fall rye

[cowman]

We have this small pasture(27 acres) that was once a hayfield that we just let go. It is sort of a dogs breakfast with a boggy seepy spot running down the middle and just doesn't produce all that well. Now in the past it grew some killer grain crops with proper fertilization.
we sprayed it out in September and will work it up this spring.
My old man used to always grow a bit of fall rye when I was a kid. He planted it after all the other crops were seeded...probably mid June. About early to mid August he would cut it and bale it just before it headed out. I remember it was always a struggle to get it dried down!
Near the end of October it would be heavy and very lush and he would flog the cows in there! It stayed green forever and those cows and calves would just grow like weeds! Also very "loose" as I remember...you didn't want to get behind them!!
In the spring those cows would be back out in that rye by April 1st(weather permitting) and stay there until they went on grass. Now he still fed some good hay with this rye in the spring but they sure picked up a lot.
He would disk it down with one of those kello type disks and plant barley the next year. I remember it was kind of a struggle sometimes to manage the trash and work up a good seedbed?
I'm thinking of giving this a try. Anyone have any experiences with fall rye or possibly triticale as a pasture?

[nicolaas]

tried some winter tritecale about 5 years ago, great fall pasture, just a solid mat of green with leaves about 3/4" wide. very palatable, but cows got bit messy. I overgrazed it so the silage I got off it the next year was only about 2/3 a crop. WIth proper management it pencils out okay believe. It hasn't crossed my mind to try it again until now.

[cswilson]

Both work really well-if they are getting a little rumen dysfunction put aome straw bales out there-your cows will eat enough to settle their guts back down.