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Post by jlmissouri on May 31, 2014 8:51:32 GMT -5
I will not say the way I do it is the best, but it has worked for me. My cattle never leave pasture, the only time they are pulled in is when there is a lot of snow on the ground. Right before the grass started to green up they were rotated to a paddock with a lot of tall old grass that wasn't cut for hay or grazed last year. I have heard that it is like mixing the fresh grass with hay as the cattle can't help but get the cured standing hay with the fresh growth.
My goal is to lessen hay consumption, and I grazed a lot of ground this winter and was very successful using less hay this year than last year even with more cattle. I plan to only do one cutting of hay this year and let my large field grow back to be re-grazed all winter.
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Post by tressa on Jul 24, 2015 14:01:46 GMT -5
I have to use bloat blocks, never used to, but too much clover here and after almost losing one a few years ago, two blocks is a cheap investment. Mine just get out on grass when they can, I don't transition but the blocks have been down already a week or two before hand. Sad to say I have used a broadleaf weed killer a few times to try and keep the clover down, sad but have to. After the Spring flush I'm generally ok and remove the blocks. Carol Newbie question - what is a bloat block?
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Post by midhilldexters on Jul 24, 2015 14:38:14 GMT -5
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Jul 24, 2015 19:30:50 GMT -5
tressa, when there's a flush of fresh growth of legumes in the spring and sometimes in the fall, especially if it's wet, cattle can bloat eating it. Bloat blocks help prevent that, along with keeping them off the pasture, feeding them hay before letting them out, and not letting them on pasture until about noon when it dries out. If you do this for about a week, it helps them get accustomed to the pasture gradually. They can still bloat at any time and for other reasons, but that's the main time of the year that we use bloat blocks.
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