Feeding Hay

[killingtime]

I've started feeding hay recently and I've been putting enough hay to equal each cow getting 2% of their body weight a day, which I believe is what they should get(?). I work fulltime as a firefighter and because of my schedule I can't feed everyday. So I've been putting out enough hay for a few days at the time. The cows are eating the hay faster than they should be by my estimation and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I don't have a scale and weights are estimated using a weigh tape. The cows are cleaning the hay up and acting hungry quicker than I believe they should be. Am I not giving them enough hay or are they just eating more than they should? I'm wondering if I need to feed more or just let them bawl until it is time for more hay?

[Bez+]

I've started feeding hay recently and I've been putting enough hay to equal each cow getting 2% of their body weight a day, which I believe is what they should get(?). I work fulltime as a firefighter and because of my schedule I can't feed everyday. So I've been putting out enough hay for a few days at the time. The cows are eating the hay faster than they should be by my estimation and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I don't have a scale and weights are estimated using a weigh tape. The cows are cleaning the hay up and acting hungry quicker than I believe they should be. Am I not giving them enough hay or are they just eating more than they should? I'm wondering if I need to feed more or just let them bawl until it is time for more hay?

This 2% rule is bull crap - actually most people that I know say 3% and that is bull crap as well - when they are hungry they are hungry - my friend you will have to feed them

When they are caught up they will slow down

That is why it is expensive to keep cows

Put the hay out and keep them full - formulaes are general only

Regards

Bez

[skyline]

I feed round bales free choice. When they finish up the hay, I put some more out. Their intake varies significantly with the temperatures and rain. Cold rainy days they need more hay to maintain their body heat. I wouldn't skimp on hay, if it were me.

[stocky]

Same here, I feed round bales and keep the hay out free choice. When they finish the hay, I put more out. How much they eat depends on the weather, if they are suckling calves or not, and probably some other things. I keep a feeder in the pasture for each 15 cows, so no cows have to stand a long time waiting to eat. When ever I start feeding, I fill a feeder each time it gets empty. For some of the bigger groups of cows, I will unroll real good hay for about 1/3 to 1/2 of their feed and keep the feeders full of lesser hay for them to stay full on

[Willow Springs]

Work with a ruminant nutritionist, get your hay tested and limit feed the hay to the cows. A cow will eat way more hay than she needs to if provided free choice, and also foul a lot in that system as well. There isn't enough money in the cow business to be sloppy. On the other hand if you only have a few and view it as a hobby don't worry about it; let them fill up if it makes it easier on you.

Our cows get just a shade over 2% of their BW in hay, and do just fine. You have to make sure their nutritional needs are met though, and some hay may require more to be fed. When limit feeding it is important to make sure there is enough space for every cow to eat at the same time. That way the boss cow doesn't eat everything. This can be acheived by unrolling, but can also be done with a feeder. A single bale round feeder has as much bunk space as a 2 bale rectangle feeder. I can get 20-25 (14oo lbs) cows around the single round feeder. I have 1300 lb bales and I feed 20 cows one bale/two days and factor a 10% waste. Works fine for me.

[bigbull338]

you put the hay out when the cows run out of hay.sounds to me like you need to buy 6 or 8 round bale feeders.an check them on your day off.we run 6 or 8 bale feeders.an we keep them full.right now we have 110 cows calves an heifers an bulls.we feed 5 by 6 bales.an put out 6 or 8 bales at once.an that last 9 to 12 days.depending on how fast they eat it.now we are still about 3 to 4wks away from starting to feed hay.

[Cowdirt]

I've started feeding hay recently and I've been putting enough hay to equal each cow getting 2% of their body weight a day, which I believe is what they should get(?). I work fulltime as a firefighter and because of my schedule I can't feed everyday. So I've been putting out enough hay for a few days at the time. The cows are eating the hay faster than they should be by my estimation and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I don't have a scale and weights are estimated using a weigh tape. The cows are cleaning the hay up and acting hungry quicker than I believe they should be. Am I not giving them enough hay or are they just eating more than they should? I'm wondering if I need to feed more or just let them bawl until it is time for more hay?

The ideal situation is to feed free-choice but wait a few hours after the cows think the hay is gone. This encourages them to clean up all the hay and have less waste. I realize that this method can be difficult for one with a full-time off-farm job.

[dun]

The ideal situation is to feed free-choice but wait a few hours after the cows think the hay is gone. This encourages them to clean up all the hay and have less waste. I realize that this method can be difficult for one with a full-time off-farm job.

That's the way we do it.

[killingtime]

That's kinda what I was thinking. I appreciate all the information. I have a couple bale feeders that I use and I will start feeding more as they finish the hay. Thanks.

[JRGidaho`]

One of the problems using a 2% allocation is most people's cows are bigger than they think. You might think your cows are 1200 lb, but if they are really 1400 lb, when you think your giving them 2% they are actually getting only about 1.7% which is sub-maintenance requirement. Until you actually weigh your entire cow herd or an adequately representative sample, you don't know what they should be consuming.

I have been to many ranches where they told me their cows weighed such and such and then when we look at cull cow sale sheets they are 100 to 200 lb heavier than what they say their avergae is. Something about that just doesn't make sense.

I also think if I had the choice of weighing either just the calves or the cows at weaning, I would always choose to weigh the cows. Weaning weight has very little to do with profitability while winter feed costs have a rgeat deal to do with profitability. IMHO,It is more improtant to know what cows are going to eat than what calves weigh at weaning time.

With the cows here, we allocate 2.2% for dry pregnant cows on stockpiled pasture or hay and they usually put on weight thru the winter. They only time we go back and give them more is when bad weather rolls in or we see condition beginning to decline towards our target levels.

We monitor feeding waste and cow condition on an ongoing basis.

[chenocetah]

Maybe I've had the luxury of having more hay avaible than some people, but we keep our hay racks and hay feeding trailers stuffed full all of the time. That means we might feed 5 bales some days and 50 others. Not all of our hay is the same quality and I feel the cow is a better judge of what she needs to fill her up than I am. Some types of hay they eat more of than others.

Just my opinion that its easier to keep a cow up than it is to let her go down a little and then try to get her back.

[dun]

Maybe I've had the luxury of having more hay avaible than some people, but we keep our hay racks and hay feeding trailers stuffed full all of the time. That means we might feed 5 bales some days and 50 others. Not all of our hay is the same quality and I feel the cow is a better judge of what she needs to fill her up than I am. Some types of hay they eat more of than others.

Just my opinion that its easier to keep a cow up than it is to let her go down a little and then try to get her back.

Making them clean up the hay is a long way from letting then lose any condition.

[Ryder]

Don't restrict the amount of hay to conform to some theoretical number.
IMO these percent numbers can be used as rough guestimates as to how much hay you will need to plan for a given time-season.

Lot of factors enter in--are they getting a fair amount of forage from pasture, very little, none? What is the ambient temperature? As was pointed out they need more in colder weather. These and more variables enter in and makes a precise number very hard to come by.

[JRGidaho`]

Maybe I've had the luxury of having more hay avaible than some people, but we keep our hay racks and hay feeding trailers stuffed full all of the time. That means we might feed 5 bales some days and 50 others. Not all of our hay is the same quality and I feel the cow is a better judge of what she needs to fill her up than I am. Some types of hay they eat more of than others.

Just my opinion that its easier to keep a cow up than it is to let her go down a little and then try to get her back.

What does this cost?

Feeding hay is the biggest cause of cows not being profitable. Stop feeding hay and the whole picture changes....

[novatech]

Maybe I've had the luxury of having more hay avaible than some people, but we keep our hay racks and hay feeding trailers stuffed full all of the time. That means we might feed 5 bales some days and 50 others. Not all of our hay is the same quality and I feel the cow is a better judge of what she needs to fill her up than I am. Some types of hay they eat more of than others.

Just my opinion that its easier to keep a cow up than it is to let her go down a little and then try to get her back.

What does this cost?

Feeding hay is the biggest cause of cows not being profitable. Stop feeding hay and the whole picture changes....

I agree.
Maybe you could start a new thread telling us how you go about it.
I have not fed much hay in the past few years but the drought has left me with no stockpiled forage. I am hoping the native rye and clover will kick in early this year. I could use more info. on the subject.