Bale feeders

[MistyMorning]

Anyone have any tips or tricks for keeping the round bale feeders in one spot? I have a group of cows that use them as tackling dummies, push em one way, mess up the hay. If they would just move to the other side once in awhile the problem would be solved I'm thinking.

 

[dun]

Anyone have any tips or tricks for keeping the round bale feeders in one spot? I have a group of cows that use them as tackling dummies, push em one way, mess up the hay. If they would just move to the other side once in awhile the problem would be solved I'm thinking.

Teach your cows better table manners!

 

[Limomike]

I used to use those round bale feeders... quit using them about 5 years ago. Now I roll the bales out. I found that all the cows/calves have a chance to get some hay by doing that. My neighbor still uses the bale feeders, and just stacks about 2 or 3 bales in on top of each other. Maybe thats the key to holding them down.

 

[MistyMorning]

Okay so if I was to roll out the bale instead of using the feeder wouldn't there be even more waste? If I rolled them out and we get a 10inch snowfall, I'm thinking they will just trample it around, lay in it, poop in it, etc. Maybe if I do as Mike says and put more in it would help.

Oh and dun, you can't teach these cows a thing, you should see the show when I bring the bales in! :roll:

 

[Angus Cowman]

Okay so if I was to roll out the bale instead of using the feeder wouldn't there be even more waste? If I rolled them out and we get a 10inch snowfall, I'm thinking they will just trample it around, lay in it, poop in it, etc. Maybe if I do as Mike says and put more in it would help.

Oh and dun, you can't teach these cows a thing, you should see the show when I bring the bales in! :roll:

Actually rolling the hay out there is less waste but more labor you only roll out what they will eat in a day if they don't eat all of it roll less out the next day if they cleaned it all up try rolling a little more out till you figure out what they need each day

 

[hillsdown]

Actually studies have proven that feeding on the ground, whether rolling them out, or with a grinder you can lose up to 40% of your feed. The cattle sh@t in it and lay in it,,,wasted feed.

Misty you can brace your feeders but if you have to move them in cold weather to keep the cows always eating in a clean place that might be a problem. Ours move around a bit but the main feeder is a huge bale saver that holds five bales and that bugger doesn't move at all even when empty..when I have to move it to a clean area I use the tractor.

Sorry the only suggestion I have is to brace them or buy heavier feeders that they can't move.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Think your studies were done in Canada Hillsdown. We have been rolling them out for years and works better here. Lots of distance between us though.

 

[hillsdown]

They were done specifically for winter feeding in cold weather climates. Which is the same climate as Misty Morning is in. If I could find it I would post it .Learned about this in my last nutrition course I took. And we have tried it ourselves ,and they waste a lot. If you have lots of hay and don't provide bedding it might work, but that is why we put out bedding for them and it is a lot cheaper than hay. I would rather have them lay in that than precious hay.
Bunk feeding or bale feeding works best for our winters.
Maybe your cows are better behaved and have better manners than ours Red Bull Breeder.. ;-)

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Thats likely it Hillsdown they are Southern Belles after all. :lol: :lol:

 

[Angus Cowman]

They were done specifically for winter feeding in cold weather climates. Which is the same climate as Misty Morning is in. If I could find it I would post it .Learned about this in my last nutrition course I took. And we have tried it ourselves ,and they waste a lot. If you have lots of hay and don't provide bedding it might work, but that is why we put out bedding for them and it is a lot cheaper than hay. I would rather have them lay in that than precious hay.
Bunk feeding or bale feeding works best for our winters.
Maybe your cows are better behaved and have better manners than ours Red Bull Breeder.. ;-)

HD I am sure climate has alot to do with it but management does also
I agree if you put out a surplus they will waste it
Don't let RBB fool you them southern girls are easy :lol: :lol:

 

[MistyMorning]

They were done specifically for winter feeding in cold weather climates. Which is the same climate as Misty Morning is in. If I could find it I would post it .Learned about this in my last nutrition course I took. And we have tried it ourselves ,and they waste a lot. If you have lots of hay and don't provide bedding it might work, but that is why we put out bedding for them and it is a lot cheaper than hay. I would rather have them lay in that than precious hay.
Bunk feeding or bale feeding works best for our winters.
Maybe your cows are better behaved and have better manners than ours Red Bull Breeder.. ;-)

Thanks all for your input. hillsdown I totally see your point about winter feeding. When I look around me, no one and I mean no one rolls out the hay for their cows in this area. Maybe some other northern climate folks do and if so please weigh in on this. I do know from experience when I move one of those bale feeders, the cows will quickly move in and make a horrid mess of what hay is left in them.

 

[BeefmasterB]

Okay so if I was to roll out the bale instead of using the feeder wouldn't there be even more waste? If I rolled them out and we get a 10inch snowfall, I'm thinking they will just trample it around, lay in it, poop in it, etc. Maybe if I do as Mike says and put more in it would help.

Oh and dun, you can't teach these cows a thing, you should see the show when I bring the bales in! :roll:

I've fed them on the ground, out of bale ring and off a flatbed trailer. The bale ring had the least waste. The cattle will usually walk all over it when it's on the ground which isn't so bad when the ground is dry. But in you case, they would just be ground into the ice slush

 

[hrbelgians]

Okay so if I was to roll out the bale instead of using the feeder wouldn't there be even more waste? If I rolled them out and we get a 10inch snowfall, I'm thinking they will just trample it around, lay in it, poop in it, etc. Maybe if I do as Mike says and put more in it would help.

Oh and dun, you can't teach these cows a thing, you should see the show when I bring the bales in! :roll:

Actually rolling the hay out there is less waste but more labor you only roll out what they will eat in a day if they don't eat all of it roll less out the next day if they cleaned it all up try rolling a little more out till you figure out what they need each day

I have had the same experience, more work and less waste.

 

[KenB]

Okay so if I was to roll out the bale instead of using the feeder wouldn't there be even more waste? If I rolled them out and we get a 10inch snowfall, I'm thinking they will just trample it around, lay in it, poop in it, etc. Maybe if I do as Mike says and put more in it would help.

Oh and dun, you can't teach these cows a thing, you should see the show when I bring the bales in! :roll:

Actually rolling the hay out there is less waste but more labor you only roll out what they will eat in a day if they don't eat all of it roll less out the next day if they cleaned it all up try rolling a little more out till you figure out what they need each day

I have had the same experience, more work and less waste.

Same thing for me.

 

[Limomike]

Thanks all for your input. hillsdown I totally see your point about winter feeding. When I look around me, no one and I mean no one rolls out the hay for their cows in this area. Maybe some other northern climate folks do and if so please weigh in on this. I do know from experience when I move one of those bale feeders, the cows will quickly move in and make a horrid mess of what hay is left in them.

I have never known cows to be really clean about anything they do.. always messy at most everything they do, except when they clean up one of their calves.

If you are unable to roll out the bales; (and there is more labor involved but not much) then I would just stack more than one in the feeder; then move the feeder occasionally once they get it eaten down so far.
But I try to only roll out what they will eat in a given day. Sometimes it's a whole bale, sometimes more or less. Depends on how cold it is actually. They will definitly gobble up more on very cold days.

 

[jd35154]

It took me a few years and alot of worrying about my cows to figure it out but unrolling the hay works better in my operation. I limit feed my cows in groups of 50 head. I weigh a few bales at the beginning of the feeding season and figure out the dry matter in each bale. My cows avg. about 1100 lb. so I adjust my numbers in each field rather than trying to guess how much of a roll to roll out. I have my hay tested and make sure I am giving them only what they need per day. I figure on about 30 lbs. per head per day on a as fed basis.

I have watched these cows closely over the past two years and I maintain, if not gain a little body condition score over the winter and into calving. Lord knows I worried to death over the fear of starving my cows but rebreeding percentage is right on 93% and the cows are doing fine. Sure I give them some good alfalfa hay when the weather gets wet and cold but other than that it is fescue/clover mix.

The key is to unroll the bale in short distances. I use a conventional three point hitch clamp style unroller. I unroll the hay in about 100 ft. length. If I unroll it longer the cows walk all over it and the calves lay in it. Sure they don't get every stem but show me a system that will.

I simple cannot make round bale rings work. If I put out enough rings so every cow can eat the cows overconsume and I lose big dollars. Margins are too tight right now to not make these cows work for us.

I hope this helps someone who is wondering.

 

[angie1]

Okay so if I was to roll out the bale instead of using the feeder wouldn't there be even more waste? If I rolled them out and we get a 10inch snowfall, I'm thinking they will just trample it around, lay in it, poop in it, etc. Maybe if I do as Mike says and put more in it would help.

You will for sure get more waste if you roll it out. They use it for bedding as soon as the snow falls, and they will bawl at the fence for more, with half of what you rolled out laying there on the ground.

Careful stacking bales in the ring, I have heard of bales getting pushed off (sounds like yours enjoy that!), and falling on another tucked against the ring on the other side ~ often resulting in injury or death. Thought at first it was a freak accident but I have heard it too many times now.

 

[1982vett]

You will for sure get more waste if you roll it out. They use it for bedding as soon as the snow falls, and they will bawl at the fence for more, with half of what you rolled out laying there on the ground.quote]

Don't have that problem much in these parts but if it were to get wet and muddy I would go back to feeding in the rings. My old cows put one over on me yesterday, had planed on feeding late in the afternoon but yesterday morning they were acting like they were starving to death so I went ahead and rolled one out. In about 30 minutes most of them were wandering off and laying in the shade, most of the hay uneaten. They acted the same this morning but I knew better, made them work on cleaning up yestedays mess a bit more. Not overfeeding is a key to minimizing waste either way.

 

[msscamp]

Actually studies have proven that feeding on the ground, whether rolling them out, or with a grinder you can lose up to 40% of your feed. The cattle sh@t in it and lay in it,,,wasted feed.

We've fed hay on the ground for many, many years and had very little waste. I tend to suspect that the studies you're referring to are either skewed in some way, are incomplete, or they were done incorrectly.

 

[angie1]

Actually studies have proven that feeding on the ground, whether rolling them out, or with a grinder you can lose up to 40% of your feed. The cattle sh@t in it and lay in it,,,wasted feed.[/quote]
They must have studied my cattle....... :roll: