feeding hay?

[Anonymous]

I have a decent pasture with only 5 adults and 5 calves. I live in the northern third of Georgia. My question is this: Even with a good pasture, do you still feed hay? If so, how much and how often? Thanks for the info.

 

[WORANCH]

i dont know how everyone else does it ,but this time of year with good green pastures we dont feed hay . but durring the winter with ice or snow we do feed hay free choice... hope this helps......... :roll: ;-)

 

[bwalsh]

no, if the grass is good, you should be fine without hay during the late spring and summer. Just make sure they have good water. You should probably also put out minerals and salt. We also like to feed range cubes a few times a week, especially in the colder months when our cows are pregnant. In the winter we put out the hay, usually two round bails at a time per 15 head, and let them eat the bails about 95% down, then put out some more. How many bails you put out really depends on how often you want to feed. We like to make sure they always have hay during the winter. Others may do things a differently, but I hope this helps.

 

[dun]

What looks like good pasture may not really have the nutritive value that is needed, but in most cases, hay will be about the same.
Watch body condition. Are the cows loosing weight, a little is fairly normal when feeding calves, but a pronounced change indicates that although they have plenty to eat, it may not be as good as required/desired.
If the cows are milking well, calves are growing, cows are staying in good condition, and cycling if not bred, all they should need is water and minerals.

dun

I have a decent pasture with only 5 adults and 5 calves. I live in the northern third of Georgia. My question is this: Even with a good pasture, do you still feed hay? If so, how much and how often? Thanks for the info.