finally.....PASTURE!!!!!

sammyd · #1 05/17/11, 06:54 PM

The poor girls have been patiently waiting for spring to bring lush grazing. The round bales were starting to lose their thrill and the 2 pounds of grain we feed was the high point of their day.
3 days ago we relented and let them loose on a bit of pasture.
Our milk went from 482 every other day to 633! And they won't even look at their corn anymore. Fact is, it's getting hard to get them to come up to the parlor, even with their rock hard udders.
A quick milking and back out into the pasture........
I sure hope the weather co-operates this year and keeps us in grass.

**gone-a-milkin** · #2 05/17/11, 07:02 PM

Oh, there is nothing quite like that first grass!
Happy cows! Yay!

It is my very favorite time.
I could stand there for hours just watching them try to eat as fast as they can.

May you have many months of good graze this year.

travlnusa · #3 05/17/11, 08:53 PM

NW WI here, and they were let out Sunday. Happy ladies.

Will need to rotate paddocks faster than past few years as I should have waited a week or so more, but wanted to make sure I had some bales left over if we hit drought this summer.

Menglish · #4 05/17/11, 09:19 PM

Mid-Michigan here and we put ours out on Saturday. They are loving life! Of course the rain has part of that pasture flooded but it's the dryer than the other ones.

springvalley · #5 05/17/11, 09:41 PM

Yep, it sure is grand, mine have been out a few weeks already, have you ever seen a cow smile. I have, > Thanks Marc

Callieslamb · #6 05/18/11, 07:36 AM

We were fortunate this year. I have an acre that we are going to put in row crops or something next year so I let them out to graze it a month ago since I don't have to worry about what that early grazing will do to the summer pasture.

SCRancher · #7 05/18/11, 09:53 AM

Being down a bit more south and my pasture in mostly fescue I find the thread funny. My girls were let out in early March - have put on a LOT of weight - but I'm already worrying about my summer grazing...

A lot of my neighbors have warm season grasses and they started letting their cattle graze a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway glad your cows are happy and I hope you have a great grass season!

postroad · #8 05/18/11, 11:06 AM

I can hardly wait to put the herd on pasture and they are eying it from the paddock also.