# Does grass seed survive the rumen?



## ycanchu2 (Oct 21, 2011)

It is common knowledge that clover seed will pass intact thru a cows stomach. But what about grass seeds. I notice that around manure piles it is almost always pure fescue or orchardgrass. Is that a coincidence or does some of it actually pass thru unharmed. What are your thoughts?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Same observation here with grass seed surviving the trip. I have some wooded areas where the cattle lounge and the area has nearly a full stand of fescue that was not planted by me
.


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## Raymond James (Apr 15, 2013)

Some seed manages to pass thru and germinate. No idea of percentage would think very low.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I was told that the bigger the seed, the less likely it will survive. Tooth grinding will get it. Clover is small, so it should survive pretty well.

I've fed lespedeza seed to my cattle during the winter. That worked like a charm! The next summer, lespedeza flowers were blooming everywhere. I did it twice. Same good results both times.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

Not cows, but I used to know a septic pumping guy who would dump the sewage on bare soil and tomatoes and watermelons would grow from the poop...they would eat them!


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## nostawmama (Dec 29, 2011)

wannabechef said:


> Not cows, but I used to know a septic pumping guy who would dump the sewage on bare soil and tomatoes and watermelons would grow from the poop...they would eat them!


:yuck:

No thanks...


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Yes some. Gets through the cow or horse you can feed some seeds in with there feed and they will spread it for you putting fressher horse manure in your garden is a sure way to get un wanted grass n weeds growing there.but I think with the cost of seed its better to spread it in the snow to get it rowing first cutting hay is usally loaded with good seed so feeding it where you want that grass to grow works also as the cows will tromp the seed into the ground as they eat the trick being to move the feeding spot to avoid to much trompinp


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## ycanchu2 (Oct 21, 2011)

arnie said:


> Yes some. Gets through the cow or horse you can feed some seeds in with there feed and they will spread it for you putting fressher horse manure in your garden is a sure way to get un wanted grass n weeds growing there.but I think with the cost of seed its better to spread it in the snow to get it rowing first cutting hay is usally loaded with good seed so feeding it where you want that grass to grow works also as the cows will tromp the seed into the ground as they eat the trick being to move the feeding spot to avoid to much trompinp


I was thinking in terms of cows eating seedheads that were mature like fescue and orchardgrass...if it gets thru then it would have a near perfect environment in the manure pile to get established.....for free.


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## Go for 300 (Dec 29, 2012)

what rate would you mix clover seed into mineral?


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## ycanchu2 (Oct 21, 2011)

Go for 300 said:


> what rate would you mix clover seed into mineral?


 The year I did it I just threw a couple of handfuls in the mineral and stirred it around


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

My thoughts are that timothy seed has about caught up with the pricy clover seed. Far to costly to add to the feed to get it spread in an economically viable manner.

If I wanted seed to fail, I'd throw it in to a tub of salt. The few minerals that surround the salt, wouldn't change the salt's ability to kill seedlings. Perhaps, the salt would be washed off in the cow's gut, but still not a way to spread seeds, IMHO.

In my experience, weed seeds of all different sizes pass through the cattle without much harm.

A fresh gob of cattle manure isn't much of a seedbed for sprouts. Maybe if you ran a drag around to spread it out, it might allow some survival of grass seed. a good rain might spread it out, too.


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