Field/Pasture management

[Baymule]

That's what makes the chicken litter so good.....no seeds!

 

[greybeard]

That's what makes the chicken litter so good.....no seeds!

I wouldn't bet a premium hay crop on that Baymule. I've heard several folks that had litter spread say they ended up with a mighty fine weed crop of varieties their property had never had before.

 

[Baymule]

I wouldn't bet a premium hay crop on that Baymule. I've heard several folks that had litter spread say they ended up with a mighty fine weed crop of varieties their property had never had before.

I never knew that. I know horse manure is a weed fest, at least mine was/is no matter how long it is composted. Where would weed seeds come from if the chickens are fed pellets? Commercial chicken houses, those chickens don't get to free range. I knew a lovely old couple whose hay field was covered in yellow flowers they said came from the fertilizer truck. You just can never be too careful where you get inputs from that go on your land.

 

[greybeard]

I dunno, but chicken litter contains more than just chicken poop. I've seen sawdust and sand both spread under the cages. When they scoop it out of the houses, all that comes with the litter. It's always been one of the complaints about litter--the sawdust locks up too much of the N for too long.

 

[Baymule]

I dunno, but chicken litter contains more than just chicken poop. I've seen sawdust and sand both spread under the cages. When they scoop it out of the houses, all that comes with the litter. It's always been one of the complaints about litter--the sawdust locks up too much of the N for too long.

Well, that clears it up. @Alexz7272 nix the chicken litter. Maybe build a chicken tractor and move it every couple of days to spread their manure over your field! LOL Back to what @greybeard said about grass clippings...what about planting a winter grass or winter wheat to mow down in the spring in order to add humus to the soil? It will take awhile to improve your soil, but there is no substitute for humus to build your soil. Earthworms like humus and they are beneficial to your soil.

 

[greybeard]

Well, that clears it up. @Alexz7272 nix the chicken litter.

Oh, I would not go so far as to automatically discard the use of chicken litter solely on account of new or invasive weed possibility--especially if you can get it for free or @ very little cost as I have read many do (I can't here). Weigh the positives against the negatives of any and all options---always. If I could get 60 acres worth of chicken poop spread for little or nothing, the savings over using commercial fertilizer would by far cover any extra herbicide I had to spray to get rid of weeds.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Compost Tea or liquid manure...we make liquid manure and use it in our gardens and have sprayed it on our fields now and then. Also Rabbit urine.

Advantage is no seeds since the liquid is screened. So yeah you could buy compost tea perhaps.

For humus we like winter rye grass a lot. Tolerates low fertility and it does fine in acidic soil. You can plant it in the fall, leave it growing all winter (down to -30F) and then plow it under in spring.

 

[farmerjan]

We use ALOT of poultry litter from commercial houses for the value of the organic matter and there are alot of weed seeds in it. We spread an average of 2-3 tons per acre on the hayfields and pastures alike, usually every 2 or 3 years. It's not cheap here $22 to 30 ton with guaranteed analysis. We get walking trailers of it 30 tons or so per trailer.. Broiler litter is usually less weeds, and they are now raising several flocks on deep bedding before cleanout...but there is a real difference with the turkey vs chicken litter; can't remember from last year what the reports said. Still we deal with the weed seeds as the organic matter more than makes up for commercial fertilizer...which is often petroleum based. Keep the weeds mowed BEFORE THE BLOOM and often you will kill them in a couple years. Also, don't be afraid to keep your fields a bit alkaline.... lime is a good way to slow alot of weeds.... wild mustard is that yellow flower that comes from the fertilizer truck so they say, it definitely is in litter...

Also try STOCKMAN GRASS FARMER for "grass growing" very good magazine. And the extension service does the soil samples but if you want a real detailed report with alot of the trace minerals you will have to go to a private company and I know they are advertised in Acres and SGF.

Buckwheat makes a great plow down crop, holds alot of moisture in the hollow type stems and decomposes quickly. Millet can be overseeded and will not cause any toxicity like a sorghum or sorghum/sudan grass for grazing. Rye, oats and even wheat are good to drill in for colder weather growth...
Biggest thing is don't let the weeds go to seed and keep the soil ph up.

 

[greybeard]

Jan is 100% spot on about pH--it is the most often neglected gem of soil and forage management. People do a soil analysis, read the recommendation about pH and go straight to the NPK part and pour hundreds or thousands of $$ into fertilize and wonder why there isn't much or any pasture improvement. Money wasted. One of the reasons for neglecting pH is the cost. Lime, being the most common way to change pH, is fairly inexpensive compared to commercial fertilize, until you factor in transportation costs. In a small pasture setting, you can get bagged ag lime or pelletized lime at most good farm supply stores, but if your soil assay indicates hundreds of lbs per acre or even a ton or more per acre, you will financially suffer greatly in buying it by the bag and trying to spread it yourself, and you may be better off having lime spread by a local concern, such as an area co-op with the big hoppers or lime trucks. Your cost is going to be commensurate with their cost of acquiring the lime and that will depend how far they (or you) have to have it shipped to them in bulk. It's over 200 miles from natural limestone quarry or mine to where I live, and about 100 miles from here to the nearest co-op that can reasonably be here with the needed amount, so there are a lot of factors to consider.
Ever wonder how they decide how much lime you need to change your soil's pH?
http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/soil_buffer_ph.htm

By looking at the tables in the article below, you get an idea how much your buffer pH influences your lime requirements:
https://www.clemson.edu/public/regulatory/ag_svc_lab/soil_testing/downloads/ph_management.pdf

 

[misfitmorgan]

Luckily for us we live 1.5hrs from the largest limestone quarry in the world...so lime is pretty cheap here. They have been blasting the quarry since 1910 and still have plenty left lol.