How's your grass looking?

newforest

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Interestingly the areas that have had only had one months rest are looking green. But the two months rested one is already a little brown and gone to seed.
She's happily eating it but I am keeping an eye on her fibre. She's dropped weight which she needed to do.
I am riding in the pad which is unheard of in summer she's usually way too wide.
 
It’s gone mad here, neon green and grown more in the last 2 weeks than it did in the last 2 months. The more recently grazed paddocks def look more covered than the ones that have been rested.
 
Ewe lambs have got 3" lush green grass on the hay field. Theyve only been on it a week but with the rain earlier in the week it was certainly coming out the back end a bit wet on 2 lambs. Fortunately they have dried up now.
10 ewes are getting through a bale of hay per day, although yesterday and today a little waste i note. I can see a little bit of green but to leave hay means theyve been eating it off as fast as its coming through. Hoping to cut to half a bale.
Cow paddocks are a mix. Some nothing bald and brown, some have 8 inchs of iffy grass.
We need more rain.
 
Our grass is picking up even where it has been grazed to bare earth, it is remarkable stuff. We still need a good bit more rain though: trees (especially hollies) are looking very stressed. The hollies are losing their leaves like mad.
 
Yesterday I left the school area shut off for the day by mistake after schooling early in the morning. By the time we let the horses in in the evening there were grass blades more than an inch long! Elastic stuff.
 
Hows everyones grass looking. The field felt slightly spongy to walk on this morning. We had a reasonable amount overnight. So the ground didnt feel as solid.
My 25 acres still looks brown though. Some very short, some covered in long rank grass. Theres is enough to keep the cows content. To early to tell if I'll have to start feeding hay earlier. Last 3 years its been mid November before i fed hay. If it keeps raining and stays warm it could recover.
The rested hay field is looking green and with some brown areas so its patchy. The sheep have got to move onto it in 9 days. It needs to grow some grass pretty fast or i wont have enough on there for winter. The sheep are on the other hay field currently but my neighbour will only let me have it for 6 weeks. Theres not been much but i can see the lambs have grown in the last 4 weeks. They were looking seriously underweight down in my other neighbours paddock. I will be late selling them this year. I want them a little bigger before i advertise them. Although i wont feel guilty selling them small as long as there healthy, as im sure most people who have stuggled for grass will also have small lambs.
 
This was yesterday or day before;
IMG_3108.jpg
That is one of their main paddocks. The front one has a lot more on it - but that's Storms domain. It's been a top summer up here for us, I shouldn't complain. The temperatures have been great (nothing like you guys south have) and I think there should be plenty of straw and hay to be had here. I buy both hay and haylege anyway. Edited to add; Mr Trews has mowed the whole back fields once a week to keep it down for them, they cant have too much as both on weight watchers.
 
It hadn’t rained here in weeks and weeks and the dry paddocks had completely burned off (including the ones rested since feb) and even the wetter paddocks near the river weren’t recovering but finally last night it rained! And it was nice steady to heavy rain for about 18 hours so hopefully things will perk up a bit now, we could do with another 7 days like that to really boost it though. I do have 1/2 acre that’s got thigh deep grass on, but it has mares tail in so can’t put them in there until late October when it dies back.

I’m already feeding winter hay rations as of this week, the big ones aren’t even bothering to go looking for grass (they have about 3 acres at the moment), they just eat everything and hang around waiting for the next lot of hay. The little guys did a round bale between them in 3 weeks, it normally lasts them 5 weeks in winter!
 
I did notice a local vet saying they were seeing higher rates of colic and respiratory issues. Due to horses eating dirt and very dry dusty grass. Hopefully those issues will ease with the rain.
 
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We've had rain and the paddock I have just taken her off is looking green. The winter paddock is looking burnt off /eaten by bugs bunny!!

She's on the lowland at the moment.
 
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