Feeding hay

[Dave]

This is how hay is fed to the majority of cows around here. Set a big square bale on edge on a flatbed pick up. Put the truck in low range low gear, hop on back, cut the twine, and as the truck creeps across the you kick off the flakes one at a time. People younger and more nimble than me do it by them self crawling up on the back of a moving pickup. Note the ladder on back I use that to get on the bed. The wife drives for me. We are only feeding one bale per day now. In the next few weeks more cows will be added and we will go to two bales a day. I have seen rigs going down the road here with two bales like this and another crass ways on top.

 

[sstterry]

How much do those bales weigh and what do you use to load them, ie spear, squeezer, forks?

 

[Dave]

How much do those bales weigh and what do you use to load them, ie spear, squeezer, forks?

These are 3x4x8 bales. This one is grass. They generally weigh about 1,200. Same size in alfalfa will run about 1,400. I have a straight two prong spear on the little tractor and the bigger tractor has a 6 or 8 shorter spears on the bottom with a grapple that comes down on top of the bale.

 

[sstterry]

These are 3x4x8 bales. This one is grass. They generally weigh about 1,200. Same size in alfalfa will run about 1,400. I have a straight two prong spear on the little tractor and the bigger tractor has a 6 or 8 shorter spears on the bottom with a grapple that comes down on top of the bale.

Sometime, if you have the chance, I would like to see that grapple attachment. Not that I would ever use or have need of one, but I am curious. Around here most use round bales.

 

[Dave]

A lot of the ranches use an attachment like this . It will pick three 3x4 bales at once. A row of spears across the bottom and hooks that come in from the sides. I don't have enough tractor for that. By using this they are able to stack the hay 6 high.

 

[Dave]

I ran out and took a picture of my grapple. It is getting late so I didn't start the tractor to lift it up. You can see some of the spears on the ground. The grapple is in the all the way closed position. Opened up it would rotate over 90 degrees toward the tractor.
I am sure that you could use one of these to handle round bales. One of the few neighbors who feeds round bales has a similar grapple over a straight bucket. He goes to the field with one bale on the back with a hydraulic spinning spear and another clamped into the bucket with the grapple.

 

[Rydero]

How far are you taking them on the truck?

 

[littletom]

Very different region to region. Most of the winters here you couldn't pull a truck into a pasture

 

[Dave]

How far are you taking them on the truck?

About 200 feet down the driveway and take a right. That field is about 25 acres long and narrow. So right now about 250-300 yards down into the field. We can go closer or farther as the spirit moves us.

Very different region to region. Most of the winters here you couldn't pull a truck into a pasture

We only get about 10 inches of precipitation a year. Spread out at about one inch a month. Now through February it will be frozen most of the time. If it does get muddy there is a river running length wise down through the meadows. There are areas of old gravel bars to use during muddy times.

 

[RDFF]

I used to feed hay that way with the big squares, and it's great for spreading out the hay and manure, and minimal waste, but it was terrible when the snow got too deep to get through with the truck. I've been bale grazing round bales lately, only had to start a tractor twice all winter last year, and we had alot of snow. Use poly wire to limit them to how ever many bales I want them on at a time. Usually give 'em enough to carry 'em for about 3 days at a time. Even when the snow gets deep, I can still walk or snowmobile out to move the wire. I pick a nice day to go and set out more bales once I figure out what their consumption will be.

 

[Rydero]

About 200 feet down the driveway and take a right. That field is about 25 acres long and narrow. So right now about 250-300 yards down into the field. We can go closer or farther as the spirit moves us.

We only get about 10 inches of precipitation a year. Spread out at about one inch a month. Now through February it will be frozen most of the time. If it does get muddy there is a river running length wise down through the meadows. There are areas of old gravel bars to use during muddy times.

Interesting. Is the main reason you use a truck because you want to spread the hay and it's impractical to do that with a tractor with squares? I see people using trucks to feed in certain areas but in my mine I've never seen it. I feed several miles from home with a tractor but just feed enough for a week at a time in 2-3 areas. I can feed 90 cows in approximately 3 hrs a week (rounds).

 

[504RP]

How many head are you feeding with that one bale a day ? And what kind of hay is that ?

 

[Dave]

Interesting. Is the main reason you use a truck because you want to spread the hay and it's impractical to do that with a tractor with squares? I see people using trucks to feed in certain areas but in my mine I've never seen it. I feed several miles from home with a tractor but just feed enough for a week at a time in 2-3 areas. I can feed 90 cows in approximately 3 hrs a week (rounds).

There are people who use a tractor but they are pulling a trailer or wagon. You can move or load with a tractor but as soon as you cut the strings it is one big pile. Setting bales out the bossy cows get plenty the weaker ones get short changed and weaker. My neighbor (the boss) feeds this way he calves out a pretty large herd. Part of these cows are mine and part his. I know that winter before last he was feeding 23 bales a day using this method.

How many head are you feeding with that one bale a day ? And what kind of hay is that ?

It is meadow grass hay. Right now there is 57 head. That is a little short on the hay but there is a lot of regrowth grazing in that field for now. It is 25 acres of irrigated hay meadow and about 25 acres of ground that varies from 5 acres of meadow grass that didn't get mowed to 10 acres of crested wheat grass, and about 10 acres of sage brush rangeland. They aren't doing a real good job of cleaning it up right now. As we add more cows and the grazing is gone we will have to increase the amount fed. We typically figure about one bale for 40-42 cows.

 

[sstterry]

Very different region to region. Most of the winters here you couldn't pull a truck into a pasture

There was another thread where Kenny Thomas pointed that out. We rarely get frozen ground for more than a day or two at the most.

 

[sstterry]

Interesting. Is the main reason you use a truck because you want to spread the hay and it's impractical to do that with a tractor with squares? I see people using trucks to feed in certain areas but in my mine I've never seen it. I feed several miles from home with a tractor but just feed enough for a week at a time in 2-3 areas. I can feed 90 cows in approximately 3 hrs a week (rounds).

Are you using rings or bale grazing to put out that much at a time? Surely you don't unroll enough to feed them for a week at a time?

 

[SBMF 2015]

This is how hay is fed to the majority of cows around here. Set a big square bale on edge on a flatbed pick up. Put the truck in low range low gear, hop on back, cut the twine, and as the truck creeps across the you kick off the flakes one at a time. People younger and more nimble than me do it by them self crawling up on the back of a moving pickup. Note the ladder on back I use that to get on the bed. The wife drives for me. We are only feeding one bale per day now. In the next few weeks more cows will be added and we will go to two bales a day. I have seen rigs going down the road here with two bales like this and another crass ways on top.

That's cool. Does anyone in your area still use horses and a sled? I have read on Successful Farming ideas page; guys take the beater out of an apron type manure spreader drive along and the big square flakes just fall out.

When it gets single digit highs we spread rnd bales out on the ground so the cows can all eat at once and huddle close for body heat. Other wise we feed in bale rings.

 

[Rydero]

Are you using rings or bale grazing to put out that much at a time? Surely you don't unroll enough to feed them for a week at a time?

I only give access to 3 days feed at a time typically. I have a well and solar water system with a holding area around it, 4 pastures connect to it. I'll give 2-3 days feed in a few of the pastures and open gates as needed. Right now I'm rolling lots of it out because there isn't much snow and it's easy but I'll switch mostly to bale grazing - no rings as the snow cover makes it harder to roll out.

 

[Rydero]

There are people who use a tractor but they are pulling a trailer or wagon. You can move or load with a tractor but as soon as you cut the strings it is one big pile. Setting bales out the bossy cows get plenty the weaker ones get short changed and weaker. My neighbor (the boss) feeds this way he calves out a pretty large herd. Part of these cows are mine and part his. I know that winter before last he was feeding 23 bales a day using this method.

It is meadow grass hay. Right now there is 57 head. That is a little short on the hay but there is a lot of regrowth grazing in that field for now. It is 25 acres of irrigated hay meadow and about 25 acres of ground that varies from 5 acres of meadow grass that didn't get mowed to 10 acres of crested wheat grass, and about 10 acres of sage brush rangeland. They aren't doing a real good job of cleaning it up right now. As we add more cows and the grazing is gone we will have to increase the amount fed. We typically figure about one bale for 40-42 cows.

I hear you about it falling apart. Sounds like rotary combine straw bales. I'm sure spreading it out that way is one of the more hay efficient ways to go. You're right the boss cows will get the lion's share if you were to just plop a day's worth of hay down and cut strings. That's why I like to feed a few days worth at a time. Thanks for the info - interesting to see how others do things.

 

[Silver]

My neighbour is feeding square bales this year. But his go through a TMR. I'm curious to hear how the bales survived being rained on before some of them were brought in off the field.
He wasn't completely sold on the baler last I talked to him. Loved hauling them on the highway, didn't like how slow you have to travel while baling, the surge you felt in the tractor from the packers, the horsepower required, the high maintenance, etc. Be interesting to see if he does it another year.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Redneck hay wagon around here. My grandpa always fed small squares to cow on pasture in winter time. He either used his Nissian pickup, or a 660 Oliver with a custom made wood deck mounted to the draw bar and axle, that could fit 3 or 4 bales on. Us kids got to kick off the beats for him.