Just turned my cow out into a stockpiled fescue field that will probably last 45-60 days. I have mineral tubs w/hig mag placed around the pasture. The bull will be turned out in a few days. I have never saved pasture back for this purpose, I usually bale it. Does anyone on here do this with fall bred cows and if so do you have good conception rates. I don't have any hay out for them yet as I am trying to save it for later. The fescue is about 10-12 inches tall. I hope this works well, I have read about it in various places and have been told that the protein in the fescue is very high. Any thoughts appreciated.
stockpiled fescue pasture
- Thread starter Devin
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We do, but we're calving now and bulls don't go in til February. I enjoy watching the cows eat grass while neighbors are feeding hay. We had a dry year, two groups will probably run out this week while the others have a good while left. Think it's also better to calve out on the grass than have the little ones exposed to all the muck and bugs around the feed rings.
cfpinz
cfpinz
We graze stockpiled fescue. You'll utilize it more fully if you strip graze it. We do rotational grazing during the summer and on the fall/winter grazing we don't manage the grazing so intensively, but allow about a month's grazing at a time. Here in southern Ohio we start grazing ours around Thanksgiving and end around the end of Feb. That works for us since the fescue will last that long for us and allow us to bring the cows closer to the calving area just as the fescue runs out.
Weaver
Well-known member
Stockpiling fescue has worked out really well for us. We usually graze fescue until somewhere around the end of January and feed hay then until the grass grows. The last five years we have averaged anywhere from 1/2 -1 round bale per cow for the winter. It works well for us.
hayray
Well-known member
I am going to do it this winter for the second straight year. Not much fescue up here but I have a winter pasture that I started leasing last year that has a bunch of it. It holds its value a lot better than orchard grass, In November last year it tested out at around 11% protein and by mid December it was at 6%, which for up here is pretty good. I can graze it until the snow gets too deep. I also supplemented with a couple pounds of roasted beans a day once protein dropped, as I have fall calvers dropping calves right now. If it works up here in Michigan it sure seems like it should work for all you Southerners.
Outrigger2
Well-known member
i wish i had some stockpiled fescue, but.....no rain. 
Cabo
Well-known member
Same here, if I had put out nitrogen it would have just evaporated, have done way too much of that this past year. Glad you folks have some good winter grazing.
I have stockpiled fescue for years. The past three years I have fed no hay. I put out 60 lbs. of N/acre and only feed a little corn on extremely cold, wet nights. My fescue is KY 31 and fungus infected. The cows thrive on it.
I've done it both ways, sometimes in the same year. However, I feel it is more feasible for me to topdress in the fall since it eliminates my need for hay. I have more wasted forage if I topdress in Feb/March since it grows faster than the cows can graze it. It loses quality quicker in the spring than in the fall, so stockpiling in Sept.-late November works for me.dj":mgr85hsz said:
