Yesterday, I just couldn't stand it, and I gave Violet a very small section of grass. This is usual, actually, but the section was VERY small. I'm giving her a little at a time under the old apple trees. I want to graze her in the orchard ASAP, and she has to walk past this patch of grass to get to the orchard. If the grass there is ready to graze, she can be extremely difficult to move forward.
The hard part of surrendering now is the management difficulties. We are not ready to milk two times a day- not until ballet is over for summer- so we do not want to wean the calves. The calves are also still small enough that keeping them in electric fence will be trying at best. This means I let Violet graze a few hours, then move her back with the calves. Today, I put her with the calves long enough for them to nurse, then moved her back to grass. Tomorrow is a really crazy activity day, so she'll stay in the paddock with the calves all day. I figure she'll protest a lot, but it's worth it to actually have her on grass almost every day.
I read in another blog how some people dole grass out slowly when the grass isn't coming on strong. This is definitely our situation, so maybe this will be good for the pasture, too. I'll still cut her grass from the lawn or from around the trees so she has something green on the days I need to leave her in the paddock. Mostly, it was lovely to see her rumen looking filled up when I put her with the calves; that's good for all of us.
Showing posts with label pasture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasture. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Cow and the Mower
I wrote here about how my mower and cow work together. It has been a good relationship. I have now found a new way for them to benefit each other.
It makes me CRAZY this time of year, and in late summer, to mow the lawn when Violet so desperately wants green grass. The grass around the house and gardens and orchard trees stays pretty green straight through the summer and grows taller faster. Also, I want it cut before it is actually the height we want the pasture grass, so it is cut pretty frequently.
I wondered late last summer what Violet would do if I offered her grass I bagged from the lawn mower. Then, this past week, the children and I have been using grass clippers to make Violet one or two baskets of grass a day from the various places the grass grows fastest. I've been thinking how nice it would be if Violet were the type of cow I could just stake in one place or another around the property. Today, I decided the lawn really did need cutting; I'd been avoiding it- not because I dislike the chore, but because it seems SO dumb to mow grass the cow would like so very much to graze. And I indulged in my little experiment.
I filled a wheel barrow with grass clippings, which was about two mower bags full. Then, I hauled the grass down to the cow. She's eating it, and so are the calves. Maybe it's not what she wants most, and maybe she won't eat all of it or she won't ever eat it again. But, at the moment, she's very happy for some green grass.
It makes me CRAZY this time of year, and in late summer, to mow the lawn when Violet so desperately wants green grass. The grass around the house and gardens and orchard trees stays pretty green straight through the summer and grows taller faster. Also, I want it cut before it is actually the height we want the pasture grass, so it is cut pretty frequently.
I wondered late last summer what Violet would do if I offered her grass I bagged from the lawn mower. Then, this past week, the children and I have been using grass clippers to make Violet one or two baskets of grass a day from the various places the grass grows fastest. I've been thinking how nice it would be if Violet were the type of cow I could just stake in one place or another around the property. Today, I decided the lawn really did need cutting; I'd been avoiding it- not because I dislike the chore, but because it seems SO dumb to mow grass the cow would like so very much to graze. And I indulged in my little experiment.
I filled a wheel barrow with grass clippings, which was about two mower bags full. Then, I hauled the grass down to the cow. She's eating it, and so are the calves. Maybe it's not what she wants most, and maybe she won't eat all of it or she won't ever eat it again. But, at the moment, she's very happy for some green grass.
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