Amount of hay fed in winter

[Logar]

I'm in Ky, and for the past several years, I've had around 20 cows. I feed around 100, 5x5 rolls in the winter. Some people can't believe it. They feel that is not much. I know one guy with 35 cows who said he fed 400 rolls last year. That's just one example.

I believe the main thing is that I let them roam around 70 acres of pasture through the winter. I know a lot of people put their cattle in smaller areas in winter; I don't know what that's all about, but I can see where it would require more hay. I also know a guy who doesn't use hay-rings or any kind of feeder. I'm sure that is a huge waste.

I plan on 11-12 5x5 bales per head for winter.

So North of 9,500 lbs then? Careful, someone is going to call :bs: !

LOL! Well north of that.

And let them wave that flag. While they are nice people, most of them are quite spoiled when it comes to winter weather - completely unable to imagine certain types of winter - and you well know you have to be ready for the worst potential at all times.

For the most part, they have never seen a colder than minus 40 winter, with drifting snow to the eaves of the shop and less than 5 - 6 hours of daylight at certain times of the year. Winters that have cattle eating nearly 24 hours a day simply to keep warm and survive. Thank God and Heaven for thick cedar and spruce bush that shelters cattle herds from wind and drifting snow.

Pic was taken 14 Mar this year - me in my favorite snow remover - and it was no where near the last snow storm. We did not see grass until around 15 April (wife just corrected me - it was early May before we saw grass) and no one was on grass for a long time after that. According to her they went out in the first week of June.

Cheers

 

[littletom]

Last winter 83 cows and bred heifers 3 bulls. All are spring calving but 9. And kept the spring calves sixty days after weaning. 256 rolls of hay 5x5.5 very dense no idea weight. Most of cows didnt get hay till after xmas. Not exactly a normal year i put out n and fews days later we got harvey and 4 inchs of rain.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I plan on 11-12 5x5 bales per head for winter.

So North of 9,500 lbs then? Careful, someone is going to call :bs: !

LOL! Well north of that.

And let them wave that flag. While they are nice people, most of them are quite spoiled when it comes to winter weather - completely unable to imagine certain types of winter - and you well know you have to be ready for the worst potential at all times.

For the most part, they have never seen a colder than minus 40 winter, with drifting snow to the eaves of the shop and less than 5 - 6 hours of daylight at certain times of the year with cattle eating simply to keep warm and survive. Thank God and Heaven for thick cedar and spruce bush that shelters cattle from wind and drifting snow.

Cheers

You do know there's places on this earth that aren't like that. I'm sure glad my family left northern Minnesota in 1928 for Florida.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I just turned cows out on pasture 10 days ago..... before that we had grass but not enough to graze for any length of time...

310 inches or 25.8 feet of snowfall last winter longest stretch with getting above freezing was 41 days, lowest temp was -31*.

It pencils out because land and hay are "cheap" here compared to other areas, and in the summer we do get we can grow a lot of grass and rarely worry about drought.

 

[Stocker Steve]

It pencils out because land and hay are "cheap" here compared to other areas, and in the summer we do get we can grow a lot of grass and rarely worry about drought.

There are some areas where they overpay for pasture, but they get "free" corn stocks for wintering. So the total cost is about the same as in the artic vortex.
According to the Feb number crunchers - - the SE is a low cost calf producer. Low pasture cost and low wintering cost.

 

[1982vett]

I just turned cows out on pasture 10 days ago..... before that we had grass but not enough to graze for any length of time...

310 inches or 25.8 feet of snowfall last winter longest stretch with getting above freezing was 41 days, lowest temp was -31*.

It pencils out because land and hay are "cheap" here compared to other areas, and in the summer we do get we can grow a lot of grass and rarely worry about drought.

Hmm....the difference in experiencing drought for months and being frozen in a sheet of ice......tough choice

 

[Silver]

I wouldn't be against a month or two less winter, but I don't know about the Florida deal. It was 92F here yesterday and will be again today. It's awful. I really don't know how people do it on a regular basis. I suppose it must be what you are acclimatized too.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I can work outside all day long at zero degrees, when temps get in the 80s I start to melt. It's all in what you get used too.

We also have no snakes, spiders, bugs, etc that can kill me.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Hmm....the difference in experiencing drought for months and being frozen in a sheet of ice......tough choice

You left out migration.

 

[JMJ Farms]

I wouldn't be against a month or two less winter, but I don't know about the Florida deal. It was 92F here yesterday and will be again today. It's awful. I really don't know how people do it on a regular basis. I suppose it must be what you are acclimatized too.

It was 97 here yesterday. And will be close to that for the next 3 months straight. I've been here since day 1. You don't get acclimatized to that. It's miserable. What usually works best for me is to get out there early and stay outside. Going in and out of the house,truck, tractor cab or whatever makes it even worse. Usually start at daylight then try to be done by around 2 and go home and take a nap then get back out around 5 till dark.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Here in NY, we rarely have over 5 days of 90+ degrees. Last Sunday it was 49 in the morning and 100 at 4pm. That's 51 degrees higher in ONE day. That was brutal. Got down to 70's during night and back up to 95 next day.
Then, back to mid 70's last few days - typical for June weather.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Been in the 40s at night here and maybe mid 60s during the day. Still have a fire going in the woodstove for the chilly nights.

Week or so back we had 92 for a high and within 20 minutes the wind switched off the lake and it dropped to 59, within an hour and a half of our high temp we had our low temp for the day at 47. Sometimes you got to love living next to a huge lake that is like a giant refrigerator.

Mowed some hay today at 60 degrees, have 5 days without rain but only supposed to be in the 60s so hoping if I ted it enough it might just dry.