Update on rotational grazing

[Chapin81]

Hi everyone I want to give a big thank you! To everyone that gave feedback on how to get the cattle used to the temp poly wire and rotational grazing suggestions.

The first pic shows 42 days rest period.
And the other three pics show yesterday's grazing, today's grazing and the paddocks for the next 20 days or so.
I'm very excited to see how many more head we will be able to keep even during the summer months next year. Again a big thank you to everyone.

 

[anewcomer]

Are these cows dry? Utilization is very good, but I question the level of nutrition these cows are getting.

 

[Chapin81]

Are these cows dry? Utilization is very good, but I question the level of nutrition these cows are getting.

27 calves were weaned a few days ago. 7-8 months age range. Besides the forage, they eat they also receive mineral salts.

 

[Lucky_P]

I'm too old to be 'nice'.

That bare-ground photo is a paddock they just came off of?
If so, you're grazing them too hard for too long - unless that's just one day's decimation, in which case it'll recover with appropriate rest period.

Those cows look like BCS 2s... Depending on how long it took them to be pulled down to that level, I'd be anticipating a low breed-back percentage. At least it appears to be your growing season.
Around here those would be the 'February breaks 'em, March takes 'em' kind of cows.

 

[chaded]

I don't think I would be adding anymore cattle.......

 

[simme]

Is that grass or weeds in the last two pictures? They were definitely hungry yesterday and in poor condition. Looks to be overstocked. Need to re-evaluate stocking rate and rotation schedule. Minerals and salt are not nutrition.

 

[Little Joe]

Those broadleafs look like a weed, I might be wrong as I don't know what grasses your area grows. Those cows look like they need some groceries for sure. What is the brown in the second pic, never seen a paddock look quite like that after being grazed?

 

[Chapin81]

I'm too old to be 'nice'.

That bare-ground photo is a paddock they just came off of?
If so, you're grazing them too hard for too long - unless that's just one day's decimation, in which case it'll recover with appropriate rest period.

Those cows look like BCS 2s... Depending on how long it took them to be pulled down to that level, I'd be anticipating a low breed-back percentage. At least it appears to be your growing season.
Around here those would be the 'February breaks 'em, March takes 'em' kind of cows.

Hi Lucky,

The bare-ground photo looks that way because that specific area does not have a lot of grass growth due to continuous grazing for the past 13 years. , you can see some of the weeds left behind, but then again this isn't the greatest or clearest pic it also rained for a few days straight it got muddy if you look closely further behind you can see what they ate the grass down to the day before that paddock.
The first pic is where the cattle started Grazing 42 days ago from when the pic was taken, we are doing a paddock change every 24 hrs and we will go back to the first paddock in about 90-105 days. The cattle are thin but should gain the weight back soon, our cows get sucked dry literally once we wean the calves they gain their weight back. The other grasses in the open field have weeds as well but I think with proper management it should resolve itself or at least under control.

The photo I attached shows the same herd but a week earlier before the rains started.

The 2nd pic with the bull eating the grass is another herd but continuously grazing.

 

[SPH]

Where are you located at? That 1st picture is pretty good regrowth after around 6 weeks of rest and we would be thrilled with that kind of regrowth so not sure why your cattle look so thin . That 3rd picture I agree with Lucky_P those cows BCS are poor and you are either overstocked or not rotating off pasture soon enough. They look to be knee deep in grass or better in some of those photos.

We went through severe drought here this year and had creeks dry up on us that we had to haul water out to pasture we never had to before along with little regrowth on pastures we fall graze on. Our Hereford cows maintained their condition pretty well given the less than ideal conditions they had this summer and they definitely are not pampered as we likely won't set a bale of hay out until the first snow covers the ground.

 

[Chapin81]

Where are you located at? That 1st picture is pretty good regrowth after around 6 weeks of rest and we would be thrilled with that kind of regrowth so not sure why your cattle look so thin . That 3rd picture I agree with Lucky_P those cows BCS are poor and you are either overstocked or not rotating off pasture soon enough. They look to be knee deep in grass or better in some of those photos.

We went through severe drought here this year and had creeks dry up on us that we had to haul water out to pasture we never had to before along with little regrowth on pastures we fall graze on. Our Hereford cows maintained their condition pretty well given the less than ideal conditions they had this summer and they definitely are not pampered as we likely won't set a bale of hay out until the first snow covers the ground.

Hi SPH we are located in Guatemala on the northwest part of the country near the border with Mexico. Our climate is usually hot and sunny all year long, our dry months are from late March into late May or early June. I waiting to see what they look like in 2 months or so. I think if they are still thin then I can agree that it's the lack of nutrición with the grass. If they put on weight I'm going to assume it could be because the calves were sucking the life out of them, which if that's the case maybe our genetics suck, the place was upside down when I took over in Late December/January.

 

[andybob]

Hi SPH we are located in Guatemala on the northwest part of the country near the border with Mexico. Our climate is usually hot and sunny all year long, our dry months are from late March into late May or early June. I waiting to see what they look like in 2 months or so. I think if they are still thin then I can agree that it's the lack of nutrición with the grass. If they put on weight I'm going to assume it could be because the calves were sucking the life out of them, which if that's the case maybe our genetics suck, the place was upside down when I took over in Late December/January.

Have you read Johann Zietsman's book? (Now also available in spanish) When we were in Zimbabwe/Rhodesia he was doing three moves per day over a calculated days worth of grazing, but the right genetics are crucial to the success of high density grazing, here is a link to one of his articles - https://sangacattle.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/3169124-grass-feeding-a-whole-new-ballgame- Here is a link to the three day workshop -https://sangacattle.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/18906811-sustainable-ranching

 

[Huntet02]

Hi everyone I want to give a big thank you! To everyone that gave feedback on how to get the cattle used to the temp poly wire and rotational grazing suggestions.

The first pic shows 42 days rest period.
And the other three pics show yesterday's grazing, today's grazing and the paddocks for the next 20 days or so.
I'm very excited to see how many more head we will be able to keep even during the summer months next year. Again a big thank you to everyone.

Do did u start rotational grazing just recently in winter? Try Facebook page Regenerative grazing group loads of Q&A there that I have used. Pics look great: I went to start setting my poles in ground 4 wks ago and ground so dry could not get into ground so I'm gonna wait until next spring. But I've only got 10head on 40 acres and I've also got 3 additional smaller pasture I can let grow while they winter on my 40.

 

[Chapin81]

Have you read Johann Zietsman's book? (Now also available in spanish) When we were in Zimbabwe/Rhodesia he was doing three moves per day over a calculated days worth of grazing, but the right genetics are crucial to the success of high density grazing, here is a link to one of his articles - https://sangacattle.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/3169124-grass-feeding-a-whole-new-ballgame- Here is a link to the three day workshop -https://sangacattle.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/18906811-sustainable-ranching

Thanks for the info! Greatly appreciated!

 

[Chapin81]

Do did u start rotational grazing just recently in winter? Try Facebook page Regenerative grazing group loads of Q&A there that I have used. Pics look great: I went to start setting my poles in ground 4 wks ago and ground so dry could not get into ground so I'm gonna wait until next spring. But I've only got 10head on 40 acres and I've also got 3 additional smaller pasture I can let grow while they winter on my 40.

We started Mid September which is still "rain" season. The hurricanes in the area have helped plenty with growth. My objective is to carry at least double the carrying capacity we have now and not have to worry about supplemental hay or silage for the dry season, which really take a toll on our cattle. I hope come summer time we won't have to sell anything except our steers.

 

[kenny thomas]

Remember everyone, almost all of us are in a totally different world than he is describing. Very different cows also. He is making a great effort and I feel it will get better. Took me years and he only started in September.

 

[Chapin81]

Remember everyone, almost all of us are in a totally different world than he is describing. Very different cows also. He is making a great effort and I feel it will get better. Took me years and he only started in September.

Yes Kenny you are right. Thanks for good vibes!

 

[andybob]

Thanks for the info! Greatly appreciated!

I see the video link did not work here is a retry https://sangacattle.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/18906811-sustainable-ranching

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

@Chapin81 - good job getting your paddocks in. It will help out tremendously in the future. Speaking of the future, next year, when the calves are nursing, watch the BCS of your cows. You don't want them to get below 4. If they are not able to hold their weight with the calves nursing, you might think about weaning a little earlier. Here is a description of BCS (Body Condition Score)

Body Condition Scoring of Beef Cows - Oklahoma State University

How to understand the relationship between body condition score and re-breeding efficiency in beef cows and what the different body condition scores look like.

extension.okstate.edu

 

[Chapin81]

@Chapin81 - good job getting your paddocks in. It will help out tremendously in the future. Speaking of the future, next year, when the calves are nursing, watch the BCS of your cows. You don't want them to get below 4. If they are not able to hold their weight with the calves nursing, you might think about weaning a little earlier. Here is a description of BCS (Body Condition Score)

Body Condition Scoring of Beef Cows - Oklahoma State University

How to understand the relationship between body condition score and re-breeding efficiency in beef cows and what the different body condition scores look like.

extension.okstate.edu

Jeanne Thanks a million!

 

[SPH]

Hi SPH we are located in Guatemala on the northwest part of the country near the border with Mexico. Our climate is usually hot and sunny all year long, our dry months are from late March into late May or early June. I waiting to see what they look like in 2 months or so. I think if they are still thin then I can agree that it's the lack of nutrición with the grass. If they put on weight I'm going to assume it could be because the calves were sucking the life out of them, which if that's the case maybe our genetics suck, the place was upside down when I took over in Late December/January.

Well that explains a lot, I am not going to be critical of your practices as we can't even compare your environment to ours in the upper midwest of US. Even within the US I think some of us lose sight on how much environment can impact performance of cattle and how we select genetics and make management decisions. You can put the same cow in the panhandle of Oklahoma or Texas or on the range in Montana or Wyoming or in the upper midwest in Iowa or Minnesota and the same cow probably would not duplicate results in each of them unless she had time to adapt to the new environment and management style or was born and raised there. We visited a large operation in Wyoming a few years ago who had purchased several semi loads of cattle from another big operation in Oklahoma that had to disperse due to a bad drought and they said they had to manage those cows in their own group for a year before they integrated them into the rest of their herd and even after doing that still had to cull a lot of cows that could not adapt to the new environment.

One lesson I have learned over the years is keep an open mind and be willing to adjust. There is not a "one size fits all" way to succeed in the cattle industry.