Fescue Question

[aplusmnt]

We have a large amount of fescue in the fields. I know if animals are not use to fescue it takes some time for them to do good on it, if they ever do.

My question is if you graze fescue for the most part, when you buy hay would it be better to keep them on Fescue hay to keep them going good on it? Or would there be any difference in say feeding Bermuda hay and then grazing on the fescue?

 

[dun]

Stop me in you've heard this before, but it depends on the cows. There is more of a palatability issue then nutritional when it comes to changing forage types.
Fescue hay is better if it's fed earlier in the winter rather then when the extreme cold weather hit's. This year it hasn;t really matterd much because it's been so mild, plus our cows are used to the stuff. When I've tried to feed bermuda hay the majority of the cows would rather eat dried leaves and brush then eat the bermuda, but they'll jump right on a bale of fescue, OG, or prairie hay. Got a bunch of Timothy one year, that stuff was a joke as far as the cows were concerned. Maybe it was to fine to be to their liking.
Probably didn't answer the question

dun

 

[alacattleman]

I would be more concerned the other way around if you dont have fescue foot are there tail switch dont fall off you will be ok ;-)

 

[K-SHIRES]

dun - Timothy is nothing but straw unless it's cut B4 a head forms. Not much in it.

 

[aplusmnt]

I would be more concerned the other way around if you dont have fescue foot are there tail switch dont fall off you will be ok ;-)

What does fescue foot look like?

 

[dun]

I would be more concerned the other way around if you dont have fescue foot are there tail switch dont fall off you will be ok ;-)

What does fescue foot look like?

It doesn;t really look like anything. Normally no swelling, they're just very sore footed. Tend to lay around, gimp on all 4 feet, etc.

dun

 

[aplusmnt]

I would be more concerned the other way around if you dont have fescue foot are there tail switch dont fall off you will be ok ;-)

What does fescue foot look like?

It doesn;t really look like anything. Normally no swelling, they're just very sore footed. Tend to lay around, gimp on all 4 feet, etc.

dun

Thanks Dun! Better make sure I know all the fescue problems since we have so much of it.

 

[dun]

I would be more concerned the other way around if you dont have fescue foot are there tail switch dont fall off you will be ok ;-)

What does fescue foot look like?

It doesn;t really look like anything. Normally no swelling, they're just very sore footed. Tend to lay around, gimp on all 4 feet, etc.

dun

Thanks Dun! Better make sure I know all the fescue problems since we have so much of it.

Just dilute it with other grasses or legumes and you probably won;t have any noticable problems.

dun

 

[DoubleK]

Aplus

There are literally hundreds of thousands of cattle on fescue and doing ok. Yes, I know that other grasses are better but, the reality is, fescue is everywhere and not going anywhere anytime soon.

Check with your local feed mill because there are a lot of supplements that are cost effective to overcome the endophyte problems associated with fescue.

Dub

 

[alacattleman]

well too me it a low maintenance high yeilding cool season grass. as its dyeing back the dallis grass is coming on. hate to be without either. also with the fescue foot you will see them standing in ponds are water holes sort of like founder.

 

[dun]

The reason I said noticable is beacuse you won;t be able to detect the possible decrease in milk or weaning weight. When we over seeded clover into straight fescue our weaning weights went up an average of 25 lbs per calf. Haven't grazed any fields that weren;t fescue so I don;t know how much they may have gone up if the fescue wasn;t involved.

dun

 

[MikeC]

I would be more concerned the other way around if you dont have fescue foot are there tail switch dont fall off you will be ok ;-)

What does fescue foot look like?

I have seen the foot rot completely off in cows who had nothing but fescue to eat. Just above the hoofline will erupt and start bleeding and the hoof eventually sloughed off. Tails too.

This was back before the fungus was identified and everyone was planting it. Like Dun said. Dilution... and taking them off when the seedheads begin to form is the key.

 

[J. T.]

I bought a bunch of cows several years ago and there was an Angus in the group that had half a tail. Called her Bobtail. My vet said she probably lost it due to fescue foot.
Fescue is the most common grass in north Alabama. I attended a field day at the Upper Coastal Plain Substation a few years back. The supt. said most of their research in the ' 50's was done on cotton. In the '70's it was soybeans. Now the largest crop by acreage in north Alabama is tall fescue and that's the crop the majority of their research is performed on.
I can't afford to rid my farm of KY 31 infected fescue, so I encourage dallisgrass, bermuda, bahia, and crabgrass. Fertilizing in summer or late spring aids in keeping summer grasses in the mix. Also, from what I've seen on my farm, Brahman influenced cattle do better on fescue than other breeds.

 

[salemhigh]

cattle grazing fescue are never going to do good on it unless there is a very low percent of fungus 5% or less ,they might seem to be doing good but you put the same cows on a different grass and you will see a difference,a lot in the heat of summer. Now you can put clover red or white in a fescue stand for very little money and make a lot of difference in summer slump as we have called it for years.Also when feeding fescue hay bale it as immature as possible for quality hay,as the seed head is where most of the fungus is and also lower in quality

 

[aplusmnt]

When you plant white clover it is a one time thing? Or clover one that needs planted every year?

 

[Caustic Burno]

When you plant white clover it is a one time thing? Or clover one that needs planted every year?

Here aplus it will reseed but if you planted 10 acres of red you will get about 5 acres next year and about 2 1/2 the next.
S-1 white dutch does well and spreads but I would not think it would perform in your enviroment.

 

[salemhigh]

i always seed clover in early feb. each year,this way its always there and still cheaper than nitrate,,,1 pound of regal or ocseola white clover,and 3 pounds cinnamon plus red clover, keeps grazing during hot and cold weather