Another hay unrolling thread

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Bigfoot

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My main herd is steady eating 3 rolls of hay a day. That works out to 28 pounds of hay per head per day. I have never unrolled hay with success. Always ended up waisting too much to please me. I'm going to run smack out of hay, at some point in the future. I want to unroll one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. That's going to be 18 pounds of hay per day. I've never fed less, than free choice. What ramifications are there to feeding 18 pounds per day verses 28. By mid February, every cow in the field will get 6 pounds of ddg a day, until the green up. I could easily start earlier, if need be.
 
If you're unrolling one morning and afternoon there shouldn't be as much waste. I assume they'd be eating most of it. Have they been cleaning up the 3 rolls of hay you've been giving them?

In 2011 when we a the terrible drought and hay was just about nonexistent. I was fortunate enough to have some hay left from the year before, but only about 1/2 the amount I usually fed, so I supplemented it with 10# of 12% sweet feed per head every other day. They came through the winter in good shape, so you might want to think about trying something like that.
 
I've gone to unrolling about 90 percent at home. Once a day. When I feed tomorrow I want them nosing around where I fed today and yesterday. I supplement by feeding cottonseed or opening the gate on some oats.
Very little waste for me and good for the ground.
I know good and well you know it's better to sell some before you let em loose condition
 
There's plenty of hay south of you, Tank posted something about having to much hay awhile back. A full belly keeps a cow warm, I'd be worried about cutting back that much myself if it gets cold again.
 
Rafter S":1nppsned said:
If you're unrolling one morning and afternoon there shouldn't be as much waste. I assume they'd be eating most of it. Have they been cleaning up the 3 rolls of hay you've been giving them?

In 2011 when we a the terrible drought and hay was just about nonexistent. I was fortunate enough to have some hay left from the year before, but only about 1/2 the amount I usually fed, so I supplemented it with 10# of 12% sweet feed per head every other day. They came through the winter in good shape, so you might want to think about trying something like that.

Actually been very little wasted so far. The bottom has feel out of the ground now, so I'm sure my waste will increase. Prior to this snow fall, my ground was dry as a biscuit. Almost no waste.
 
True Grit Farms":1911oasc said:
There's plenty of hay south of you, Tank posted something about having to much hay awhile back. A full belly keeps a cow warm, I'd be worried about cutting back that much myself if it gets cold again.

I agree. Cold weather calls for a belly full of grass. I'm not set up to move hay, further than my immediate area. I actually should have a fair amount of standing grass for them to browse. With the hay rodeo NGOs standing full, they don't seem to ever want to out and pick. Maybe unrolling, and running out before they are full, would encourage some grazing.
 
callmefence":kkp0i8h0 said:
I've gone to unrolling about 90 percent at home. Once a day. When I feed tomorrow I want them nosing around where I fed today and yesterday. I supplement by feeding cottonseed or opening the gate on some oats.
Very little waste for me and good for the ground.
I know good and well you know it's better to sell some before you let em loose condition

Yeah. Keep hoping I'll come up with some, before I have to sell any. I've got some calves out with the cows that could be weaned. It's a little premature, but it would help. I'd move the 400 pound calves, before I shipped the moms. I've also got some bred heifers, that I'd hate to see go, but I'd sell them before I would a young proven producer.

Should slow down some, as we near spring. I'm 100 rolls short though.
 
Bigfoot":3hgbjcm2 said:
True Grit Farms":3hgbjcm2 said:
There's plenty of hay south of you, Tank posted something about having to much hay awhile back. A full belly keeps a cow warm, I'd be worried about cutting back that much myself if it gets cold again.

I agree. Cold weather calls for a belly full of grass. I'm not set up to move hay, further than my immediate area. I actually should have a fair amount of standing grass for them to browse. With the hay rodeo NGOs standing full, they don't seem to ever want to out and pick. Maybe unrolling, and running out before they are full, would encourage some grazing.
I'm just leary of pushing a cow in the winter, some of my neighbors south of JMJ FARMS had hay problems 3 years ago and lost a bunch of cows during the winter.
 
Bigfoot":2cndbuop said:
callmefence":2cndbuop said:
I've gone to unrolling about 90 percent at home. Once a day. When I feed tomorrow I want them nosing around where I fed today and yesterday. I supplement by feeding cottonseed or opening the gate on some oats.
Very little waste for me and good for the ground.
I know good and well you know it's better to sell some before you let em loose condition

Yeah. Keep hoping I'll come up with some, before I have to sell any. I've got some calves out with the cows that could be weaned. It's a little premature, but it would help. I'd move the 400 pound calves, before I shipped the moms. I've also got some bred heifers, that I'd hate to see go, but I'd sell them before I would a young proven producer.

Should slow down some, as we near spring. I'm 100 rolls short though.

I know you know but I always say 1+1 doesn't = 2 it equals 3.

I have grazing all winter though some years they have to be innovative to find it up amongst the hills and rocks, if I start feeding them they will hang around for days rather than go searching for what is there, very frustrating.

Ken
 
Bigfoot":3fdjuc8o said:
Rafter S":3fdjuc8o said:
If you're unrolling one morning and afternoon there shouldn't be as much waste. I assume they'd be eating most of it. Have they been cleaning up the 3 rolls of hay you've been giving them?

In 2011 when we a the terrible drought and hay was just about nonexistent. I was fortunate enough to have some hay left from the year before, but only about 1/2 the amount I usually fed, so I supplemented it with 10# of 12% sweet feed per head every other day. They came through the winter in good shape, so you might want to think about trying something like that.

Actually been very little wasted so far. The bottom has feel out of the ground now, so I'm sure my waste will increase. Prior to this snow fall, my ground was dry as a biscuit. Almost no waste.

If you're getting very little waste now with feeding 3 per day, I'm afraid your cows will lose condition if you decrease that amount by 50%. As my father used to say "It's a lot easier to keep weight on cattle than it is to put it back on after they've lost it." If you don't find more hay I'd certainly recommend supplementing it with some other feed.

I believe the only thing you'll accomplish by unrolling it will be to let all the cattle have access to it since you'll only be feeding one roll at a time.
 
i unroll 30 lb / day to my cows and more like 45 lb /day if its extremely cold. (no feed)

Other than the manure and a few stems you can't tell where I unrolled any hay.
 
I always unroll my hay ...unless I'm feeding in a lot for some reason. I think you can get by with less and they are less stressed....fighting for position at the hay ring. And they also will stand there and bust a gut eating hay if its available....hence the hay belly.
I think most hay is way overrated....nutritionally speaking. I think it loses a lot of nutrients thru oxidation over the summer. So I think its very important to keep a good mineral out at all times, especially in the winter.
Losing a little condition is less important than becoming nutrient deficient IMO
 
He doesn't have 3 bales a day to unroll, without running out.
I'm sure you know this, but the biggest problem with them losing weight is the effect it will have on calving. Cows will be weaker at calving time & calves can be weak. Lowering intake last trimester is absolutely the worse time for the cow/calf.
Do you know how many pounds of hay the ddg will supplement? Are you able to feed more of it? Can you get some whole shell corn?
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":2ly67rop said:
He doesn't have 3 bales a day to unroll, without running out.
I'm sure you know this, but the biggest problem with them losing weight is the effect it will have on calving. Cows will be weaker at calving time & calves can be weak. Lowering intake last trimester is absolutely the worse time for the cow/calf.
Do you know how many pounds of hay the ddg will supplement? Are you able to feed more of it? Can you get some whole shell corn?

I don't know how many pounds of hay, the ddg will replace. I've always fed 50/50 mix of shelled corn, and ddg, from actually mid February til the green up. I've always done that in conjunction with free choice hay though.

Seems like Lucky had some of his numbers posted on here once upon a time. I can't find them now. He was, and may still be limit feeding hay.
 
I have used shelled corn or rather rolled corn in the past when hay was short.As I recall,you used 2lb of corn to 3lbs of hay up to 50 percent of the ration.If that's right,it would mean 14 lbs.of hay and 9.3 lbs. of shelled corn.Depending on availability and prices,it might be cheaper.If you have to build feeders,though,they can get expensive.
:2cents:
 
callmefence":v7ik3l28 said:
I only see two choices.
Sell enough so you have enough hay.
Or sell enough to buy enough hay.

This.
Either option helps him with his downsizing conundrum in the other thread.
Wish I was closer Bigfoot, I could spare about 60 bales this year.
 
JW IN VA":z0zjx1ny said:
I have used shelled corn or rather rolled corn in the past when hay was short.As I recall,you used 2lb of corn to 3lbs of hay up to 50 percent of the ration.If that's right,it would mean 14 lbs.of hay and 9.3 lbs. of shelled corn.Depending on availability and prices,it might be cheaper.If you have to build feeders,though,they can get expensive.
:2cents:

I bought 30 4 x5 rolls, that I haven't even seen this afternoon, for $50.. Depending on what they weigh, corn is cheaper.
 
Bigfoot":3pg9h7q7 said:
JW IN VA":3pg9h7q7 said:
I have used shelled corn or rather rolled corn in the past when hay was short.As I recall,you used 2lb of corn to 3lbs of hay up to 50 percent of the ration.If that's right,it would mean 14 lbs.of hay and 9.3 lbs. of shelled corn.Depending on availability and prices,it might be cheaper.If you have to build feeders,though,they can get expensive.
:2cents:

I bought 30 4 x5 rolls, that I haven't even seen this afternoon, for $50.. Depending on what they weigh, corn is cheaper.
TDN on corn is in the high 80's, good hay is in the 50's. Feeding to much corn to fast isn't good either.
 

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