Feed & Hay

[HDRider]

I am three years into cows. I do cow/calf. I watch my nickels and dimes, or, I thought I did.

I have 30 mommas. They eat about two round bales a day, roughly 1,500 pounds. My bull is in there along with over wintering a dozen or so calves that eat hay too. My hay test between 12 and 15% protein.

I draw my cows into the pen with feed to work them. I started doing that about a week ago. I fed them about 4 to 5 pounds each. I was shocked at how much less hay they ate.

I buy corn for about 11 cents a pound, or $218 a ton. Hay cost me about $35 per bale or roughly 5 cents a pound.

I always took pride in saying I did not feed anything beyond hay through the winter.

Maybe I was all wet.

If I feed $16 dollars worth of corn per day and it cuts my hay consumption by one half, I am $19 per day to the good.

Does this make sense? Where am I off track?

Thanks

PS - I also feed 12% pellets that cost about the same as corn. My handling system only work with something that flows well like corn or pellets, so I am limited as to what I can feed.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

To clarify, you’re feeding whole kernel corn correct?

 

[HDRider]

To clarify, you’re feeding whole kernel corn correct?

Yes, whole corn

 

[greggy]

You have to work it out on a dry matter basis.

Sometimes, or often, for me, feed that seems expensive to buy can be cheaper than much cheaper forms, due to make up and values on a dry matter basis.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

To clarify, you’re feeding whole kernel corn correct?

Yes, whole corn

Cob and all?

 

[MurraysMutts]

Everyone knows the cob is the best part!

Just dawned on me I have nothing useful to add to this thread....
Other than I've been feeding cubes. Seems to help with the hay digestion and consumption. And they are holding condition well this winter.

 

[HDRider]

To clarify, you’re feeding whole kernel corn correct?

Yes, whole corn

Cob and all?

Very little cob

 

[chaded]

Now, I haven’t had my coffee yet so bear with me. You have 30 cows that eat 3,000 pounds of hay a day? Even with the bull and calves that seems excessive to me. Are these actually hippos? Lol.

 

[Hereford2]

If you're not already feeding them out of bale feeders,. That's a good place to start. We have 30 head, not counting calves, and they were eating 1 round bale Daily,. Until we started using the Round bale feeders and now they eat 2 bales every 3 days.. We Don't feed them Any grain or cubes, and they stay fat, all Winter!

 

[HDRider]

Now, I haven’t had my coffee yet so bear with me. You have 30 cows that eat 3,000 pounds of hay a day? Even with the bull and calves that seems excessive to me. Are these actually hippos? Lol.

I said, "two round bales a day, roughly 1,500 pounds."

Each bale is about 750 #

 

[HDRider]

If you're not already feeding them out of bale feeders,. That's a good place to start. We have 30 head, not counting calves, and they were eating 1 round bale Daily,. Until we started using the Round bale feeders and now they eat 2 bales every 3 days.. We Don't feed them Any grain or cubes, and they stay fat, all Winter!

I use bale feeders

 

[chaded]

Now, I haven’t had my coffee yet so bear with me. You have 30 cows that eat 3,000 pounds of hay a day? Even with the bull and calves that seems excessive to me. Are these actually hippos? Lol.

I said, "two round bales a day, roughly 1,500 pounds."

Each bale is about 750 #

Ahh see, told you to bear with me. Lol. I saw that and thought it was two 1500 lb bales. :shock:

 

[WFfarm]

Has the weather changed much for you lately? If it's been cold, then recently warmed up you will see a decrease in what they are eating. They use a lot of roughage just to generate body heat. When we drop below 10F the cows will eat 10-15% more hay.

 

[Bigfoot]

On average, how many days per year do you feed hay?

I normally feed about 180 days. Less than that, and I get excited.

You will have to look at some options to shorten your hay feeding time......Perhaps planting some wheat in the fall to be grazed in the spring. I just use my cone spreader and plant bin run wheat. Cost very little.

You may be stockpiling for some fall grazing, but that helps.

In my opinion corn is your cheapest supplement. Maybe not the highest protein, but at some point calories matter. You may have to limit feed the hay, and some corn all winter.

Im going to end up feeding the same amount of hay you are, to more than twice as many cows. Takes more time, than sitting hay in a roll, so I guess you have think about opportuity cost.

 

[HDRider]

Has the weather changed much for you lately? If it's been cold, then recently warmed up you will see a decrease in what they are eating. They use a lot of roughage just to generate body heat. When we drop below 10F the cows will eat 10-15% more hay.

I wanted to see what others said about feed and hay. There are other factors at play here, and I am trying to understand how much of a factor feed is in hay consumption.

It has warmed up a lot. There is some green grass.

Thanks

 

[HDRider]

On average, how many days per year do you feed hay?

I normally feed about 180 days. Less than that, and I get excited.

You will have to look at some options to shorten your hay feeding time......Perhaps planting some wheat in the fall to be grazed in the spring. I just use my cone spreader and plant bin run wheat. Cost very little.

You may be stockpiling for some fall grazing, but that helps.

In my opinion corn is your cheapest supplement. Maybe not the highest protein, but at some point calories matter. You may have to limit feed the hay, and some corn all winter.

Im going to end up feeding the same amount of hay you are, to more than twice as many cows. Takes more time, than sitting hay in a roll, so I guess you have think about opportuity cost.

I feed hay about 150 days per year, depending on how good grass is in the fall, and spring.

I bought a no till last year, and plan to extend my grazing as much as I can. I have not had much luck with my broadcast spreader except on worked up ground. Fescue and wheat/rye, etc comes in about the same time. I think hitting my fescue with fertilizer early might pay off as much as wheat, rye, etc.