Pasturing oats?

[kickinbull]

We planted oats in late aug. They are up about 10-12 inches. I have been giving the cows a strip a day. Just enough to clip, but not grub. I was hoping to conserve on the hay and silage once they went on the oats. But that's not the deal. They still want that too after filling up on the oats. Is it possible that the oats should be more mature for the cows to get the benifit? TIA

 

[novatech]

The young oats will probably be pretty high in protein. The hay may balance it out. Maybe the cows know this. Cattle seem to have a sense as to what they need.

 

[1982vett]

If you have a lesser quality of hay this is the time to try to get them to eat it. As novatech said, the oats is high protien. Cows with the squirts are not utilizing all the value of the abundant protien and they still need roughage to scratch their belly. Kind of slow up the squirts. It will make the oats go farther also.

High protien oats pasture + low protien hay = satisfied cow.

 

[bigbull338]

you say your stripe grazing the oats.are you allowing the cows to graze all day.or just graze 2 or 3hrs an them ddrive them out an close the gate.we always control grazed our cows on wheat pasture.we would let them graze 2 or 3hrs.then drive them out an shut the gate.cows will always want to eat some if you give it to them.

 

[TexasBred]

We planted oats in late aug. They are up about 10-12 inches. I have been giving the cows a strip a day. Just enough to clip, but not grub. I was hoping to conserve on the hay and silage once they went on the oats. But that's not the deal. They still want that too after filling up on the oats. Is it possible that the oats should be more mature for the cows to get the benifit? TIA

Put the cattle on the oat grazing for an hour or two everyday and pull them off and make the hay available. They're getting a lot of protein from the oat grazing but very little dry matter to fill them up. The oats are probalby 85% moisture and it's hard to stretch hay with water.