Bfields30
Well-known member
East TX guys when do y'all start putting out hay for winter? This will be my first winter that I will have cows curious to when Everyone usually starts.
East Texas hay
- Thread starter Bfields30
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Bfields30":3ut86bz0 said:
Looks like November for me.
Bfields30
Well-known member
CB how would I determine how much i need forCaustic Burno":2mat025n said:
The whole winter? With 10 cows 3 bred ones the rest heifers
greybeard
Well-known member
I'd plan on no less than 30 1000lb bales and that's if it's a normal but relatively dry mild winter.
It' will be late November to start for me unless the weather really changes in a hurry here.
I have a LOT of grass.
It' will be late November to start for me unless the weather really changes in a hurry here.
I have a LOT of grass.
Bfields30
Well-known member
That's how many your doing or your saying that's how many I should get for mine?greybeard":1ygmfeix said:
Farmgirl
Well-known member
Feed months of December-March roughly. One roll per cow per month. if you have ryegrass and clover planted may be able to stop feeding hay in early to mid March depending on moisture. Watch the cows. See when they start going out to graze and leave the hay.
Good luck.
Farmgirl
Good luck.
Farmgirl
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Bfields30":2c019eu0 said:
GB gave you good advice figure on 3 bales minimum per cow.
callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
Figure twice what you need, then double it.
1982vett
Well-known member
Really depends on winter pasture, but killing frost is where I might put out some hay. Course I put some out at the end of August before we started getting rain that grew grass. Now I will have to see how much the army worms leave behind.....Bfields30":2zt85lw7 said:
Rafter S
Well-known member
I start feeding usually mid November. I watch how fast they're eating it, but usually start tapering off about the first week of March, and stop completely in late March. And I generally figure one roll per cow per month.
Thanksgiving to March 15th on a normal year. Problem is we don't have normal years anymore. Best to just watch the grass and the cow patties. Sometimes you can supplement cheaper than hay and get them by for awhile longer. I started supplemeting on the 1st gonna be a long year.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Lucky":1p2vo79m said:
I put liquid in the tank September 1st.
Hay is in short supply in my area if we have a long tough winter. I am sitting on 5 bales per head right now. I want them to clean up the pastures as I have a lot of grass conserving my Hay reserves.
I can see some real opportunities on some fine cows come February or March if you have hay.
Then again there is no such thing as too much Hay IMO.
greybeard
Well-known member
for yours.Bfields30":pzj0ro6q said:
snoopdog
Well-known member
I started feeding hay last weekend, we have grass, bit some of it is mature. My cows are in the critical period and I want them to have all they need, fed another bale today. We stock heavy and try to stretch the grass supply, with adjustments for drought etc., but when in doubt, feed. Its cheaper to keep weight on lactating cows, than ir is trying to put it back on them, IMO.
Bfields30
Well-known member
How much do you feed per headsnoopdog":1leoqtkq said:
If you are going to feed in hay rings I'd put out 2 bales at a time and see how long it takes for them to clean it up. My guess would be 4-5 days. Probably feed a sack of 20% cubes every 3rd day except for really cold weather then might do every other day. Plan on feeding for 100 days.
greybeard
Well-known member
That would be pretty dang close guess for sure, if not right on the nail.Lucky":mse3wcns said:
I'd add 'wet' to that 'really cold weather' part, especially if it's wind driven rain, and the slow drizzle type. Cattle can stand out in the cold for a long time. Can stand out in the rain a long time, or the wind. Add any 2 or 3 of them together, and it's really hard on them down here, as they don't grow the same kind of winter hair coat northern cattle do and our winters aren't long enough for them to do much acclimatizing to it either.
IOW, each time it's cold wet, nasty, give 'em xtra cubes before dark.
(you Northerners can stop laughing now)
snoopdog
Well-known member
I figure 30lbs a day on the low side with good hay for maintenance, in bitter weather, or poorer quality hay, reduced forage I give them more. They have to clean it up though. We'll supplement with cubes or cake if the quality is really low, watch the manure ,it'll tell you when. You're gonna have to adjust, there is no right answer, if your cows are milking they need more, if you have good quality stockpiled grass, they'll need less. If you can't afford feed for all of them, sell some and buy feed for the rest, you won't be the first.Bfields30":32jmzr5c said:
snoopdog
Well-known member
I went back and read your explanation and I think I jumped the gun on my reply, since your group is not calving, the other advice is spot on, those guys are in your neck of the woods, and very knowledgeable.
Ok, I'm disqualified because I am NE of the Dallas metroplex. Fine.
On when it depends on pasture. This year it looked like feeding would commence in September as things have been arid all summer (1 hay cutting only) and the ground was just arid and cracked open, plants dying.
Then along comes 6" of rain over the course of a week and the ground has been moist/wet ever since. Grasses responded vigorously and there is fresh/plentiful grass everywhere. As a result grazing will continue until it's gone, maybe into December.
We usually get the first frost Halloween (my annual benchmark) and start looking to have to feed thereafter but it depends upon how bad and long the frost impacts the growth.
So, there is no cut and dried answer....as with everything else associated with farming/ranching it just depends.
On how much to feed when feeding starts, depends........weather, condition of available live forage (Ryegrass), acceptance of hay provided, your personal perception of what kind of condition you want to maintain in your herd all play a part in it.
I always wanted to have hay left over. Trying to find hay with starving bovines rolling their eyes at you in the dead of winter is not the thing to do. Usually you can't find anybody to turn loose of any and what you can find is of poor quality and priced out of sight.
HTH.
On when it depends on pasture. This year it looked like feeding would commence in September as things have been arid all summer (1 hay cutting only) and the ground was just arid and cracked open, plants dying.
Then along comes 6" of rain over the course of a week and the ground has been moist/wet ever since. Grasses responded vigorously and there is fresh/plentiful grass everywhere. As a result grazing will continue until it's gone, maybe into December.
We usually get the first frost Halloween (my annual benchmark) and start looking to have to feed thereafter but it depends upon how bad and long the frost impacts the growth.
So, there is no cut and dried answer....as with everything else associated with farming/ranching it just depends.
On how much to feed when feeding starts, depends........weather, condition of available live forage (Ryegrass), acceptance of hay provided, your personal perception of what kind of condition you want to maintain in your herd all play a part in it.
I always wanted to have hay left over. Trying to find hay with starving bovines rolling their eyes at you in the dead of winter is not the thing to do. Usually you can't find anybody to turn loose of any and what you can find is of poor quality and priced out of sight.
HTH.
