Is Vetch Okay For Cattle

Grizzlyhackle

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Is vetch okay for cows to graze? Some websites say its okay and some say it's not. Is there any specific type that is good or bad for cows?
I read the same things, some yes and others no. I grow hairy vetch , once in a while give a few pieces to my rabbits. I was you I would ask baymule or farmerjan.
 

farmerjan

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What kind of vetch? Most grown is hairy vetch as a cover crop. There are potential side effects. How much of the pasture is in the vetch? If they were to graze it for a restricted amount of time, a few hours, then probably not a big problem. BUT, they need to be "full" like having eaten their fill of hay... and not wanting to run out there and chow down on the grass. I would be very careful and do not let them eat it when the plants have matured and there are seeds... that is the most "toxic" time.
We grazed some alfalfa and I specifically got the anti-bloat blocks for the cattle to work on before they went into the field we were rotating them to, because it was about 50% alfalfa and we did not want to drag all our hay equipment there to make that one field of about 5-6 acres into hay....it was about 12-15 miles away... not cost effective to go make it into hay, but it could have been a disaster if we had lost any cattle. The alfalfa is mostly gone now so not a problem.
Legumes are tricky to graze... and you never want to turn them in to graze them when there is dew on the leaves first thing.
Honestly, I would be very cautious, if it is mostly vetch, then I would not graze my cattle in there.
 

THEChIcKeNwhisperer354

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What kind of vetch? Most grown is hairy vetch as a cover crop. There are potential side effects. How much of the pasture is in the vetch? If they were to graze it for a restricted amount of time, a few hours, then probably not a big problem. BUT, they need to be "full" like having eaten their fill of hay... and not wanting to run out there and chow down on the grass. I would be very careful and do not let them eat it when the plants have matured and there are seeds... that is the most "toxic" time.
We grazed some alfalfa and I specifically got the anti-bloat blocks for the cattle to work on before they went into the field we were rotating them to, because it was about 50% alfalfa and we did not want to drag all our hay equipment there to make that one field of about 5-6 acres into hay....it was about 12-15 miles away... not cost effective to go make it into hay, but it could have been a disaster if we had lost any cattle. The alfalfa is mostly gone now so not a problem.
Legumes are tricky to graze... and you never want to turn them in to graze them when there is dew on the leaves first thing.
Honestly, I would be very cautious, if it is mostly vetch, then I would not graze my cattle in there.
We planted common vetch in one field along with other plants. Its a little over a acre that we planted it on.
 
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