grazing corn

[Maple Leaf Angus]

If there is no cob or very little you wouldn't have much feed value. Even good silage need good cobs to make it worth while feeding.

I had cows get into the corn one time in September and lost one from grain overload. How do you break them in with that much grain available?

 

[cowzilla]

Thanks guys..Seems to be easy enough to seed.


Next question ..What are you putting on for fertilizer(actual) , herbicide

Corn likes lots N K and P but to cut down on fert exspence I try to put most of my corn on ground I spread manure on from feedlot plus I feed my cows on that ground most of the winter. I use a bale shredder and feed in a different spot each day to get an even spread on the manure. Otherwise you would likely need 80- 100lbs of nitrigen 50+lbs of phosphate and 30-50 of potash for a good crop of corn. If you can get the cows to do most of the harvesting and manure spreading it makes growing corn a lot more profitable :!:

 

[JD6320]

If there is no cob or very little you wouldn't have much feed value. Even good silage need good cobs to make it worth while feeding.

I had cows get into the corn one time in September and lost one from grain overload. How do you break them in with that much grain available?

MLA,

Strip graze them electric fence so they eat the whole plant

Tom

 

[frenchie]

Thanks guys..Seems to be easy enough to seed.


Next question ..What are you putting on for fertilizer(actual) , herbicide

Corn likes lots N K and P but to cut down on fert exspence I try to put most of my corn on ground I spread manure on from feedlot plus I feed my cows on that ground most of the winter. I use a bale shredder and feed in a different spot each day to get an even spread on the manure. Otherwise you would likely need 80- 100lbs of nitrigen 50+lbs of phosphate and 30-50 of potash for a good crop of corn. If you can get the cows to do most of the harvesting and manure spreading it makes growing corn a lot more profitable :!:

Sounds like a plan....Anyone here zero-till corn.

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

Frenchie,

There was a neighbor last year that tried putting his corn in no-till ground and he had a poor crop. We worked ours twice got it in good shape and had a heck of a good crop with no man made fertilizer only good ole liquid hog manure.

 

[frenchie]

Frenchie,

There was a neighbor last year that tried putting his corn in no-till ground and he had a poor crop. We worked ours twice got it in good shape and had a heck of a good crop with no man made fertilizer only good ole liquid hog manure.

That stuff sure works well. raising your own pigs or got a deal with a mega barn.?

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

Theres a big hog barn right next to a quarter I rent from them. They injected it last spring and we planted corn on it. Wow!! 12 ft tall and 147RFV. Cattle love it!!!

 

[jigs]

when fencing off the corn, is there a rule of thumb for the pairs/ acre to keep them from bloating?

 

[Andy]

I have heard that an acre should feed upto 350 cows per day. Sounds like a lot but in 100 bushel corn that is 16 puonds of corn a day.

 

[cowsense]

We're pretty far north but there are producers using corn for winter grazing- producers are using newer varieties selected for lower heat growing units. These are more of a forage or silage type that produce larger forage levels and only a limited amount of cob. Most producers are using electric fencing to form paddocks that provide 2-3 days of feed with the cows moving on when desired level of cleanup is reached. I'm hearing anywhere from 175- 240 cow units per dryland acre production in this country although an early killing frost in 04 really cut production. While a good yield will feed a lot of cows at a very reasonable cost many producers tend to shy away because of the considerable expense to grow ( $140-170 per acre-seed,chem. & fert.). Some feel that they can winter cows on cereal swathgrazing and/or stockpiled grass as long as snow conditions allow at a competitive or cheaper price!

 

[Bruce C]

The Baldrige site has a Manual available That is free and really helpful on how much to feed per day Remember that 25000 plants per acre will be near 7000 pounds of grain or 1/3 pound per plant and you may get grain overload at as little as 20 pounds the first few days I try to limit the first week to not more than 30 or 40 plants per pair with free choice grass . Most days the cows will have this eaten in under 2 hours -Cobs will be gone in 15 to 20 minutes. They should eat stocks to 6 inches of the ground if green and about a foot after frost Ask for the Manual http://www.baldridgehybrids.com/CONTACT.htm
BruceC

 

[Kato]

We had 150 pairs on ours for about three weeks. Then we weaned the calves and turned out another 70 cows. Seventy five acres lasted just about exactly 75 days.

We allow them three days on the average. This way they have to eat it all. Say you give them enough for five days, they will eat almost exclusively cobs for the first couple of days, and then just have stalks after that. That's what can lead to grain overload. Besides it forces them to clean it right up.

 

[Jason]

I've never tried actual corn but you guys make me want to.

I grew some sorgum sudan grass one year, it looks like corn. I seeded in June and the cows ate every fibre of it over the winter. I tried to bale some, but 150 pound small squares wasn't my idea of fun. It made about 2&1/2 feet tall before frost, some say it would go to 7 with enough heat units.

 

[frenchie]

Jason Try 9 :lol:

 

[Jason]

How much will it grow in semi arid conditions?

I'd need a ladder to see 7 feet let alone 9

 

[Manitoba_Rancher]

Frenchie,

You are sure right there. I grew it about 4 years ago and it was kinda dry here during the summer. It grew to about 12 ft high. I cut it with the haybine and the neighbors that saw me out there cutting it said it reminded them of a dozer going through a group of trees. They couldnt see the tractor and haybine on the other side but they could see the stalks going down. :shock: :shock: :shock: I got about 4 round bales to the acre off of it. Was real happy!! The next year I swath grazed some of it in the fall and the cows loved it. It doesnt do well if the ground is cold though.

 

[frenchie]

How much will it grow in semi arid conditions?

I can,t tell you..Our climates are different.

 

[frenchie]

Frenchie,

You are sure right there. I grew it about 4 years ago and it was kinda dry here during the summer. It grew to about 12 ft high. I cut it with the haybine and the neighbors that saw me out there cutting it said it reminded them of a dozer going through a group of trees. They couldnt see the tractor and haybine on the other side but they could see the stalks going down. :shock: :shock: :shock: I got about 4 round bales to the acre off of it. Was real happy!! The next year I swath grazed some of it in the fall and the cows loved it. It doesnt do well if the ground is cold though.

M.R it sure gets the neighbors talking :lol: