No one seems to have answered this yet.
Brasscias are low in fiber, and shouldn't be the sole part of the diet, so
animals need access to grass (or hay) and are low in iodine.
Beef cows (and sheep) will consume turnips, rape, kale so far these are the
ones I've tried here. There is a learning curve. With turnips at least,
I've seeded these with oats, on the first pass (with cows) most of the
turnips were refused, on the second and subsequent passes however, the cows
suddenly developed a "taste" for the leaves. I was never pleased
with cows
and consumption of the turnip roots, but the sheep clean these up great at
the end of the season. The stems on the kale (Kapeti and Maris Kestral) are
thick, fleshy and apparently quite tasty.
Turnips grow quickly and can be seeded in spring or late summer for fall.
Rape and Kale are season long growers. I haven't tried swedes yet nor
Pasja, but look interesting.
There might be cause to be concerned for a dairy herd on the intake, if cows
don't immediately eat it. The other aspect is chances for off flavors.
Turnips reek to high heaven IMO (unless you like turnips) kale and rape less
so, so there is the chance of tainted milk. Unless you're an artisnal
cheese maker able to exploit the added flavor, this would be a downside.
Gene Schriefer
Shepherd
Dodgeville, Wisconsin USA
Commercial Texel-x and Charollais-x Sheep
> A client in Pennsyslvania with a small dairy herd is interested in grazing
brassicas.
> I'm interested in the practical side of managing fodder beets and turnips,
especially the down side.
> Does anyone have experiences--good or bad--to share?
