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Pasture managment

P

pup72501

Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2008
Messages
9
Location
North Central Arkansas
I have a small acreage and have trouble with cows not eating around thier manure and it grows up so I have to bushog more often than needed...any suggestions? I have heard that donkeys would work but worry about how much they consume....
 
You might try some extra crossfencing and rotating out of it more often to see if letting it rest for a few weeks will make them eat it better when they get back on it. The dung beetles work mine over pretty quick this time of year. It's usually gone within a few days. Everybody needs a good crop of dung beetles.

But too much grass is a good problem to have. If resting it longer doesn't work, I think I'd try putting more cattle on it instead of blowing diesel smoke over it. I'd rather have cattle working for me instead of me working for them.
 
I agree with what Texan said, and you could also try to keep in mind that where ever that grass is growing back - just like around the manure - it's a good thing! If it's growing back, you are accomplishing something. I would strongly suggest you not mow that grass, and to be honest I can't understand why you would. Be patient, give Mother Nature time, and as the manure breaks down, the nitrogen levels will drop in those spots where the dung has been. As the soil improves over time, you will have lush pasture, with a wide diversity of species, and as long as you don't graze it down like carpet, or mow it continuously, you'll be doing fine.
 
Cows are not going to eat around their manure unless they are starving...they will eat the bark off of trees first. What you have is a case of over grazing. If there is mature grass that isn't being grazed that isn't next to manure piles, then you're not also over stocked. Try what Texan and PC suggest...you will be amazed at what two weeks of rest(no grazing) will do for your pasture. Three or four weeks would be better. Feed some hay until you get the pasture back in shape.
 
That is called the Ring of Repugnance and cows WILL NOT eat it.

Once you cross fence and get them away from that area....slightly plow all that up.

You don't have to plow to China....just enough to break up the cow piles.
 
Well I'm not sure what you mean by plow, even lightly, but around here that would certainly mean destroying the grass.

What some do is pull a chain harrow over the field after it has been grazed and that will break up the cow pies.

However, I have not seen anyone do it if they are running any amount of cattle or acres as the beetles usually do the job for them.

Did your cattle get Ivomec before they went to grass? If they did, that can have a residual effect that kills the worms and beetles that should be in the soil doing their work of breaking down the patties.
 
Well I'm sure not the most knowledgeable about this but I would guess that they will regenerate on their own over the course of the year as the residual ivermectin level decreases in the animal.

This spring I used Dectomax for parasites before turnout as it is said to have less harmful effects on the ground bugs and beetles. Someone recommended that using Dectomax in the spring and Ivomec in the fall willhelp maintain bug levels and reduce eventual product resistance.

But I'm sure no expert on the matter and am only going by what someone in the field told me.

Does anyone else have input on this?
 
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/dungbeetle.html
Dung beetle larvae are susceptible to some insecticides used for fly and internal parasite control for cattle. Ivermectin (Ivomec and Doramectin) injectable, used at the recommended dose, reduced survival of the young of two species for 1 to 2 weeks in a study done by Dr. Fincher. Ivermectin pour-on reduced survival of the larvae for 1 to 3 weeks. Most detrimental was Ivermectin administered as a bolus, with effects lasting up to 20 weeks. Discontinuing the use of this type of insecticide will help increase your population of dung beetles.
 
We try not to use anything in the spring in order to protect the beetles and bugs. Insecticide in late fall after the bugs are hibernating. How do you handle the parasite load Eco?
 
I am going to weigh in on this. Bear in mind that we live in a
semi-arid part of the country.

De-worming in the spring in our area is a waste of money.
It takes temperature and moisture for worms to propagate;
therefore strategic worming for us is late June; otherwise
the cattle are not infected with worms that early in the season.

Perhaps you can run a fecal and find out if worms
are present early in the spring. If they aren't, and I'm betting
your cattle aren't infected yet when you live in the north; (Arkansas
could be a different story--but I still would run a fecal)
you are spending money for nothing; and harming the dung beetles.

Another thing we have found in running fecals; young cattle are
definitely more susceptible than older animals as their immune
system isn't as good as in an older animal.

FWIW
 
Our cattle are split into groups so we will treat one group at a time. You will see a drop in the amount of dung beetles but it's not as bad. We use diatomaceous earth when possible but most years we use a poor on if needed.
 

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