What signs do you look for before you put cows out on pastur

[Ohio Cowboy]

Just got a new pasture lease and im wondering what everyone looks for before they turn them out for the season. Its not all green yet and there are some wet spots so I was thinking wait like another week or two. Then on another hand if I turn them out now does it help reduce the chance of bloat ?

 

[Richardin52]

Well now that depends. Are you planning on moving the cattle daily? or just put them out there and leave them?

If you are moving you cattle you will get double or triple the production

Spring grass will always have a low Leaf area index (L.A.I.) so move them often.

Do not put cattle on spring grass until it has growth of at least eight inches at this point the L.A.I. is still low so move the animals quickly and let the area recover more before regrazing. A good rule of thumb is not to put cattle on a plot until there are at least three or four leaves on each grass plant.

When you see shaded areas in your field you have 65 to 70% interception of solar energy

Stay in phase 2 for best management, grazing at twelve inches down to no less than 4 inches (the bottom size of phase 2) and never graze to phase 1. A good rule of thumb is graze ½ leave ½. Grazing to phase 1 will add 15 days to the regrowth period and you will lose 30% of pasture productivity.

The size your paddocks will determine on how long it will take for animals to graze it down to that level however if you leave the cattle on a paddock too long they start to graze the new growth which will stunt the plants root and its ability to regrow. Because of this it's best to move cattle every day and never leave them on a paddock for more than three days. Operating in a pasture that is using a 60% solar utilization rate is twice as productive as a pasture in a 30% utilization rate. (twice as much food is produced!)

 

[Ohio Cowboy]

Well as of now I havent decided. It is currently on big pasture. Total of about 30 acres.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

The old timers rule of thumb around here is wait until you can see the tops of the grass moving with the wind before turning the cows out.

 

[Jogeephus]

May sound silly or sarcastic but the first thing I do is look to be sure the back gate is shut before I put them in another pasture. I've learned this is more important than you might think.

 

[Ohio Cowboy]

May sound silly or sarcastic but the first thing I do is look to be sure the back gate is shut before I put them in another pasture. I've learned this is more important than you might think.

Very true. It can be a gate used only once and for some reason any type of livestock will find their way out quick.....

 

[Kscattle]

A lot will depend on the grass that's in there and how hard it was grazed the year before. I like to graze fescue early. I also found another pasture but they mowed it for hay, and there's a lot of grass around the trees and brush to feed them for a while. I turned em on it this week. I normally wait till it's as tall as the wheel on your truck when driving around the fences. Depends a lot on how hard you plan on grazing it.