Creep Pasture

[aplusmnt]

Just read an interesting article about using a creep pasture of higher quality grass for the calves. An alternative to creep feed which is getting higher and higher in price as we speak.

Anyone out there utilize this management tool?

 

[Brute 23]

What would be considered a creep pasture?

I use one hot wire to fence off hay patches. The calves always go out there and graze. Works out good both ways.

 

[dun]

What would be considered a creep pasture?

I use one hot wire to fence off hay patches. The calves always go out there and graze. Works out good both ways.

We do the same thing but call i "forward grazing"

 

[MikeC]

I have a couple of creep gates that I use for allowing calves to graze a pasture and to keep the cows out.

Works good. At first you have to let the cows go in along with the calves but after 2-3 times the calves will find their way in thruough the creep gate.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I have a couple of creep gates that I use for allowing calves to graze a pasture and to keep the cows out.

Works good. At first you have to let the cows go in along with the calves but after 2-3 times the calves will find their way in thruough the creep gate.

Good idea to creep on higher quality forage, I got just the spot for a couple of these.

 

[Chris H]

We do that. My husband complains 'the calves went under the fence and are in the next paddock', I remind him that we're practicing 'creep grazing'. :lol:

The only bad thing is if you use a single wire to divide paddocks and the calves graze ahead, the calves get used to ducking & running under the single wire. The only way to break them of the habit is to confine them with multiple strand electric fences for a period of time until they are quite a bit bigger. Our weanling pastures all have multiple wires and by the time they become yearlings and go out to breeding pasture most will respect the single wire.

 

[Sir Loin]

Re: Creep pasture

Anyone out there utilize this management tool?

Been doing it for as long as I can remember when ever we have cross fencing.

It works best when you place the creep gate next to the gate the whole herd would normally use to go from pasture to pasture. And that way it will only require one extra wooden post and post hole.

If your cattle are trained to follow your truck, just drive to the creep gate, open it and put a bucket of feed on the other side of the creep gate out of reach of the cows and the calves will go right through.
Also, if you are feeding hay to the whole herd feed it near the open creep gate and put a little on the other side and the calves will go right through for the hay also.

In addition, if you need to, or want to, you can do supplementary feeding (feed or hay) of your calves only, in addition to giving them your best pasture first.
SL

 

[MikeC]

It works best when you place the creep gate next to the gate the whole herd would normally use to go from pasture to pasture. And that way it will only require one extra wooden post and post hole.

I use the very same gate the cows use. My "Creep Gates" are like panels that can be moved from opening to opening with a set of chains and latches to attach them on each end.

Why have an extra opening?

 

[dun]

It works best when you place the creep gate next to the gate the whole herd would normally use to go from pasture to pasture. And that way it will only require one extra wooden post and post hole.

I use the very same gate the cows use. My "Creep Gates" are like panels that can be moved from opening to opening with a set of chains and latches to attach them on each end.

Why have an extra opening?

I have those too. The only time we use them anymore is when I want to sort off the calves. I head everyone towards it and the calves go through and the cows turn back. Close the regular gate and the job is done.

 

[aplusmnt]

Re: Creep pasture

Anyone out there utilize this management tool?

Been doing it for as long as I can remember when ever we have cross fencing.

It works best when you place the creep gate next to the gate the whole herd would normally use to go from pasture to pasture. And that way it will only require one extra wooden post and post hole.

If your cattle are trained to follow your truck, just drive to the creep gate, open it and put a bucket of feed on the other side of the creep gate out of reach of the cows and the calves will go right through.
Also, if you are feeding hay to the whole herd feed it near the open creep gate and put a little on the other side and the calves will go right through for the hay also.

In addition, if you need to, or want to, you can do supplementary feeding (feed or hay) of your calves only, in addition to giving them your best pasture first.
SL

I like this idea of using it with hay. Especially for fall born calves, you could offer them a higher quality hay than the rest of the herd.

 

[Sir Loin]

Re:

Why have an extra opening?

I guess my dad just found it easer that way when you only had one water source and wanted to graze several ( 4 or more) pastures at once.

During the growing season we use to run an extra 20 to 40 feeder calves with the cows with calves on 4 different pastures at the same time.
All the calves had the run of the whole place, while the cows were used as clean up and followed the calves a pasture at a time.
Plus we had all the rough cut oak 2X4 and 2X6s we wanted, which were cheaper then pre made gates.
When at all possible the extra creep gate post was put out from the hinged end of the main gate to add added support of the main gate hinge post.

It would look like this:
Fence – Post ______main gate________ post_creep gate_post - fence
SL

 

[Beefy]

heck weve been creep grazing for years. in oldern times we called it 'gettin out'.

 

[aplusmnt]

heck weve been creep grazing for years. in oldern times we called it 'gettin out'.

:lol: :lol:

I guess we do it also. The fence going into the yard around the house is lacking a lot in quality. One spot the calves can step through some times you walk out the door and a couple calves are eating up the yard.

As a matter of a fact once i replace the fence I think I will put a creep gate into the yard so the calves can do my mowing for me

 

[Jim62]

I tried that one year, using a hot wire raised up a little above the normal height. The only lasting effect I saw was that you raise a pretty nice calf who can not be contained by a fence of any kind. Even multiple hot wires don't slow them down much--they'll figure out a way to get through it.

 

[aplusmnt]

I tried that one year, using a hot wire raised up a little above the normal height. The only lasting effect I saw was that you raise a pretty nice calf who can not be contained by a fence of any kind. Even multiple hot wires don't slow them down much--they'll figure out a way to get through it.

Might be the creep panels that Mike talked about would be the way to go then.