One Extreme to another

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Dave

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So to feed my heifers I set a big square bale by the feed bunk and fork in the hay with a pitchfork. It takes about 4 to 5 days for them to eat a bale. Well on Monday the neighbor called wanting to know if I could feed for them while they are in Las Vegas for the NFR. So yesterday I went down for lessons on how much to feed, where, what mix, and how to run the equipment. The equipment at his place is a touch more modern than my pitchfork.

Me and my pitchfork. Actually I think this one was my Dad's from the late 30's a few handles later.



This feeds a lot more calves a lot quicker.
 
You're a good neighbour Dave!

I finally caved and started at least driving a gator to do my chores. But took me 10 years to finally give in.
 
sstterry said:
Dave said:
This feeds a lot more calves a lot quicker.

Convenience comes at a price!

Yep, makes me a little nervous driving it. I sure don't want to break anything.

cowgal604 said:
You're a good neighbour Dave!
After living for way too many years where neighbors don't even talk to one another it is great to live where they help each other. It only takes about 2 hours to feed about 500 calves.
 
When I was helping the neighbours process calves the other day I had the opportunity to watch as they loaded their TMR (truck mounted) with a big ole Case loader. Over and over again. It never stopped all day. And I know it was only half the the feeding equation, they have another on the other side of the place that they pull with a tractor, similar to the one in your pic. Feeding around that place is an all day event for several people. Yet when I worked on the same ranch when I was fresh out of high school we had a similar amount of cattle (well, maybe 1000 less head) we just rolled out the bales to the cows and it seemed to be a much simpler exercise. I'm sure these cattle are having there nutritional needs met better than what I was involved with, but it makes me wonder...
 
Silver said:
When I was helping the neighbours process calves the other day I had the opportunity to watch as they loaded their TMR (truck mounted) with a big ole Case loader. Over and over again. It never stopped all day. And I know it was only half the the feeding equation, they have another on the other side of the place that they pull with a tractor, similar to the one in your pic. Feeding around that place is an all day event for several people. Yet when I worked on the same ranch when I was fresh out of high school we had a similar amount of cattle (well, maybe 1000 less head) we just rolled out the bales to the cows and it seemed to be a much simpler exercise. I'm sure these cattle are having there nutritional needs met better than what I was involved with, but it makes me wonder...
It took a little over 2 hours to feed about 500 calves. Not all the cows and calves are out of the hills yet. And cows
that these calves came from got put back out on some lower elevation range.
 
Get the nice mixer and tractor, then you will be doing labour for someone else to pay for them 😀

I do similar....saves money...makes me look at animals, and, makes me think of ways to do things easier.

Wonder if it would be cheaper to just buy hay racks and put bales out, would be some waste, but would the waste be less than interest and costs for nice machinery ?
 
Aaron said:
I prefer your system over the neighbors. Yours has a better chance of being profitable and maintaining sanity.
I don't want to even attempt to feed his 900 cows using a pitchfork.

He just went to this system. Last winter he was feeding 22 bales a day (big squares). Hay got up to $200 a ton last year. It cost him a bunch of money. His plan is to cut the hay use a bunch. Feed chowed mixed feed he can add lower cost feed that the cows will eat when chopped and mixed with other more palatable feeds. Wheat straw, grass seed straw, corn silage. and a number of by product feeds can be mixed with the alfalfa to cheapen the ration and cows will eat it.
 
My heifers get a 90 lb bale of hay a day.. they need their pettings, they'd be upset if I got bigger and didn't do it in a way where they could get their attention
 
I have used a gas powered wood chipper and small squares to grind feed, may have been even more labor intensive than the pitchfork, but ya gotta try.
 
I took this pic the other day as I was helping out. It occured to me that when an operation gets to be this size it becomes very industrial. Not saying that's good or bad, but for a small time guy like me it's a whole different scale and a whole other world.

ojflm4q.jpg
 
Silver said:
I took this pic the other day as I was helping out. It occurred to me that when an operation gets to be this size it becomes very industrial. Not saying that's good or bad, but for a small time guy like me it's a whole different scale and a whole other world.

ojflm4q.jpg
Can you tell us what we are looking at? I assume the piles on the left are silage and I see the hay. But, is the pile on the right corn?
 
sstterry said:
Can you tell us what we are looking at? I assume the piles on the left are silage and I see the hay. But, is the pile on the right corn?

Yes, silage in piles, hay stacked, barley piled. The little red light you can see just behind the cab is the readout for the scale. There appears to be a weight based recipe for every group of cattle.
 
Silver said:
sstterry said:
Can you tell us what we are looking at? I assume the piles on the left are silage and I see the hay. But, is the pile on the right corn?

Yes, silage in piles, hay stacked, barley piled. The little red light you can see just behind the cab is the readout for the scale. There appears to be a weight based recipe for every group of cattle.

I have grass hay, alfalfa, corn silage, and corn to choose from. There are several recipes depending on which group is getting fed. The scale read out faces the loader while loading and them is turned to face the tractor. I have to feed several pens with the same load so I have to watch the scale to see that I am feeding the right amount. That is a hardest part of the job. That screen is clear around behind me. Not being as limber as I once was.....
 
Ag econ boys usually calculate a breakeven herd size for the equipment investment. I have several pitchforks so you know I am a BTO. Bought one for each of the kids too. I try to pick up used pitchforks at auctions, but here the Amish often run the price up. :(
 
Stocker Steve said:
Ag econ boys usually calculate a breakeven herd size for the equipment investment. I have several pitchforks so you know I am a BTO. Bought one for each of the kids too. I try to pick up used pitchforks at auctions, but here the Amish often run the price up. :(

I have a new handle for my pitchfork. But I want to get every possible minute of use before I replace the half broken one on it now. You got to be frugal if you are going to make money ranching.
 

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