As autumn arrives, the weather patterns seem to be slowly changing. Its great to have more moisture in the atmosphere and to hear of showers, rain and storms. I know it hasn't been equally spread across the areas most in need, but its a start.
The next few weeks can be a little bit of a challenge for graziers, particularly if you have been feeding livestock for a while. Any green feed that starts to come away is going to prove a real temptation for your cattle. They will chase the green pick and this can create some problems.
The first thing to remember is your cattle won't be able to eat enough green pick to meet their daily energy needs. Secondly they will use up a lot of energy chasing the new growth.
If you have been feeding cattle in sacrifice paddocks, you need to keep doing this for a little longer. This will do a few things for you.
Firstly it stops the cattle chasing all over the paddocks looking for feed and burning up energy. Secondly you will need to keep feeding cattle until the paddock feed has grown sufficiently to meet livestock needs, and its easier to do that in the systems you've already set up.
Lastly it gives your pastures a real chance to re-establish and grow to a point where they can support grazing.
When your pastures get to a point where they will support grazing, I reckon its important to give all your animals a booster shot of 5 in 1 vaccine.
The clostridial bacteria which cause the disease Enterotoxemia (Pulpy Kidney) responds to the change in the flow of feed through an animals digestive system. Pulpy Kidney is a fatal condition for livestock so don't forget the booster shot before you go onto the new feed.
The next few weeks may be a good chance to check your paddocks to see if there are any unusual plants and weeds growing. They seem to be the quickest to respond to rain, and if you can get onto checking for them now, you can most likely control them before grazing or pastures hide them from your view. If any of those weeds are new or potentially toxic to livestock, its better to get them death with now, especially before you put your cattle back onto the pastures.
Hopefully the change in season will see a return to more favourable rainfall and growing conditions, but until that happens, stick with your drought management program until your paddock feed can support your stock. I know this can be frustrating, but a few days or a weeks patience can give you the chance to check your pastures, and prepare your cattle while avoiding the energy loss chasing green pick causes.