Summer grass - be careful

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:27 pm

How much hay or haylage does one of your dexter cows consume over the winter? ......that's to anyone

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Martin · Post by **Martin** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:41 pm

I used to give my cows half a bale of hay a day when they where inside. These where non shorts on the limit of size for Dexters. They came out of winter in as good a condition as they went in.

bjreroberts · Post by **bjreroberts** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:33 pm

I also work on half a bale per animal through winter.

carole · Post by **carole** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:58 pm

Interesting question Clive and very pertinent to the moment. We have managed to get 240 round bales off the cropping ground which is around 11 bales to the acre.

The herd is around 50 stock with all included, calfs, heifers, cows and steers, we now have more stock and more haylage than ever, but how much will I need to go from November till May. Will there be any spare.

Any comments

Carole

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:31 pm

Well what I have worked out is that mine eat, over a 5 month wintering-in period, 4 big round bales of haylage each. Yes, that's about 1.5 tonnes (or more) of forage EACH....greedy little devils!!! 1/2 a small bale a day of hay (according to my calculator), is very roughly the same. Obviously they may be kept in longer or shorter or partially in and out, but if they're in for 5 months that's what mine gobble their way through. Amazing really.

Basically, I'll have about 90-100 adult (or near adults) in this winter, plus about 30-40 calves at various stages, and they will eat 600 large round bales of haylage. If it's hay, they consume a bit more in terms of bales, but a bit less in terms of weight.

Hope I got my figures right, just had a glass of wine. This is all VERY rough.

According to my book on keeping cattle, if you breed with nature, i.e. calves to be born when the grass grows, you dramatically reduce your forage requirements because the cows requirements double when they give birth.

Anyhow, got so much grass this time they can eat what they want but I am thinking of going to May calving instead of all over the place.

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Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:32 am

Carole - I think you'll use about 1 - 1.5 round bales a day and your 240 bales should be about right for the 5 months.

My 600 bale figure will also feed 350 ewes and some fat lambs as well. For my dexter herd alone, 120-130 in total inc calves, I would plan on 500-550 big round bales with none to spare left over.

Post by **Mark Bowles** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:42 am

Carole, i think i have the same numbers as you, averaging 50 head altogether including calves at foot. I usually use one and a half 4.5ft square bales a day of haylage or hay.
I try to leave them out as long as possible before housing, until the ground shows signs of suffering, that way i can keep my straw costs down.
Usually turn out on early grass, end March /beginning of April

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:51 pm

So that all means that an adult dexter eats about 10 kg of forage a day. Presumably they eat the same amount in grass when they're out, so that's a total of 3.65 tonnes of grass or forage a year! Or about 7-10 times it's own body weight each year.

Wow!

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:22 am

Clive,
if you want to calve to grass you would be better calving in April if your grass growth is expected to 'peak' in May, a calves demand for milk is less in the first week or so than later on when it is more active.
My plan is to move to January/February calving mainly because I hope to be able to make time to do a bit of showing. Also, when cows go out to grass at the end of March calves will make good use of the extra flush of grass.

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:53 am

I find it very frightening that people are often told that Dexters don't need much to eat!!!

I was out last night at dog agility and one of the ladies heard I had Dexters. "Oh yes I used to have them," she said, "they aren't supposed to eat much but they do!" She seemed quite affronted that the poor dears had required sustenance!!! When I gently pointed out that their requirements would have been less than that of a full sized cow she did agree but had obviously expected the Dexters she had owned to live on fresh air - poor things.

We must all be sure to tell any new people thinking of buying any of our Dexters how much to expect them to eat, or else they may not be going to such a nice home as we think!

Stephanie

davidw · Post by **davidw** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:14 pm

And don't forget that they like to drink as well. Mine were grazing an orchard with a temporary trough fed by a hose. They drained the trough twice daily

mike skelton · Post by **mike skelton** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:02 am

Every time i go to make hay either the the weather is not quite right or i have the smallholders problem that the contractors want to do larger fields of local dairy farmers.
I'm seriously considering setting myself up to do my own but hey ho the cost!
It would definately help if i had a larger tractor that could handle large bales as contractors who provide small bale services seem to be getting fewer and fewer.

Clive of broomcroft . I can recommend a good red wine as your posting of 26/06/09 indicates the one you had was very rough. Oh well i thought it was funny.

mike

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:17 am

We still have 55 acres standing and as with you Mike, every time I think there's an opportunity, the forecast changes back to rain again. I'm now planning cutting next week, when there appears to be a small break in the weather, and I'll wrap the lot within 24-48 hours.

We've got hay dealers around here that will deliver big square bales, the prices are reasonable and quality acceptable to good. They will also deliver and unload even if we're not here. A delivery is 27 big square bales 8' x 4' x 2', which is equivalent to about 250 small bales at a guess? You can peel off from the big bales and we find that they're nearly as good as small ones in that respect once you get used to it. We buy hay in like this for horses. I wouldn't buy round bale hay, it always seems to be moldy in the middle.

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Martin · Post by **Martin** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:04 pm

I attended a farm sale at the weekend and bumped into an aquaintence that makes and supplies a lot of hay in the area, I was already with a couple of friends that make and sell quite a bit. The four of us there chatting and the subject of price cropped up, all agreed that hay would be expensive this year with estimates of yields down by up to 40%. Quotes for conventional bales of good meadow hay are £3.25 a bale now, and talk was of further price increases and of looking after present customers with none to spare for those that have not secured their supply yet.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 1:07 pm

I've just walked my fields again and in the valleys the grass is ruined and rotted. So it'll be staying where it is and just left to decompose.

Interestingly, where there is lots of Timothy, it looks much better because the Timothy stands erect even when it's tall. It even holds up other grasses. So, even low only of moderate feed value, I will be stitching in more of this next year to try and get a more erect crop.

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