Cow Pies 101 - Energy

You read that right...Cow Pies 101.

Glenn and I recently attended a field day addressing the issues of grass feeding cattle.

Our herd has always been grass-fed, but we learned several tips to improve and expand our management.

And how do we know if the management is working on a day to day basis...we check the cow pies.  Yep, we look at the poop.

The gist of cow pie observation is that you want to verify that the cow is eating the right part of the grass.  The growing tips contain the energy, the desirable food.  Further down the grass blades, protein is the main food source, not as desirable.

'too much protein' cow pie

 

A poor cow pie is spread out and liquid.  This indicates too much protein in that particular cow's diet. 

 

'perfect' cow pie

A firm, nicely rounded cow pie with a dimple in the center indicates that the cow was eating the best part of the grass - the energy. 

The way to keep the herd eating the high energy is to move them onto fresh pasture often, at least daily.  This frequent moving is definitely working for our herd. By the looks of our cattle cow pies, most of the cows are eating the high energy grass tips.