Cow that perfers grass hay over Fresh grass

[Anonymous]

I have a 5 year old cow that seems to perfer orchard grass hay over green grass. I have just started to turn her out to pasture and have noticed a drop in weight. I started to watch her to see if something was wrong. The thing that I notice most is that she walks around the field munching here and there but not realy digging in like the other cows. She will come up to the barn and see if any hay was left after the morning feeding.

Do you think that something is missing in her diet? I have some bloat gaurd blocks around the barn so I removed the other mineral blocks. I thought that maybe she needed more protien so I started to feed her a alfalfa/grass mix hay. She still likes her orchard grass best.

This is the first spring that I have owned her so I do not know what her normal patern was like.

 

[dun]

What kind of grass is the pasture? If it's fescue, it's not unusaul for them to prefer something else, especially if this is their first exposure to it.
If you have adequate pasture, why are you feeding hay at all?

dun

I have a 5 year old cow that seems to perfer orchard grass hay over green grass. I have just started to turn her out to pasture and have noticed a drop in weight. I started to watch her to see if something was wrong. The thing that I notice most is that she walks around the field munching here and there but not realy digging in like the other cows. She will come up to the barn and see if any hay was left after the morning feeding.

Do you think that something is missing in her diet? I have some bloat gaurd blocks around the barn so I removed the other mineral blocks. I thought that maybe she needed more protien so I started to feed her a alfalfa/grass mix hay. She still likes her orchard grass best.

This is the first spring that I have owned her so I do not know what her normal patern was like.

 

[Anonymous]

There is some fesuce, rye, orchard and timothy in the feild.

I am feeding my cows in the morning prior to turn out during the day. I have just started to turn them out to pasture so I try to fill them in the morning with hay then send them out.

I think you may be onto something about her not being use to it. I did purchase her from another state so the grass types may be different.

 

[Craig-TX]

Dun asked the key question – why feed them if you have grass? She could be plain ol' lazy. Sure, the green is better but why work for it when you have the yellow stuff piled up?

Craig-TX

 

[Tc]

are you sure she is just 5 years old? sounds like shes got teeth problems and cant graze ,so she wants hay cause its easyer to eat. cheak her teeth.~~~~~~~~~Tc

 

[dun]

Excellent point

dun

are you sure she is just 5 years old? sounds like shes got teeth problems and cant graze ,so she wants hay cause its easyer to eat. cheak her teeth.~~~~~~~~~Tc

 

[Anonymous]

Yes I am fairly certain that she is 5. I have papers on her and her tatoo matched the papers.

I will have her teeth checked. I know with horse they have to be done regularly. Is it the same with cows?

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

Personally, I would give her a probiotic.
It's possible that she doesn't have the necessary rumen bacteria to digest the grass.
My Jerseys get hay all year with afternoon grazing when we have grass. The first few days when they're turned in on the grass, they run and jump and play and do very little grazing -- it's like they have to remember that grass is food too. And if they don't get a probiotic for those first few days, their digestion will get upset.

I have a yearling Mini Jersey bull (bottleraised) that still hasn't figured out that grass is food. He's hilarious -- put a handful of grass in his mouth and he'll spit it back at you. As far as he's concerned, sweet feed/range cubes and hay are the only things that are edible.

Ann B

 

[Anonymous]

Ann,

Thank you for your reply. It is nice to know that someone else has a weird cow or two.