How much pasture does one cow need?

Answer 1

That all depends on three primary factors, namely:

• Weight of the cow (or cow plus calf at side for one entire animal unit value)
• Stocking Rate for the area (based on forage quantity and utilization rate; see below)
• Time spent grazing that pasture

The weight of the cow will influence how much pasture she should be getting. The rule of thumb to remember is the larger the animal, the more fodder, and therefore more land, is needed sustain it. For example, the standard animal unit (AU) is one 1000 lb cow. A 1000 lb cow needs less land and less forage than a 1400 lb cow, which is actually average size for most beef cows.

Stocking rate is defined by the total amount of forage available multiplied by the utilization rate all divided by the amount a standard AU consumes in one month, which is around 800 lb. The rule of thumb for determining stocking rate that the more total forage there is on a lb/acre or kg/hct basis, the greater the stocking rate will be. Also, the higher the utilization rate, the higher the stocking rate.

The "utilization rate" just means how much forage a cow will take for the time she's on pasture. A standard utilization rate, and recommended for all grazing, is a 50% utilization rate or "take half, leave half." The higher the utilization rate, the heavier the grazing and more forage is being removed from that pasture. Higher utilization rates on uncontrolled pastures that are not managed by daily movements can easily lead to overgrazing in several select areas, leading to unhealthy pastures or range. A lower utilization rate is equivalent to light grazing, where cows are taking a small amount before they are moved to the next location.

Another rule of thumb to remember is that the lower the productivity of the pasture or the less precipitation an area receives, the lower the utilization rate should be. The opposite is true for pastures in higher rainfall areas or that are higher in productivity.

Time is another factor in how much pasture one single cow needs. The basics are, the more time a cow spends in one area, the larger that area needs to be. A cow that is in one pasture for one month needs less space than if she were in a pasture for 5, 6, or even 12 months.

On a per-month basis, the standard "rule of thumb" is one acre per head per month (based on a stocking rate of 1.0 AUM/acre) regardless of cow size. In drier areas, that have poorer pasture or less rainfall with a stocking rate of 0.4 AUM/acre, then expect closer to 2.5 acres per head.

Answer 2

That depends entirely on what sort of pasture land the cow is grazing upon, and it depends upon the age/size of the cows in question. In America's Midwest, a general rule of thumb for grown cows is about 2 animals per five acres.

Answer 3

It depends on the quality of the grass. If it is really good quality gras, then you do not need to give them any hay. If the quality of the grass is medium to poor, then 2-3 flakes should be given to each horse.