Feeding cows when you don't have enough hay

[Rafter S]

Another discussion made me think of this, so I thought I'd start a new discussion instead of derailing that one. Here in southeast Texas we had the worst drought in my lifetime in 2011. I made 8 rolls of hay that summer, and I calculated that between the baling cost and fertilizer they cost me $300.00 each. Fortunately I had quite a bit of hay left from the year before, but not nearly enough to make it through the winter. I talked to a man who was shipping in rice straw hay from Louisiana for $100.00 per roll, and the quality was so poor that the cows got all of it they wanted and were still losing weight. I didn't want to do that.

Here's what I did. I bought some troughs, and found a feed mill about 30 miles from my house that mixed and sold a 12% protein feed that was reasonably priced. That whole winter I fed half the amount of hay I would in normal years, along with 10 pounds per adult animal of the mixed feed on alternate days. The cows came through the winter just fine.

It's looking like this year will be similar, though most people at least got a first cutting, which wasn't the case back then. However, I'm 11 years older now than I was then. This year I will sell cows so that I have enough hay. Or maybe sell all of the cows and the hay, and start over next spring.

 

[Brute 23]

Hay is the crack of the cattle business.

 

[Rafter S]

Hay is the crack of the cattle business.

I will not disagree. If I had several hundred acres to run cattle on I'd stock light enough that I didn't need winter feed, but with small rent pastures it isn't practical.

 

[daneg]

Ddgs (3lbs/day) is what I fed last winter to stretch my hay and straw supply, amazing stuff cost /lb protein about beats anything and good energy.

 

[Brute 23]

I can't tell you how many people are hitting me up for hay right now. I try to point them to ground feed or cottonseed, and rationing their hay, just like you said. They flat out don't want to hear it. They are going to pay way too much for trash hay at some point because that is all they know how to do.

I've come so close to selling what we have in hay at some crazy price and using it to buy feed this winter. I just don't think I could sleep at night.

One guy told me wcs had gone up too much so he is buying cubes.

 

[Rafter S]

I can't tell you how many people are hitting me up for hay right now. I try to point them to ground feed or cottonseed, and rationing their hay, just like you said. They flat out don't want to hear it. They are going to pay way too much for trash hay at some point because that is all they know how to do.

I've come so close to selling what we have in hay at some crazy price and using it to buy feed this winter. I just don't think I could sleep at night.

One guy told me wcs had gone up too much so he is buying cubes.

My hay guy told me about one man in particular who called him looking for hay. Mike told him he didn't have any. The guy kept offering him more money. Mike still didn't have any hay. More money doesn't magically make the hay appear, or make the grass grow.

 

[Hoover]

I found a mill up the road that makes pellets, 15% protein for the same price as whole corn, that's bulk of course. I filled the dump truck yesterday and now have full bins.cows seem to like them

 

[greybeard]

and found a feed mill about 30 miles from my house that mixed and sold a 12% protein feed that was reasonably priced.

Producers?

 

[Rafter S]

Producers?

No, it was a little place close to Sandy Hill, in Washington county. He closed down not long after that. After that I bought feed from Schulte's on FM 50.

 

[greybeard]

Is rice mill feed (60% hulls 40% bran) still pretty cheap?

 

[cowgirl8]

2011 we took switch grass hay, which we were very lucky to get and since it was too switchy for the cows to eat, we chopped it up with this.
Then into this with grain and chicken litter.. Yeah, i know some of yas dont like that, but we did what we had to to keep our ranch going. And the cows loved it.


So yummy, and you said this is what???? lol


We were still doing this in Oct....

 

[cowgirl8]

We bought the hammermill in Ft Worth for 1000 and it had its original tires on it from 1980, it had been parked in a barn unused since the 80s. Had to drive 30mph and less on 121 through the Dallas area and we're lucky to have lived through that... it was terrifying and i couldnt count how many fingers we got....lol Just sold the tub grinder for what we paid for it in 2011. We've vowed to NEVER be unprepared ever again where we have to use something like this. We still have the Gobstopper, thats what i call it. Its funny and sitting safe in a barn, he can stay a little longer.

 

[Brute 23]

I looked at pellets one time also. They had a good price on them. Not sure why they were cheaper than other feeds.

I was debating buying those timed bulk feeders with thw siren. I was running numbers on taking cows through the winter and you could lock in your rates with that feeder and buy in bulk. The place would even deliver to the feeder. It was not a bad deal at all.

 

[Rafter S]

That feed I was buying in 2011 contained alfalfa hay, corn, and cotton seed. There were probably other ingredients, but those are the ones I'm aware of.

 

[Hoover]

Stock pile any feed you can while you can. Corn here is getting chopped, plants are burnt up and the ears arent full. I heard tell yesterday of corn going over $20 a hundred by the end of next month

 

[BFE]

Stock pile any feed you can while you can. Corn here is getting chopped, plants are burnt up and the ears arent full. I heard tell yesterday of corn going over $20 a hundred by the end of next month

Interesting. Where'd you hear that?

 

[Rmc]

South Texas drought taking its toll on cattle ranchers - AgriLife Today

Some using 18th century technique to keep herds healthy RIO GRANDE CITY — The unrelenting drought is taking its toll on South Texas cattle ranchers who are resorting to a centuries-old emergency method of feeding cattle, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent. “Ranchers down...

agrilifetoday.tamu.edu

 

[Hoover]

We have a couple mills we buy from in bulk. 1 is already .19 a pound, the other is $14.19 a hundred

 

[Brute 23]

South Texas drought taking its toll on cattle ranchers - AgriLife Today

Some using 18th century technique to keep herds healthy RIO GRANDE CITY — The unrelenting drought is taking its toll on South Texas cattle ranchers who are resorting to a centuries-old emergency method of feeding cattle, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent. “Ranchers down...

agrilifetoday.tamu.edu

That's a losing battle. If they would not overgraze they could make way more money off the wildlife. Those guys will eat a pasture to dirt and still lose money on cows when they could have made $20+ an acre on wildlife. With the right deer it can go up in to $5-10K per spot on deer alone.

 

[cowgirl8]

Remember, you can buy all the feed you want, but, if your ponds arent holding up you're done. I've heard people now saying their ponds are done and they spent all summer buying hay. I guess they can sell now, but they paid a high price already for it. After 2011, we made sure the next drought we were good on ponds first.