Economic Brood Cow Ration/Nutrition?

[lukem86]

Im just getting started in the cow/calf business...

A comment from another guy who is feeding some cattle got me thinking the other day. He is feeding 8 small squares of hay a day right now to his brood cows. He already sold some of his hay this year for $3 dollars a bale. I dont know if you can look at it this simply or not with brood cows, but he said "I sure aint making $24 dollars worth of meat every day."

While his comment makes sense to me, why he is feeding his good hay to the cows doesnt really.

So my question is what are you cow/calf producers feeding your cows during the winter months? I havent consulted a nutritionist yet on this...

Many dairy farms around my area are feeding straw in some sort of ration. Any ideas what they might be feeding with it?

I also know that guys will let the cows run in corn stubble for much of the winter. Would you ever bale stalks and feed them like hay. We raise several thousand acres of corn and soybeans so residue is abundant...

Do you stockpile in your pastures?

Thanks for your thoughts...

 

[Anonymous]

Im just getting started in the cow/calf business...

A comment from another guy who is feeding some cattle got me thinking the other day. He is feeding 8 small squares of hay a day right now to his brood cows. He already sold some of his hay this year for $3 dollars a bale. I dont know if you can look at it this simply or not with brood cows, but he said "I sure aint making $24 dollars worth of meat every day."



While his comment makes sense to me, why he is feeding his good hay to the cows doesnt really.

So my question is what are you cow/calf producers feeding your cows during the winter months? I havent consulted a nutritionist yet on this...

Many dairy farms around my area are feeding straw in some sort of ration. Any ideas what they might be feeding with it?

I also know that guys will let the cows run in corn stubble for much of the winter. Would you ever bale stalks and feed them like hay. We raise several thousand acres of corn and soybeans so residue is abundant...

Do you stockpile in your pastures?

Thanks for your thoughts...

I figure he is feeding small squares because he does not have or cannot handle the big rounds - or the big squares. It does become an expensive hobby when you have to buy the hay - but if he grows it - well, he is simply doing what has been done for many years.

Cows get the best hay I have on site - if it is low quality - then that is what they get - if it is mouldy - then that is what they get. If it is beautiful stuff - then that is what they get.

If I have no hay - they get straw. I have fed straw for long periods of time - in fact - once for two years straight when hay was not available.

They get some mineral, water when it is warm and snow when it is cold, corn when they need it - below minus 40 they get about 5 pounds per day - or whatever they can get when they fight to the line of corn I drop in the snow for them.

Warning: Straw creates potential problems with compaction - cows need lots of water availaboe and good quality free choice mineral - your local feed specialist can help if you do not know.

Dairy farms feed VERY differently from beef operations - do NOT compare their feed process to yours - they are milking for volume - the cow needs all sorts of things - grains, silage, hay, mineral and "stuff". Often this is all mixed together and fed as one.

If you have corn stalks available to bale - do it - I have done this with great success. Just be sure to throw a little hay to the animals as well. We used to feed - if memory serves me - about 10 corn to every hay bale. Do not worry about putting it in a feeder - yeah, there will be wastage - but you can stop buying straw for bedding - they lay in what they do not eat.

I have fed some soy bean - but my animals do not like it - they will eat it only when hungry - makes excellent bedding - I have a couple of hundred 5 foot bales under cover for that purpose.

We stockpile a couple of pastures for the cows - that way we do not have to fight the mud to feed them. Our cows will forage in the snow until it is about level with their eyes - after that they noticeable go down if we do not bring them in and feed them in the winter pasture.

I have probably missed a bunch of things - get back to me with questions - start slow - learn as you go - less opportunity to lose money that way.

Regards,

Bez'

 

[lukem86]

Bez- couple of things

Warning: Straw creates potential problems with compaction

Why compaction?

Are you baling corn stalks into big squares/ rounds? If it came down to it could you do small squares.... Are the corn stalks hard on the baler itself?

Do you do anything to the corn field after the combine rolls through to prepare it for baling?

Thanks for all the help

 

[Campground Cattle]

Well here we do it the old fashion way grass and rolled grass.
Only thing that comes from a sack is minerals and range cubes when we pen.

 

[Anonymous]

Bez- couple of things

Warning: Straw creates potential problems with compaction

Why compaction?

Are you baling corn stalks into big squares/ rounds? If it came down to it could you do small squares.... Are the corn stalks hard on the baler itself?

Do you do anything to the corn field after the combine rolls through to prepare it for baling?

Thanks for all the help

Compaction comes from the lower protien amount - at least I believe that is the cause. Ever notice how runny a cow gets when on a high protein diet? You will not see that with straw.

I have baled corn in small squares - and large rounds. In fact today I round baled up a large amount of willow brush that I cut with the discbine. Round baler I use is a NH650.

I cut the willows - up to 3/4's of an inch thick with the discbine (CIH 8312) because I was getting tired of driving around them when I cut hay - and then I baled them into 6 footers and dumped them in the bush.

I just cut the corn low to the ground and took the spreader off the back of the combine - baled it straight from the windrow after a couple days of drying - raised the baler pickup a couple of inches to avoid buggering the teeth on the standing stalks.

Was it hard on the baler? Well, it worked and I did not break anything - but then again I have busted stuff on good ground!

Takes your chances I suppose.

If you can, why not just run a hot wire and graze them?

Bez'

 

[Anonymous]

Well here we do it the old fashion way grass and rolled grass.
Only thing that comes from a sack is minerals and range cubes when we pen.

Well, I have never seen a range cube and corn comes from the field and goes into some fair size hopper bottom bins.

Sack feeding is a losers game and we only buy mineral as well.

Bez'

 

[msscamp]

Im just getting started in the cow/calf business...

A comment from another guy who is feeding some cattle got me thinking the other day. He is feeding 8 small squares of hay a day right now to his brood cows. He already sold some of his hay this year for $3 dollars a bale. I dont know if you can look at it this simply or not with brood cows, but he said "I sure aint making $24 dollars worth of meat every day."

While his comment makes sense to me, why he is feeding his good hay to the cows doesnt really.

He may not have enough grass to support them without supplementation. He may only have the good hay. There could be a lot of reasons.

So my question is what are you cow/calf producers feeding your cows during the winter months? I havent consulted a nutritionist yet on this...

I also know that guys will let the cows run in corn stubble for much of the winter. Would you ever bale stalks and feed them like hay. We raise several thousand acres of corn and soybeans so residue is abundant...

We rent out one of the pivots, sometimes it's planted to corn and sometimes it's planted to barley. If barley we run the pivot to get the volunteer germinated and growing. Whether it's barley or corn, we string a hot wire across the lower end of the field (other 3 sides are fenced) and the cows run in there from October until the first part of March when they are moved to a small pasture with access to the corrals for calving and then they are supplemented with ground hay(combination of alfalfa, grass and straw), beet pulp, and silage if we can get it. They are supplemented while on the pivot with the lower quality alfalfa when it snows. They go out to summer pasture the last part of May/first part of June.They always have salt/mineral and plenty of water.



Thanks for your thoughts...