Should I re-house my cows to prevent damage?

All good things must come to an end. As the weather deteriorates, the contemplation begins on whether or not farmers should continue grazing or put the cows in until this spell of wet weather is over.

Before considering either option, some questions need to be answered.

How much damage is being done?

Many farmers are known to panic when they see grazing damage being done and immediately house animals. But, it is always important to think before you act.

Every farm is different; some farms are more prone to poaching damage than others. In wet weather conditions like this, a certain amount of poaching damage is inevitable; but, it is knowing when enough is enough that is important.

According to Teagasc, initial poaching damage – unless severe – has very minimal effects on subsequent grass production, as perennial-ryegrass swards are well adapted to coping with poaching damage.

However, it is repeat poaching damage in subsequent rounds which can lower future grass growth rates by up to 20%.

In addition, because the poaching is being done now in the first rotation, it has a greater length of time to recover before the second round.

Have you met your grazing targets to date?

Many farmers have struggled to reach their grazing targets to date; this is mainly due to the exceptional growth rates over the winter and spring.

If your first rotation grazing targets are not met and, you are behind on reaching 60% grazed by magic day, you should consider using some grazing techniques to continue getting grass into the cows’ diet and increase the area grazed.

Grazing techniques:

On-off grazing;
Use spur roadways;
Strip graze paddocks;
Use a back fence.

Alternatively target drier paddocks, paddocks with lower covers or with multiple access points which have yet to be grazed.

Housing animals full-time will put a complete stop to the rotation and, if targets are not met, this will affect future grass growth rates in the subsequent rotation.

How much silage is left and what is the quality like?

Before housing animals you should examine your silage reserves. The past summer drought left a lot of farmers short on fodder going into the winter period; so farmers should be conscious of this before housing animals.

Silage quality was also an issue this spring due to poor harvests – in some cases – during the summer. If the animals are housed, they should be fed the highest-quality silage to avoid a rapid decrease in milk production.

Housing animals full-time will not only increase your production costs, it will decrease your milk production, as protein and lactose percentages are impacted. This happens as cows make the switch from a valuable grass sward to silage.

If the decision to house has been made, it is important to remember to let them back out again.

Although it may not feel like it, significant savings are being made from having cows out at grass rather than in the shed.