Grazing thru the snow ???

[Stocker Steve]

I still have my bred heifers out on pasture. I have not tried grazing this late before, and we are having a very cold December with about 14" of soft snow so far. Drifts are crotch deep. The best fescue and OG mix is on a south facing slope, but the heifers are hanging in the low meadows most of the time. They don't go to the Richie water every day. It appears that their priority is staying out of the wind.

When you drive past the neighbor feeding corn silage and up to my well house, they just stand and watch - - not bellowing or complaining or running to the gate. I was concerned about them getting enough feed - - but as long as they don't lose too much condition is there any potential problem with this set up?

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I don't see a problem with it as long as they stay in good shape.

 

[snake67]

We do a lot of this at home.

They will graze up to their eyeballs in soft snow - as long as there is good feed in the snow - if it crusts break it with a skidoo or ride a couple horses over it.

They are not worried about water as they are eating snow.

When they start to tuck in their tails or hunch their backs and hang their heads down it will be time to move them or feed them. In fact once you do this enough you will know the day before it happens - just watch them and be ready to move them or feed them. If you get behind on them it will take all winter to catch up.

Cheers

Bez

 

[sim.-ang.king]

They would much rather eat grass then dry hay, even if they have to work for it. My heifers have been grazing out in the snow with a layer of ice underneath. They started out walking the pasture eating the clumps that were exposed, and now that it's got above freezing they are getting more of the stuff underneath as the ice melts during the day. Did give them some hay while it was in the single digits, just for some added fill.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I usually graze through a little snow with no issues. This year we got about 6" of snow then some rain then really cold within 2 days so that first 6" setup like cement and there was no way an animal could graze through it so we moved them close and started feeding hay. Now a couple weeks later there is 2-3+ feet on the ground and they can't even walk through it let alone graze through it so moving them close was a good decision. But if your snow conditions allow for it then just keep an eye on them, if they are like my animals when they start getting hungry they will let you know.

I agree with Bez whatever you do don't let them start losing condition because its hard to get them to recover.

 

[Aaron]

Sounds like everything is working out perfectly for you at this point in time. I'm almost tempted to open the gates and let the girls go back out into the fields myself. I've got the same amount of snow as you and I'm actually spoiling mine. :shock:

 

[Stocker Steve]

I talked to the heifers, and they said the grazing was OK since it was too cold for wet snow or sleet or ice - - but that their asses were cold. So I gave them a corn stock bale for Christmas on the SE side of a rock pile. I must be getting soft in this Holiday Season...

Merry Christmas, Steve

 

[Stocker Steve]

Had a two day melt, and then some -32 F in the forecast, so I pulled them off the winter pasture. We had to use snowmobiles to move them to the corral. :cowboy: Still a lot of feed out there but I did not think they would do well grazing through the ice.

 

[BettyLandercasper]

You could leave them out there and unroll a round bale on the snow. Put a new one out every few days.
It doesn't make a mess and they eat almost all of it that way. If you have a little hill the bales unroll themselves.