Hay or Pasture ???

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Nowland Farms

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Folks, This is my 1st post to these boards and I need some advise regarding feeding hay or grazing the pasture. I have been watching the post for several weeks now and greatly enjoy the comments. I have learned a lot from "ya'll" already.

I am trying to determine if I should be grazing my cattle on my pasture and feeding hay in the late winter or feed the hay now and then graze the pasture later. I am hoping your experience can assist in making this decision.

Here are the facts:
-Farm located in NE Alabama, which has mild winters.
-I have been raising cattle for 3-4 years
-At this time, I have a 12 head (1 bull, 7 cows, 4 calves & 3 calves due soon)
-Cattle are Angus Registered (9) and Commercial (3)
-Bull and Cows are 3-4 years old; calves are 2-4 months old.
-Pastures are- 15 acres=MaxQ Fescue, 7 acres=Costal Bermuda, 2 acres=general grass (mostly Centiepede)
-Cattle condition is 7 or better
-Cattle get range pellets or sweet feed a few times a week to keep them corral friendly
-Other than free choice Ultralyx Minerals and 40% protein Tub, they get noting else.
-I have plenty of Costal Bermuda hay and MaxQ Fungus free Fescue hay stored in barn

Last year (2004), I sprayed and killed everything in the 15 acre pasture, re-planted with MaxQ Fungus Free Fescue. This grass has done well since we have had a good wet summer. This fall I fertilized the MaxQ and plan to fertilize again around late February or early March.

I need you assistance in determining if I should allow the cows to graze the MaxQ now & supplement with hay -OR- feed them hay now & then turn them into the pasture later in the winter. The MaxQ grass is really holding up well.

Your input will be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I will have more questions. I'm trying to learn all I can.

Thanks
 
Would it be possible to give them free choice hay now and turn them in the fescue pasture for a few hours each day?

Or maybe put up a creep gate and let the calves go in at will.
 
Mike,

Thanks.

Yes I can do that since I work out of my house full time.

I usually check the cows around 7am, noon and then right before dark. I should be able to let them in the pasture around noon and graze it until dark. I could put them back in the Costal Bermuda pasture overnight and until noon the next day.

I'm not sure about the creep gate for the calves, they like to stay close to their Mamma so they don't missing anything at feeding time.
 
For sure you will have much more grass than needed next spring, but it will be kind of slow to grow until about Feb.

Besides, laying on it, crapping on it, and the such will harm it too.
 
Nowland Farms,

Sounds like you know what your doing already. (BCS 7, plenty of hay, Max Q)

Can you seperate the cows once the've calved and put only them in the grass? Sounds like you have plenty of wiggle room (BCS 7), but once the cows start milking their gonna need a lot more groceries for the calves, themselves, and to get rebred.
 
Nowland

I would reccommend grazing the coastal first, then the native? grass & the fescue last. Reasoning is: coastal will loose quality quickest, native warm season grasses less quickly, and fescue maintains winter quality the best. As the hay is in the barn it should be fed after all grass has been grazed. If you feed hay while grazing, your cows will not graze but wait and bawl until more hay is fed. To further stretch your grass it can be strip grazed. This prevents the cows from walking, pooping and peeing on an excessive amount of grass prior to it being grazed. I would save as much barn hay as possible, because there will come a time when you will be glad you have it.

Sounds like your cows are in excellent condition. Just remember, fat is a beef cows nutritional savings account. The Good Lord gave them the ability the store fat in the good (spring/summer)times to use in the lean (fall/winter) times.

I would't want my cows accounts get too overly full at the expense of my personal bank account.

Regards

Brock
 

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