Rotational Grazing of Calves

Te Ao Hou, September 1963, Page 59

Rotational Grazing of Calves It is hard to understand why farmers will not carry out management which has been proved correct, widely publicised and fully explained. Still we see the same old practice of using a set calf paddock right through the bucket feeding stage, and then, after weaning, the set stocking of calves in one paddock. This paddock more often than not contains the incalf heifers as well. The result of this method is a high build-up of internal parasites (worms), unthrifty, miserable calves, and deaths. This type of management reflects laziness and ignorance. The important points in rotational grazing of calves are:— 1 Calves are given access to the best pasture on the farm from two weeks of age 2 They are moved from paddock to paddock daily, the move from a particular paddock being a few days before the milking herd is due to graze that paddock 3 No matter how much feed is available calves should not be left in a paddock longer than two days 4 The calf is a very selective grazer and by rotational grazing only the best quality pasture in eaten. In this way the growth rate is such that any worms in the calves do not have any harmful effect 5 In contrast, calves that are set stocked return again and again to selected parts of a paddock, so that there is a pattern of ungrazed and closely grazed patches. A stage is reached where there is insufficient feed intake from these closely grazed areas and as a result a check in growth rate occurs and worm infestation builds up