25 April 2024 Outdoor grazing: get calves used to it early on

Many livestock farmers agree: grazing is good for your animals. Dairy cows consume grass from the pasture more readily than they do ensiled grass. The protein quality is significantly higher, and you can eliminate soy from the rations. That makes it worthwhile financially. And the better the intake, the more milk your cows produce. But how do you ensure that your cows are good grazers? By sending your animals out into the fields at a young age to gain experience. Not randomly, but with a deliberate strategy. Here are our tips for an effective approach.

Learning to graze

It is best not to wait too long before introducing your young stock to grazing. Allow your calves to graze for 200 days during their first two years of life so they gain experience. Not just to learn how exactly to graze – by wrapping the tongue around the grass and then biting it off with the lower teeth – but also to get used to the space, the light, the electric fence and to build up immunity to worm infection.

You may find yourself facing problems later if your animals do not learn to graze. They could potentially take in too little dry matter, causing them to break down too much fat before they calve, potentially resulting in fatty liver syndrome and milk fever.

Your young stock can be safely sent out to pasture from the age of five months. This allows the calves to get plenty of exercise, which has a positive effect on tendon, muscle and skeletal development. Strong legs ultimately also result in fewer (hoof) issues. Outdoor grazing therefore offers multiple benefits.

The first year: building resistance

You can send your young stock outside once the first silage cut is in. The aim in the first year of outdoor grazing is to build up immunity against lung and gastrointestinal worms, so it’s a good idea to let them roam on fields that are lightly contaminated with parasites. Land that was grazed the previous year, for example. They should be returned to the barn in the first half of September, otherwise the high intake of protein could be counterproductive.

Take a fixed group of animals out and back in, so you can monitor their health. Choosing a field close to home will allow you to keep a close eye on things and supplement the cows’ diet with concentrates if necessary. If your animals are not vaccinated against lungworm, check carefully for coughing when they are herded. This will allow you to treat them in time.

Second year: loosening the reins

Grazing your animals when they are calves makes grazing your heifers in the second year much easier. There is no need to send the animals out in a single group. You can allow them to graze on a cultivated field or on suitable natural land. You can also let them graze after the dairy cows. As long as the weather permits, you can safely let them graze on the autumn grass until late in the year.

Different grazing strategies

There are a variety of grazing strategies to choose from to help you reach your goals. One strategy allows you to keep a good eye on the growth and condition of the young stock and offer a diet appropriate for their age. Another strategy focuses more on maintaining an overview, gaining grazing experience and using grass that is not suitable for dairy cows. Which strategy is best for you depends entirely on what you want to achieve.

Increasing milk production through outdoor grazing

Dairy cows that learn to graze during the rearing process consume more fresh grass during lactation, which positively impacts milk production. Naturally, as a dairy farmer, that’s what you want to see. Healthy animals and good production go hand in hand. Besides grazing, there are many things in and around the barn that can influence cow health. In particular, general hygiene, the manure system and the milking system.

If we look purely at the milking system, it is good to know that milking robots also have a positive effect on milk production. Cows milked by robots decide for themselves when they are milked, so they do not feel rushed. This leads to contended cows and a calm barn. The cows will also allow themselves to be milked more often. Altogether, this leads to an increase in production. Would you like to know more about the impact robot milking has had for other dairy farmers? Read about their experiences.

Are you planning to let your animals graze but not sure whether this can be combined with using a milking robot? Dairy farmer Neeke van Zwol shares her approach.