Cows as lawnmowers~ who does it and do you have advice for me?

[Cheryl aka JM]

I've got a lot of area we call "Lawn" than I try to keep mowed but don't really do such a good job keeping up! So when I got the calves I had it in the back of my mind to use them as lawnmowers. Double duty~ they do the lawn mowing and they get fed. We don't use any chemicals on the "Lawn" area's~ it's just areas that have not been fenced in~ or between fences and the long driveway. But all together there is at least an acre~ maybe as much as two acres that need to be "mowed" in the summer.

So just now I went out there~ gathered up the babies (4 month olds bottle babies~ weaned). I tied everyone to a different T post~ two have cable ties to thier halters, two just have a rope to their halter~ and put out buckets of approx 3 gallons of water where everyone could reach.

We've already spilled out water repeatedly.
The grass just out of our reach apparently looks more appealing than the grass with out reach
I'm a little concerned about the ones tied without a tree for shade

So~ here are my questions:
1. Is a 3 gallon bucket enough...........and is it okay if I put it almost out of reach so we don't wrap our tie out around it every 30 seconds?

2. How long should I leave a calf tied to one area? Until it is nicely clipped or should I limit it to an hour here and an hour over there?

3. I'm not planning on leaving them tied out for very long today as this is our first try at it........but how long is a good amount of time to tie a calf out for a lawnmower chore in areas where there is no shade?

4. Anything else you can think of I need to know? (I do know not to leave the house/property while they are tied out so they won't get tangled up with no one here to rescue them)

[Farm 36]

I use two different methods one is electric fence and move them as a group. I use portable poly wire and reel with step in post or I pound a t post and throw a ring around the post and put a light but strong chain 8 ft long and a chain around the neck MUST HAVE A GOOD SWIVEL BY THE NECK CHAIN and put the 5 gal bucket close to the outside of the circle if they spill it I fill it later . I know It should be full all the time but some cattle on pasture have to walk a long way so they only get water once or twice a day

[oneokie]

What is the temperature and heat index in your location? That is important in determining how long to leave them out.

Place the water buckets next to the posts that they are tied to. If possible, tie the bucket to the post. 3 gallons of water should be enough for 4 hours.

As to how long to leave them in one area, hard to say as that depends on the type and amount of forage. Type and maturity of the forage.

Early morning or late afternoon when it is cooler would be best times to put them out. Preferably before feeding. They will be more likely to graze if they are hungry.

Make sure any shrubs or other landscaping plants they have access to are not toxic to cattle.

[Cheryl aka JM]

I actually chose today to start trying this because it's cooler here today~ 80F and cloudy. I'm keeping a close eye on everybody and they seem fine~ but they are all having a break and laying down on the job just now! I went out there and told them I DON'T WANT TO MOW but they did not look impressed by my plea that they do the mowing~ they just looked at me and chewed their cuds!

[oneokie]

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

~ they just looked at me and chewed their cuds!

They are content, life is good, for them.

Could you tell if they had done any grazing? Are you feeding them any kind of supplement? Grain or?

[Cheryl aka JM]

they ate some of it~ and they are back up eating some of it now too. They don't seem to be doing a very good job of it.........but they are probably starting to get hungry so they may get a bit more serious. I give them about 10lbs of 12% all stock in the morning and another 10lbs in the evening. There are four of them~ and I doubt they all get exactly the same amount but they all get some. I usually put the Feed out around now.......but I think I'll wait another hour or so and see how much lawn gets clipped now that it's dinner time......or maybe I'll skip the evening grain tonight.......I've been thinking about trying to cut down to once a day and save some $$ on feed now that they've been weaned for a couple months.

[topside1]

Cheryl, my cow is so good with lawns I decided to start a business...Lots of rain this year so business is booming...Topside

[oneokie]

Try feeding the supplement after they have grazed. It will serve two purposes, #1, it will help with the digestion of the forage, #2, they will have more of an appetite the next day if you skip the morning supplement.

If you know close to how much they weigh each, a rule of thumb for supplementing is to feed 1% of their body weight per day. ie, If they average 250 lbs, 2.5 lbs of supplement per day.

Another thing to try, feed a supplement higher in protien. The protien helps feed the intestinal bugs that break down the forage to a form that is more readily available to the animal. You can feed less of the higher protien feed, and most times, the increased cost of the higher protien feed is not that much. (more bang for your buck)

[Cheryl aka JM]

Originally Posted by topside1

Cheryl, my cow is so good with lawns I decided to start a business...Lots of rain this year so business is booming...Topside

LOL! Did she really make that pretty cut or did you mow it and hang the sign on her? I'm going out now to bring mine in~ I had them on their lawn spots for several hours but they didn't make much of a dent! We'll try again in the morning.

Thanks for the advice oneokie~ I was actually just thinking the same thing~ that putting them out on the lawn in the morning before I give them any grain would be a better plan! As far as the higher protien feed~ I'll ask at the feed store next week what they have. I've been using the All Stock because I'm TRYING to get everyone eating the same feed. I can get 12% all Stock for $6 a 50# bag~ I'm not sure what they have in options for Cattle feed but I know when they were on the Calf Starter it was considerably higher priced.

I'll take a tape measure out with me now while I'm putting them up and get girths to see how much they weigh now.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Okay~ my pretty rough estimate of their weights based on heart girth taken directly behind their front legs and compared to a chart in a book I have~
Bessie~ 250lbs (girth was 43")
Bossie~ 250lbs (girth was 43")
Burger~ 275lbs (girth was 44")
Sofa~ 300lbs (Girth was 45")

So between the 4 of them thats 1075lbs of cow~ so if 1% of body weight is what I should be offering in grain then I'm offering too much by giving them 10lbs twice a day. I don't think they are gonna like that math.........

[oneokie]

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

Okay~ my pretty rough estimate of their weights based on heart girth taken directly behind their front legs and compared to a chart in a book I have~
Bessie~ 250lbs (girth was 43")
Bossie~ 250lbs (girth was 43")
Burger~ 275lbs (girth was 44")
Sofa~ 300lbs (Girth was 45")

So between the 4 of them thats 1075lbs of cow~ so if 1% of body weight is what I should be offering in grain then I'm offering too much by giving them 10lbs twice a day. I don't think they are gonna like that math.........

ROTFLOL

Most feed stores should have feed in 12%, 14%, and 16% protien. Ask if they keep the same manufacturers feed on hand all the time. Switching makes/brands of feed can cause problems. (Calves will stop eating for several days.)

Check the guranteed analysis of the feed, you need something with 10% or less fiber. (you want them to graze for fiber, not get it out of a feed sack)

[gone-a-milkin]

I will only say that a cow can easily go 3 or 4 hours between waterings. They wont die of thirst in half a day.

My philosophy after awhile has been, "Well, you shouldn't have spilled it then."

You are doing good to teach them to tether at this age, rather than wait.

[Cliff]

I do the same thing, either with cows or horses, then bush hog the things they won't eat a couple of times a year. Fuel is too expensive to burn if you don't have to, and I'm cheap.
Why can't you just let them roam on the area? Maybe you said it and I missed it, sorry if so.

[Cheryl aka JM]

It's an unfenced areas that I'm wanting them to mow~ and while I could just put a gate at the end of the driveway and let them roam.......and I've thought about doing that......somehow I see them eating the few flowers the chickens let me have, sleeping on the front porch, leaving manure deposits on the patio.......you know......generally acting like the turkeys rather than mowing the lawn for me!

[Trisha in WA]

I just put temporary hot tape around the areas I don't want my cows or horses to mow for me. I will say my cows do a much prettier job of mowing than my horses. I actually use some of my "yard" areas as part of my rotational grazing plan, though they don't get used as hard as the rest of my land.

[Cliff]

yeah one or two strands of electric should hold cows/calves, one for horses

[DJ in WA]

It depends on your layout and how many animals as to what works best. I started a thread like this a few months ago:

Doesn't everyone mow their lawn like this?

[Cheryl aka JM]

Thanks! Great thread!
yesterday and today I put the calves out for morning mowing while it's still nice and cool and skipped the morning graining. Saving some money on the grain......but the calves don't seem to be very good mowers. They LOOK like they are mowing most of the time but they don't seem to be making much of a dent......

Sofa has been working this little corner for all three days (only a couple hours a day) and he's just about cleaned it up enough to move to a new spot:



I'm gonna have to get out there and help with the mowing until they are bigger I think. I've told them that if they would just go ahead and take care of the fence line even THAT would help!
But here Bessie is laying down on the job again!

[Trisha in WA]

Yeah, when they are still small, they don't eat as much, but they will still get the job done if you give them time. PLUS the savings on your feed bill is always nice.

[Sara K]

We move ours with the electric netted fencing from premier. For some reason they seem to eat more using that than when they are staked out....maybe because they roam more?? Once they were used to the fence we didn't even bother to hook it up to the charger and it takes about 10 minutes to move it to a new section. It's not cheap to buy new but maybe someone is selling some used?

Sara