Grazing alfalfas

[BlondeD]

Anybody with good success in grazing alfalfa.......about a 30% mix in recently planted novel fescue, orchard grass and some prerennial rye. Intend to strip graze with limited access....but a work still in progress

 

[Stocker Steve]

No .

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Alfalfa grazing works, but you need to be extremely careful for bloat. Not sure if you get much freezing in TN, but it is extremely bad if it gets a frost.
In Upstate NY, we had a field with a "patch" of about 2 acres of Alfalfa. I turned cowherd into the pasture about 10 am after morning dew dried (we get heavy dew). After lunch, I took a walk thru them. Had 1 dead, 2 down bloated and most all the herd showed bloat. So ... I am extremely wary of Alfalfa.

 

[Redgully]

If you can turn it to hay it loses its bloating properties. We had a patch and used to turn them out there for fifteen minutes and then take them off but the blighters figured that out and it became too much of a game to get them off. In the end we let paspalum grow through it and no worries anymore.

 

[Silver]

I like to wait until after a killing frost to let the cows on the regrowth alfalfa / brome / Timothy hay fields in the fall, but that doesn’t always happen. Seems like one in awhile we lose one, generally a good calf, but not often. You don’t want to let them in on empty stomachs to start, and if there is dry grass or if you put out a dry bale they tend to self medicate.
I put alfalfa in all my grazing mixes, it just doesn’t last really well.

 

[wbvs58]

Lucerne is what we call it. I put a trial patch of about 1 acre in about 3 years ago, it has been incredible, we have been in pretty bad drought and it has died off several times but keeps coming back starts to look green about 5 days after any rain. I can't kill it, I have a bit that I planted with grasses several years ago, the fescue and rye have long disappeared and I have sprayed the paddock out a couple of times but the lucerne just keeps reappearing. My pure stand I find that the cattle don't seem that fussed on it and will browse other stuff further down that paddock before getting onto the lucerne and then they just seem to pick at it.

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

Alfalfa grazing works, but you need to be extremely careful for bloat. Not sure if you get much freezing in TN, but it is extremely bad if it gets a frost.
In Upstate NY, we had a field with a "patch" of about 2 acres of Alfalfa. I turned cowherd into the pasture about 10 am after morning dew dried (we get heavy dew). After lunch, I took a walk thru them. Had 1 dead, 2 down bloated and most all the herd showed bloat. So ... I am extremely wary of Alfalfa.

Yes! Years ago one of our bulls got out & was grazing the alfalfa - and bloated. Got to him to the vet in time but it was a scary learning experience.

 

[Aaron]

If you can turn it to hay it loses its bloating properties. We had a patch and used to turn them out there for fifteen minutes and then take them off but the blighters figured that out and it became too much of a game to get them off. In the end we let paspalum grow through it and no worries anymore.

Dry alfalfa hay will still cause bloat. Wrapped alfalfa will not.

 

[Stocker Steve]

The "Queen of Forages" is a bitch.

 

[Redgully]

If you can turn it to hay it loses its bloating properties. We had a patch and used to turn them out there for fifteen minutes and then take them off but the blighters figured that out and it became too much of a game to get them off. In the end we let paspalum grow through it and no worries anymore.

Dry alfalfa hay will still cause bloat. Wrapped alfalfa will not.

Interesting i have never had dry alfalfa hay cause bloat, feel a bit nervous now.

 

[Silver]

If you can turn it to hay it loses its bloating properties. We had a patch and used to turn them out there for fifteen minutes and then take them off but the blighters figured that out and it became too much of a game to get them off. In the end we let paspalum grow through it and no worries anymore.

Dry alfalfa hay will still cause bloat. Wrapped alfalfa will not.

Interesting i have never had dry alfalfa hay cause bloat, feel a bit nervous now.

I haven’t either. I think it’s more likely in a straight alfalfa second or third cutting sort of a deal. And I have almost no experience with second cuts lol

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have lost more to alfalfa hay bloat than to pasture bloat. Usually it is a big pig of a feeder. Char Xs are extra bad that way. Been tempted to carry a K bar during the back grounding season.

 

[Aaron]

If you can turn it to hay it loses its bloating properties. We had a patch and used to turn them out there for fifteen minutes and then take them off but the blighters figured that out and it became too much of a game to get them off. In the end we let paspalum grow through it and no worries anymore.

Dry alfalfa hay will still cause bloat. Wrapped alfalfa will not.

Interesting i have never had dry alfalfa hay cause bloat, feel a bit nervous now.

If you are under a certain percentage of alfalfa in the hay, your ok. But I can't remember the percentage. You can get away with higher percentages if you mix a fair amount of non-bloat legumes in the mix to get the condensed tannin content higher.

Lost 2 big stout 900 lb steers in spring of 1998 to bloat on alfalfa hay which was newer seeding and the percentage on the first cut was at least 50%, maybe 60%. After that, I figured the gain wasn't worth the potential losses. Some people claim to have good luck with alfalfa, and then you drive around behind their barn and see the dead pile. :lol: :shock:

 

[W.B.]

Feeding rumensin can be a big help in preventing bloat as it is a feed limiter.

 

[Dave]

Bicarbonate Soda mixed in with the minerals will help a lot. Start it a week or two before turning them out. Lots of alfalfa hay gets fed around here. Just never hear of bloat from that.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Generally the bloaters are your best animals because they are the biggest eaters.