Guest guest Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 There was a good article in Acres USA last month on Cheyenne and his grass based Holstein herd. I really liked it since I milk Holsteins and am working toward grass based. Like he says in the article its not the breed so much as the body type. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 I do think it's possible with any breed. I started with AI Holsteins and went from grazing and feeding cob corn, then oats, to no grain. My cows were big (1400 -1500 lbs.) and the older ones still are, but the new generations are looking like they may not get quite as large. They are shorter and more compact. Within any breed there are those cows with the right conformation to work well on grass. I like to have a huge barrel (rumen) on my cows so they can eat lots of grass. The funny thing is, most all of my cows were profitable and did quite well so I still believe if you give them the right pasture nearly any cow can work. Some just don't last as long, and they do tend to be the more dairy animals. I still have some very " dairy " animals in my herd and they do quite well. That may be because of the way I graze. Much taller pasture, annuals to fill in the voids and extend the season, and fertility inputs to improve the nutrient density of the forage they eat. I believe the nutrient levels of the feed the cows eat may be one of the most limiting factors of eliminating grain. It takes good feed and fiber (taller grass) to make a cow work right. I've fed kelp free choice for about 10 years so that may have helped cover up some of the nutrient deficiencies in the early years. Another piece may be eating what grows on the farm. I had to buy a lot of hay last year because of the extreme drought we had last summer. I seldom ever have found hay the cows like as well as my own and they sure didn't milk very well on it. This is the first time I can ever remember having any thin cows, but there are a few this spring. That will clear up quickly if the grass will ever grow. I'm giving them some grass in the day and hay at night to slow things down. Too much protein does more damage than any other factor. Hopefully we can get on full grass shortly, but I want some height before I do that. Cheyenne > > There was a good article in Acres USA last month on Cheyenne and his grass based Holstein herd. I really liked it since I milk Holsteins and am working toward grass based. Like he says in the article its not the breed so much as the body type. > Russ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 I do think it's possible with any breed. I started with AI Holsteins and went from grazing and feeding cob corn, then oats, to no grain. My cows were big (1400 -1500 lbs.) and the older ones still are, but the new generations are looking like they may not get quite as large. They are shorter and more compact. Within any breed there are those cows with the right conformation to work well on grass. I like to have a huge barrel (rumen) on my cows so they can eat lots of grass. The funny thing is, most all of my cows were profitable and did quite well so I still believe if you give them the right pasture nearly any cow can work. Some just don't last as long, and they do tend to be the more dairy animals. I still have some very " dairy " animals in my herd and they do quite well. That may be because of the way I graze. Much taller pasture, annuals to fill in the voids and extend the season, and fertility inputs to improve the nutrient density of the forage they eat. I believe the nutrient levels of the feed the cows eat may be one of the most limiting factors of eliminating grain. It takes good feed and fiber (taller grass) to make a cow work right. I've fed kelp free choice for about 10 years so that may have helped cover up some of the nutrient deficiencies in the early years. Another piece may be eating what grows on the farm. I had to buy a lot of hay last year because of the extreme drought we had last summer. I seldom ever have found hay the cows like as well as my own and they sure didn't milk very well on it. This is the first time I can ever remember having any thin cows, but there are a few this spring. That will clear up quickly if the grass will ever grow. I'm giving them some grass in the day and hay at night to slow things down. Too much protein does more damage than any other factor. Hopefully we can get on full grass shortly, but I want some height before I do that. Cheyenne > > There was a good article in Acres USA last month on Cheyenne and his grass based Holstein herd. I really liked it since I milk Holsteins and am working toward grass based. Like he says in the article its not the breed so much as the body type. > Russ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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