Any trick to moving cows to pasture in spring?

[Deberosa]

It's time for Daisy and T-Bone to move to the new pasture we created for them. There is lots of grass and brush in this new area.

My question is do I need to still provide some hay for a while? Or do they just start to graze full time right away? They've been getting only grass hay all winter.

I have a few flakes left that I can give them for a day or two - not sure if they just take to grazing real stuff full time or not...

I'll also be providing the same mineral block for them in the pasture and plenty of water of course.

Thanks,

Debbie

[AlchemyAcres]

It's a good idea to keep them on the hay for a while and not turn them into the pasture hungry.
Let the rumen adjust slowly.


~Martin

[Deberosa]

I got them settled into their new place. I gave them some hay and gave Daisy a treat of sweet feed. They seem to be adjusting just fine - it's a huge area for them and lots of brush and trees to explore.

Getting them there was a challenge! Daisy was easy, but then T-Bone started bawling - but wouldn't let us lead her - even get close so she had to be hearded from one end of the property to the other - with Mom bawling in the distance!

They seem to be doing fine now.

[Drawbar]

Well that is good news. I guess I am a bit late getting onto this thread but I did not think you would have a problem getting your cows to eat in their new pasture. I live in Maine so the snow is half melted and yet the grass is greening up. The good thing about cattle is that they may graze right down to the ground when the grass is not fully grown, but they don't ruin the pasture. Yeah it might take more time for overgrazed pastures to recover, but its better then sheep.

Sheep are different in that when they run short on grass, they can pull the grass up out of the ground and literally destroy a good pasture. You have to keep a lot closer eye on sheep, and let the grass get ahead before you turn them loose on a Spring Pasture.

Heck 1947 was known as the year Maine burned. Back then sheep were a big part of agriculture (my family included) and sheep grazed everywhere. Well after a nasty drought, the sheep overgrazed and then the forest fires started. The overgrazed sheep pastures had a huge impact on the amount of devastation those fires caused. There were other causes as well, but sheep had an impact (no offense to sheep of course...nice creatures, just graze different that's all. )

If you do decide to graze your livestock on early pastures, just be careful you don't have any trees you want saved. When food is in short supply, cows will go for anything green, including the buds on trees. Still pastures will be really in high gear from now until June (in Maine anyway) and the cattle will do a lot better on fresh grass then nasty old dried out hay.

[Deberosa]

Thanks for the info. What I am hoping is she will eat the brush and trees in that area, then the large ones can just take over.

Right now they are still not happy. I am giving them one flake of leftover hay in the morning where they used to get two flakes in the morning and two in the evening. There is alot of mooing going on at dinner time for her hay, even as she stands in an acre of grass and brush!

I go out a few times a day and give her a small treat so she will get used to coming to the gate when I call. But she is still expecting dinner to be served - then goes off and browses like she is supposed to. ;-)

[Drawbar]

Well that sounds like my 20 month old daughter too...well we don't give her a flake of hay though :) :) :)

[bookwormom]

you got them spoiled Debbie.
ours have access to hay but have been able to forage what they could all winter, mostly sawbriar, which has green leaves in winter, and honey suckle. Now they hardly eat any hay.

[Deberosa]

Yes, they are spoiled but yesterday she discovered Bushes! Yeah. No mooing this morning but I took a bit of hay out to her anyhow since I have it left now. I did peek out and see her munching on huckleberry bushes and there are lots of them in her area.

I don't want her too shocked since she is very pregnant.