# Ryegrass question



## backyard_farm (Oct 26, 2007)

I want to plant some ryegrass for my goats for winter forage and the only seeds I have found is a 50lb bag at Tractor supply and it says that the ryegrass is for lawns. The tag on the bag says gulf annual ryegrass. Is there any reason this would not be a good seed to plant for my goats? I was hoping to find a better mixture but haven't been able to. Does anyone know where I can find other types of forage mixes? I did plant a deer plot mixture a while back but it never came up and now I can't find it in the stores.
Thanks for any advice
Belinda


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

This makes excellent forage. Gulf Rye is the most commonly available for this time of year. We had to special order the improved varieties but you might check with feed stores and coops and farm supply. You will still get lots of good graze from ordinary gulf rye if you fertilize it. We have found without food it just is so wimpy and sits there looking pitiful. We feed at about 6 weeks after sprouting and keep in mind you have to keep them off of it until it has established. Once they start grazing it - it will toughen up but it needs a fairly decent start to withstand the cropping. Good luck you will be glad you did!


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

We use marshall's rye. It has a much wider blade, so more forage, than regular rye.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Yes- that is what we ordered this year and there are several A&M varieties that have good cold tolerance and better yield than gulf rye but they are harder to find! I will be very interested to see if we can tell the difference in the two. We planted some side by side just to see!


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

What's the latest you can plant rye? We've just not been getting any rain here.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Marshall rye will do great in your area, Belinda, plus you can find it anywhere. You have to order, like Lee said, any of the better varieties. If your pastures brown out like mine in the winter, you will be jazzed at how well even just this plain rye works and stays, it is so thick and belly high you can't mow it, you have to brush hog it....I don't allow mowing in my pastures, I want them belly high  less worms. And rye can be hand broadcasted over growing grass right now.

Ashely out here nobody puts it out until November.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Best germination occurs when night temps stay below 65. 
We had no rain one year until December and it germinated just fine that late but of course it was 90 days before they could eat much and slow growth with the colder weather and so that was most of the way to spring graze before it was worth much! In May it goes to seed and we cut back for the bermuda to come on which is already active under it. So it is best if you can plant in late Sept or early Oct to get them on it soon enough to help with hay costs. Ours is haphaphappy with this 2 day rain and the Austrian peas are sprouting!


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## backyard_farm (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks Vicki and Lee, I am going to get some rye I found at tractor supply. Hopefully I will remember to order something better for spring, but this should be great for winter. I am hoping to not have to buy hay and have healthier forage for my goats. My wethers are already on forage only and I am working on getting good enough forage for my does that I am milking through. The kids, bred does and does that have been in milk less than 6 months will still get alfalfa pellets, oats and BOSS.
What else could I plant( or more like broadcast) that along with ryegrass will be a high enough quality forage for does that are in milk and being milked through? 
I had planned to order a dairy forage mixture for the spring ( which has ryegrass, clovers and orchardgrass), but until then it will be ryegrass and whatever I can find locally.
Thanks again for any advice 
Belinda


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

If you don't put something down with it, so as the rye dies out in early summer, you would have to mow your rye down and then broadcast seeds, like coastal or bahai that will grow in your area without irrigation...look at the cattle pastures around you and plant was is in there. By putting the seeds for your summer pasture with your rye...I also am doing peas and a deer mix again, and I always add a 50 pound bag of bird seed mix to it, hoping the birds will eat it instead of my grass seed and when it comes up the goats and the birds love the seed heads, than you can just let the rye die naturally, which shades the new grass seedlings as they come up for summer. With 24/7 access to the pastures I never worry about bloat or tetany etc. Vicki


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Gulf Rye grows well here.

I am putting some out today and tomorrow.

Here is a stand of Gulf Rye that has only been up a few weeks.

[attachment deleted by admin]


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Beautiful Christine! Can't wait for ours to get rolling. It is like short fur now and the girls stand watching it grow from the other side of the fence!


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes it is beautiful Christine and I am envious! We have just seeded our pastures with Crimson and Arrowleaf clover and some rye. I am hoping for the beautiful crimson bloom over the field come spring!


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

WE have put out Gulf rye and both Arrowleaf and Crimson clover. We have had our soil tested and have now limed all of our pastures. It is reported that an acre of Crimson clover can add as much 100 pounds or more of nitrogen to the soil. However, if we don't get some rain - we can just forget any growth.


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## NPgoats (Mar 18, 2010)

I seeded one of my pastures with Rye and Austrian Winter Peas but we haven't received anything but a spit of rain. I'm glad I didn't invest the money for Crimson Clover like I wanted to. I'm worried that what I planted won't grow as is. I've even threatened to put a bunch of water hoses together and run water to it. After all we have had some very warm days in the 70's...it might work!? Linda


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I didn't want to take any chances so I did one big pasture one weekend, and then waited about 4 weeks and did another. Pasture one is pretty, both peas and grass....Pastures 2, 3 and 4 need some more rain, but they are coming up. Vicki


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

We watered one small meadow up just in case it never rained and the rest came up with later rains but they are not doing normal growth rate so I know they are dry. I actually had to water the veggies. Not getting normal grazing for this time of year. We have had several fronts come thru dry and even show rain on radar as it is right now but nothing makes it to the ground.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

My rye has made roots into the ground, but no green.


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