Thursday, April 8, 2010

Green Grass

Dad and I had some well work to do this afternoon. Time consuming, but not a bad job. The afternoon was sunny and not much wind.

The pasture we were in is where our yearling steers are for the time being. Yearlings are snoopy to say the least, so every one of them had to come over and watch almost the entire process. Except for the time Lily, my Boston Terrier, was antagonizing them, they stood quietly chewing their cuds and happily burping in the sunshine. Eventually, though, it was time to get to work. For the steers, I mean.

When the temperature gets around 60 degrees and we have had a little moisture like we got this weekend, the green grass starts popping up all over the place. It isn't much yet, but just enough to tantalize the cattle and keep them busy picking those tiny little tendrils of grass that are peeking up through the ground. It must be like eating a candy bar for me....delicious!

Every bovine on the place, other than the cows having calves and the ones locked up in lots were busy making a living this afternoon. Heads down, grazing anywhere there might be a little blade of grass. Those steers scattered out on top of the big hills and down in the little holes, searching for every blade, almost as it peeks up out of the soil.

It won't be long until the cows won't be a bit interested in the hay we are feeding them. They will be much more consumed with eating grass. And that is a wonderful thing, except for grass tetany. When the green grass comes on fast(after cool weather) like it likely will this week, our concern is cows consuming too much and getting the "grass staggers". It can potentially kill a cow so it is something we are all too aware of. Today, Matt and I went to the Feedstore in town and bought a few bags of high magnesium mineral to mix with the cows' salt. That is the preventative for grass tetany, to raise the levels of magnesium the cow has in her body.

I know all of us here are looking forward to not having to feed hay anymore. One of my neighbors told me one of the happiest days of the year for him is the day he can unhook his feed wagon from his tractor!! I know that feeling, not so much about the feeding of the hay, but when the green grass comes it means spring is here. That means no more snow and the beginning of better things to come.

No comments:

Post a Comment