons for this. First, grass growth slows down (less production) if it occurs. I'd say this isn't a big deal to you. However, plants get a little coarser and less palatible and lower in nutrition in older, more mature (seedhead producing) individual plants. Also, and more important, you probably have tall fescue. It's a double-edged sword. Its one of the most durable and productive cool-season sod producing forage grasses you can have (It's a good thing). It also contains an endophyte (the 'wild, Kentucky 31 variety) that is going to be the variety you have. This endophyte is present throughout the plant but is most likely to reach problematic concentrations in seedheads. So, what would do, is I would graze a pasture for two weeks and on the day you move the cow to the other pasture, mow the pastureyou just moved the cow OUT OF, to a 4 inch height. This will remove any forming seedheads and allow for removal of less edible forage and result in regeneration of fresh forage (more nutritious) when cows are rotated back into the pasture 2 weeks later.

Thank you Mark! This is nearly the exact same advice I just received from a young lady running an Ag program at NC State who I reached out via email - she had not got back to me initially and this is why I posted the question(s) here but she did just yesterday and said very much this same thing! We do indeed have tall Fescue.

Was just out mowing down the weeds yesterday (we don't have our cow yet, still in the planning stages but I am getting closer than ever to getting serious and ready to start (still need to find out if our local livestock auction even sells or bothers with dairy cows!)) and was wondering this exact thing, what level do I put my bushhog on to get it to prime regrowth height?! haha!

Unless you have a lot of snow or severe cold you really don't need a loafing shed if you have shade or a place to get out of the wind . If you want to provide one I'm sure your cow(s) will use it .

My pastures are in full sun - and only get some shade in the late afternoon in one section of each. So I suppose we need one - we can get one we can move I suppose to save some $$

Welcome to the CT forum. hope you enjoy your time on here. A loafing shed would be suitable for shelter and calving as long as it is clean and dry for calving. some type of holding area for various reasons (vet, vaccinations, calving problems) is almost a must also. I wouldn't worry too much about rotating pastures unless you get more cattle. probably a good idea to mow one pasture down when the grass gets tall to let new growth restart and let her and calf graze the other until you mow that one. Is your cow already bred back or what is your plan for rebreeding?

When I first bought this land, my neighbor (who wanted to buy the land but I won the bid, eeeek lol) used to come by and visit -- he is a cattle rancher and we talked a little about my plans for rebreeding, his advice was to hire someone to inseminate her every year because in his words "you do NOT want to worry yourself about a bull" LOL

I figured when I bought the cow, I'd get her with a calf already or pregnant and then worry about that later when the time came.


Thank you *everyone* for all the lovely replies!!