pasture

[bpatterson]

New to having cattle on pasture when do I know when to start feeding hay. I live in central Indiana it's growing like crazy now but will soon be done.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Rather than have it picked down to the dirt, I like to leave some cover going into winter. Grass will benefit from it next year. So now that I'm into fall I'm going thru my final rotation, they'll pick it down a fair amount and then be shut out of it, so it has a bit of time to regrow this month and prepare for winter.

 

[skyhightree1]

Rather than have it picked down to the dirt, I like to leave some cover going into winter. quote]

If my cattle are on the same spot for the winter there would be none left for cover over the winter. Mine will eat it to the dirt even with supplying all the hay and grain they can take.

 

[Supa Dexta]

I don't leave my cattle in pastures.. Lots or sacrifice areas.

 

[ClinchValley]

Rather than have it picked down to the dirt, I like to leave some cover going into winter. quote]

If my cattle are on the same spot for the winter there would be none left for cover over the winter. Mine will eat it to the dirt even with supplying all the hay and grain they can take.

Same here.

Sky - Do you rotate which pasture you feed in throughout winter?

I wintered in the same pasture last year. They destroyed it. They brought the fertility up some. In the end I do believe they helped the pasture. But it sure took it a while to bounce back.

 

[skyhightree1]

Rather than have it picked down to the dirt, I like to leave some cover going into winter. quote]

If my cattle are on the same spot for the winter there would be none left for cover over the winter. Mine will eat it to the dirt even with supplying all the hay and grain they can take.

Same here.

Sky - Do you rotate which pasture you feed in throughout winter?

I wintered in the same pasture last year. They destroyed it. They brought the fertility up some. In the end I do believe they helped the pasture. But it sure took it a while to bounce back.

I rotate my cattle until all grass is gone then bring them all back to two farms where they stay till spring. I feed in the same spots and they do mess up those areas. I try to keep them in the same spots if not same spot cause it gets too bad atleast same general area. Yea they do help. I use to fix those spots and replant each year all I do now is use the box blade fix the areas and wait till the next winter. If extremely wet I only give them a certain amount of pasture and cut it off by one electric wire so the whole thing isn't full of potholes. :lol:

 

[ga.prime]

If you put out a roll of hay and they eat that instead of grass, it's time to start feeding hay. In the spring, when you put out a roll of hay and it goes uneaten, then it's time to quit feeding hay.

 

[kilroy60]

If you put out a roll of hay and they eat that instead of grass, it's time to start feeding hay. In the spring, when you put out a roll of hay and it goes uneaten, then it's time to quit feeding hay.

Same here.

 

[True Grit Farms]

If you put out a roll of hay and they eat that instead of grass, it's time to start feeding hay. In the spring, when you put out a roll of hay and it goes uneaten, then it's time to quit feeding hay.

Same here.

Around here we make the cows eat the grass before a frost comes. A bag or two of range cubes dumped in the pasture you want ate down works wonders. Grass and hay is in short supply here. So the cows are going to eat the pasture to the dirt before they get any hay. And as soon as the cows come off the chewed down pasture I'll drill the winter grazing.

 

[ga.prime]

With unlimited opportunity, I've never had cows eat coastal bermuda to the dirt. Not even close to the dirt.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

I rotate mine through winter but we do unroll hay. Doesn't create muddy feeding areas, less waste, improves the soil and seeds the pasture. Like gaprime said, put a roll out, if they don't mess with it, its not time.

I have a hay spear on my truck, installed a receiver hitch on the front and made a hay unroller very similar to this one in the link. It has been the best thing since sliced bred!

http://www.progressiveforage.com/fo...ssissippi-rancher-uses-homemade-bale-unroller

 

[ClinchValley]

I rotate mine through winter but we do unroll hay. Doesn't create muddy feeding areas, less waste, improves the soil and seeds the pasture. Like gaprime said, put a roll out, if they don't mess with it, its not time.

I have a hay spear on my truck, installed a receiver hitch on the front and made a hay unroller very similar to this one in the link. It has been the best thing since sliced bred!

http://www.progressiveforage.com/fo...ssissippi-rancher-uses-homemade-bale-unroller

Pretty darn neat! I thought about trying winter rotating. Some of our pasture needs help. Feeding all over and unrolling seems like the most efficient road to correction.

Can you tell much year to year? Far as fertility and thickness are concerned?

 

[True Grit Farms]

This is what my bahia looks like, and the cows have been off of it for 3 days. I'm going to drill it Tuesday and then put the cows on it for a few days to help walk the seed in.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

I rotate mine through winter but we do unroll hay. Doesn't create muddy feeding areas, less waste, improves the soil and seeds the pasture. Like gaprime said, put a roll out, if they don't mess with it, its not time.

I have a hay spear on my truck, installed a receiver hitch on the front and made a hay unroller very similar to this one in the link. It has been the best thing since sliced bred!

http://www.progressiveforage.com/fo...ssissippi-rancher-uses-homemade-bale-unroller

Pretty darn neat! I thought about trying winter rotating. Some of our pasture needs help. Feeding all over and unrolling seems like the most efficient road to correction.

Can you tell much year to year? Far as fertility and thickness are concerned?

With out a doubt, were we unroll it gets better every year. Pastures get thicker and also brings in a lot of other grasses into the pasture. For instance, our pastures are mainly fescue. Now we have Bermuda and many other heat tolerant grasses in the pasture from hay alone. It has improved the stand significantly and keeps getting better year after year. Only way I feed hay and would highly recommend it. My uncle lives in east TN, quite hilly there, he feeds the same way except he just gives them a push down the hill and they unroll themselves.

 

[skyhightree1]

I don't unroll it. I don't have any problems with thick pastures and since most of the orchard grass has died out its pretty much all fescue.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

I don't unroll it. I don't have any problems with thick pastures and since most of the orchard grass has died out its pretty much all fescue.

I also don't have problems with thick pastures, but it will improve your pastures none the less.

 

[collegeboundgal]

Unrolling it also allows all cattle to eat at the same time, keeps the manure spread out and keeps them from muddying up one spot. They clean it up nicely as we only unroll the amount they'll eat in a day. If bad weather is coming, we will unroll more and be okay with wasted hay. My husband made a rear bale spike that rotates so we can unroll as we drive forward. It's a lot easier when we both can feed, but not impossible if we are alone.

 

[ClinchValley]

Well, I do have problem with thin stands of grass on the front half of the farm…due to high stocking for years and no one knowing how to shut a gate. Wintered on the front half using feeders every year on top of that. I know for a fact it was continuously grazed for the last 50 years or so. Never a break. No use of Lime. No fertilizer. No nothing. Same for hay fields. No nothing except take take take.

Rotating pastures alone has made a big difference. Thicker grass and more fertile soil are what i constantly am thinking about.

Last winter i pushed a roll off and it went didn't start unrolling until the bottom of the hill . It ended up across the road. Had to patch the neighbor's fence as well as mine. Just gotta make sure its started coming apart before the final push.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, I do have problem with thin stands of grass on the front half of the farm…due to high stocking for years and no one knowing how to shut a gate. Wintered on the front half using feeders every year on top of that. I know for a fact it was continuously grazed for the last 50 years or so. Never a break. No use of Lime. No fertilizer. No nothing. Same for hay fields. No nothing except take take take.

Rotating pastures alone has made a big difference. Thicker grass and more fertile soil are what i constantly am thinking about.

Last winter i pushed a roll off and it went didn't start unrolling until the bottom of the hill . It ended up across the road. Had to patch the neighbor's fence as well as mine. Just gotta make sure its started coming apart before the final push.

OOPS done that a time or two....

 

[greybeard]

I rotate mine through winter but we do unroll hay. Doesn't create muddy feeding areas, less waste, improves the soil and seeds the pasture. Like gaprime said, put a roll out, if they don't mess with it, its not time.

I have a hay spear on my truck, installed a receiver hitch on the front and made a hay unroller very similar to this one in the link. It has been the best thing since sliced bred!

http://www.progressiveforage.com/fo...ssissippi-rancher-uses-homemade-bale-unroller

That's pretty good--got a pic of yours?
In hard ground, is it possible to unroll a bale with a 4 wheeler using a setup similar to that or not enough traction?