Can ryegrass cause scours?

[CharleyCap]

Hi I got a central texas property about 40 miles east of waco. the property is only 40 acres of which about 20 is open for good grazing. I just planted 80% of that with perennial ryegrass. Tested the soil first, fertilzed it, I expect it to grow like crazy in this cool wet sand. Will buy may be 3 or 4 head of cattle and turn them out after it hits about 8".

What I am concerned about is giving is the cattle unbriddled access to that much rye 24/7. I live about an hour away. Conerned that much rye will make them scour. Has anyone had that problem ? like when its too much rye grass? from not enough native forage? Native forage is blue stem (I think), may be a little bit of native type of bahia of some kind, really just a lot of weeds I been mowing down, nothing that great. Thank you.

 

[Dave]

Young immature grass that breaks down quickly in the gut will cause them to squirt. That isn't scours. Scours is generally caused by bacteria although not all the time. Other times it is cause by a virus.

 

[sstterry]

Young immature grass that breaks down quickly in the gut will cause them to squirt. That isn't scours. Scours is generally caused by bacteria although not all the time. Other times it is cause by a virus.

Dave is right. You will notice this a lot when cattle are first turned out onto new pasture in the Spring.

 

[CharleyCap]

I apprecaite the help. I was going to turn them out in Decemember or early January. It wouldn't be spring but it new be very much a new very rich green pasture.

I live 2 hours away so it would pay me to hedge with doing anything from them getting the "squirts" woud a big round roll of coastal bermuda in a round hay disinser be a good idea...and how long would it take 4 young steers to eat that up?

 

[Brute 23]

I don't graze a lot of rye grass but I was always told to put out hay, even if poor quality, to balance out their diet. The other option is to put them in and out a few hours a day then back on dry pasture.

The other thing is to stay up on their salt and mineral since it may be going or the back end.

Hopefully others with more experience can confirm or deny.

 

[farmerjan]

We always make sure that any cattle are "full up" on some hay before turning them out to any lush pasture because the high water content of lush green grass of most sorts will cause it to go through them fast. If you cannot move them in and then out a few hours later... make sure they are full on some good hay ... so they will eat it good and not pick through it, then make the hay available when they are grazing. Once they get past the initial "gluttony" of the fresh grass, their gut tract will be more able to handle the grass and the microbes will digest it better.

 

[GoWyo]

I assume grass tetany can be an issue on lush rye the same as other types of pasture? I would keep some medium to low quality hay out for dry matter.

 

[greybeard]

Spring forage of just about any type will cause the squirts because it usually contains a higher amount of water than late spring thru summer grass. I always worried more about tetany than scours in the spring greenup because fast growing green gras is also notably deficient in magnesium and this causes grass tetany, a very fast acting illness you have to watch for every spring with a long list of forages. Feeding high mag mineral helps a lot.

 

[Lucky]

Yes and No. The rye grass will make them loose but I wouldn't say they'd have the scours and need to be doctored.

 

[CharleyCap]

thank you everyone. I will keep some costal Bermuda rolls of hay available for the first 4 weeks. see how it goes. I ran cattle many-many years ago as a teen, the cattle can not resist coastal hay so it will get ate. And thanks for tip about the minerals. I am looking forward to some grass & grain fed beef. thanks again

 

[BC]

You planted enough ryegrass to double the number of cattle. (40 acres / half open = 20 acres of which you planted 80% which would be 16 acres). You are going to have way more ryegrass next spring than you have mouths to consume it. That creates the problem of shading out your summer grass. What variety of ryegrass did you plant (TAMTBO, Nelson, Marshall, Prine, Jumbo, TAM90, Gulf)?

 

[CharleyCap]

You planted enough ryegrass to double the number of cattle. (40 acres / half open = 20 acres of which you planted 80% which would be 16 acres). You are going to have way more ryegrass next spring than you have mouths to consume it. That creates the problem of shading out your summer grass. What variety of ryegrass did you plant (TAMTBO, Nelson, Marshall, Prine, Jumbo, TAM90, Gulf)?

Thanks for that advice. Sounds like I can put some more beef out there.

I am cross fencing (8 to10 acres). In late February, I will make hay out of rye in that field. Then, I'm sprigging the same field with coastal Bermuda. Let the new Bermuda grass take a good foot hold. Then open that pasture back up. At least that's the plan.

My native grass by the way are mostly weeds and more weeds. I think it was overgrazed about 15-20 years ago. Wiped out any good grasses. So I tested the soils, fertilized. I will need to add some steers to make it worth the expense.

 

[greybeard]

You have no bahia? That's odd for your part of Texas.
My cows preferred bahia over everything else including coastal.

 

[Dave]

It is actually because the cell walls in the plants haven't hardened allowing the grass to break down faster. Take some very early young grass and make hay out of it. Also some over ripe stemy grass. Make hay out of it. Feed separately. Note the manure from each hay source. Being n hay they both have about the same water content. The cow pies from the early young grass will very flat nearly watery. Those from the over ripe grass will be piled high. The difference is in the maturity of the cell walls in the grass. Not the water content.

 

[CharleyCap]

You have no bahia? That's odd for your part of Texas.
My cows preferred bahia over everything else including coastal.

zoom in and see if you can identify thos plants I been mowing

 

[CharleyCap]

zoom in and see if you can identify thos plants I been mowing

the rye planted is perennial

 

[Hpacres440p]

zoom in and see if you can identify thos plants I been mowing

that's Bahia grass-the clumpy grasses at least.

 

[BC]

The reason I asked about varieties is because perennial ryegrass is a type not a variety. Many of the perennial types are turf type grasses. In Texas, all ryegrass will act as an annual because of our heat.

 

[greybeard]

that's Bahia grass-the clumpy grasses at least.

I'm not so sure about that. Missing, are the tall black seedheads that bahia is known for. Even in a last week's mown field, there should be at least a few and I looked at the picture close in zoom and didn't see any.
Should be some of these. 2 seedheads on each tall stem.


Dallis grass has almost the same black looking seed heads but more per stem, but dallis grass grows close to the ground, like crab grass..

 

[CharleyCap]

I'm not so sure about that. Missing, are the tall black seedheads that bahia is known for. Even in a last week's mown field, there should be at least a few and I looked at the picture close in zoom and didn't see any.
Should be some of these. 2 seedheads on each tall stem.
View attachment 37282

Dallis grass has almost the same black looking seed heads but more per stem, but dallis grass grows close to the ground, like crab grass..

bet thats what it is, its supper clumpy and does not want to spread out like most typical grasses. Wonder how good of forage that I have is?