Feeding Baled Cornstocks

[Anonymous]

The farmer I am buying hay from is now selling round baled corn stalks. I am considering feeding them to my longhorns along with hay and maybe reduce my hay usage. The cornstalks are much cheaper than hay. I checked with a local man that raises beef a few years ago. He said you have to be careful about the corn stalks. If the aren't made correctly they can make your cattle sick. Any input would be appreciated. What season of the year do they bale corn stalks? This farmer is just now baling the stalks. I would of thought you would make the bales right after the harvest.

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[Anonymous]

Using baled corn stalks would sure reduce your feed cost. Baling the stalks this time of year can be good, in that they will probably be a little more digestable because of weathering. However the palatablity will be reduced. I would recommend trying a bale or two first and see how it goes. Grinding and mixing with other hay would help but if your not set up for a tmr then there is no point. You also might try a product called MSE, (mutiple stabalized enzymes) as this product will help increase the digestability of poor quality feed. You can find information about it on a web site beeftech.com