Cattle grazing. Rules for grazing farm animals

Green forbs are the most correct and natural diet for cattle. In the grass there are all the nutrients needed for proper nutrition of ruminants.

There are several systems of cattle grazing: free, on leash, driven. But the most effective in terms of increasing the volume of milk production and weight gain proved to be around-the-clock pasture.

The advantages of cattle grazing

Pasture content of cattle is practiced in almost all latitudes of the globe. Just somewhere, this process takes place year-round, and in most regions of our country - during the 3-4 warmest months. Transferring cattle to grazing land even for such a short period has many advantages compared to stall:

1. Cost reduction by 25-30%. Green grass is the cheapest food. It costs 2-3 times less than any analogue for stall maintenance, therefore, the profitability of dairy or meat production will be higher.
2. The high biological value of green forbs. Cattle grazing on such a feed base gives high milk yield - up to 20 or more kilograms - and an intensive increase in meat mass.
3. Productivity. The milk yield is not only higher by 25-30%, but the product itself is becoming more valuable - it contains a lot of carotene, milk is more fat and tasty. It is not without reason that Alpine and Dutch milk is considered the best, while the product obtained from cows receiving silage is characterized by low taste indices.
4. Improvement of animals. When grazing in a pasture, the consequences of unbalanced feeding during the stall are eliminated.
5. Positive effect on reproduction. Higher rates of fertility, the offspring is born more viable, and in general during calving less complications occur.

Which pastures are better?

Cattle grazing is best done on intensively cultivated pastures. This is a highly productive forage land - they are preliminarily cleared from shrubs and sown with different herbs with good nutritional value.

The basis is: ryegrass of four different varieties with different ripening periods and two types of clover or highly nutritious legumes. One field per season is bled up to 10 times.

Basic rules for keeping livestock on pastures

1. Keeping a herd of more than 200 goals is impractical. With a large number of cattle on grazing, part of the grass will simply be crushed.
2. The area of ​​green meadow per unit of livestock is 0.5 ha for adult animals and 0.2 ha for young animals.
3. It is worth completely transferring cows to the grass stand when the plants are no lower than 10-12 cm.
4. The transition to a green fodder base should be gradual, in the first 10 days, animals need to be fed.
5. You can start the grazing season half a month earlier if you graze cattle on winter rye or cruciferous.
6. To avoid over-ripening of herbs, uneaten areas need to be mowed.
7. The height of the grass should not be more than 15 cm, if it is 20-25 cm, then the animals will eat on average 35-40% less.
8. Partial mowing and withering of grass bunches improves the feed base.
9. It is very important that animals have access to salt - 150 g per day per cow.
10. Water in excess is up to 120 liters per animal.

Feed recovery

With intensive grazing, pastures are depleted. In order to restore and increase their productivity, the following methods are used:

• sowing seeds with preliminary tillage;
• sowing seeds without treatment of the soil layer to the depth of the seeder;
• surface sowing of seeds before the rainy period;
• fertilizer with mineral complexes and nitrogen compounds;
• flooding by meltwater in the spring.

Each of these methods will increase the efficiency of the forage base of the pasture by 35-40%. But the most effective is comprehensive improvement, that is, a combination of several methods. Thus, pasture productivity can be increased by a factor of 2–3.

Rules for grazing livestock and poultry in settlements

In addition to large farmers, there are individual farms. And they also transfer their animals for feeding from pastures in the summer. The grazing rules are determined by local governments, that is, the administration of a particular locality. They determine the organization of grazing, determine areas for pasture and livestock.

Accordingly, the rules vary depending on the particular locality, but in almost every code you can find similar provisions, for example:

• Animals must graze on fenced pastures, on leashes, or under the supervision of a livestock or bird owner.
• Horses can only be grazed in a bent state.
• The owner must accompany the birds to a natural or artificial pond.
• Neglected cattle and poultry grazing along roads is prohibited.
• Before the start of the grazing season, the owner of the animals must contact the administration for the allocation of the plot and its rental for the summer period.
• The owner is responsible for cattle pollution of streets and sidewalks.
• Cattle must be marked with an individual number.
• In case of cattle death, it is imperative to inform the administration and not to dispose of the animal corpses on their own.
• Pigs should be kept only in pens, without grazing and without access to other animals.

The full list of livestock grazing rules needs to be found out in local authorities, as if they are violated, the owner will face an administrative penalty in the form of a fine.