Feeding Hay ???

[skyhightree1]

Has anyone started feeding hay yet?

 

[slick4591]

I started in August, then things greened up a few weeks ago. Won't be long before I'm doing it again.

 

[highgrit]

Not feeding any here, good for another month. We need some rain, it's been going around us for the last 6 to 8 weeks. We try to make it till Christmas before we feed hay.

 

[kenny thomas]

I hope not to feed any hay this winter just graze stockpiled grass and corn stalks. Much cheaper and easier on me and the equipment.

 

[Anonymous]

One place that is up on a sand ridge we've been puttin hay on for the last month.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Put one bale out last week for part of the herd.

 

[kenny thomas]

One place that is up on a sand ridge we've been puttin hay on for the last month.

Does that mean its 5ft in elevation. You and Jed keep talking about the ridge and it just aint there. :lol2:

 

[Anonymous]

2 places we have are on ridges. Both are about 20 ft elevation above my house elevation but all white sugar sand. It's a interesting challenge trying to build soil on sugar sand

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

We're feeding hay but mainly as dry matter to slow down the green poo from the clover that has suddenly decided to spread everywhere.

 

[inyati13]

I got tons and tons of pasture. Same as Kenny Thomas here. I don't plan to feed hay unless it snows heavy which hasn't happened for many years.

 

[bigbull338]

weve been feeding 3 bales of hay a week here since aug.but since we have been getting good rains the grass has greened back up nicely.so we feed when they run out of hay.wont go on full hay till the 1st hard frost.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I've tossed a few broken small squares over the fence the last couple weeks just to give the cows something different... But with the last few nights in the upper 20's and snow in the forecast for the weekend I know that before long I'll be feeding hay as a sole ration.

 

[snake67]

Has anyone started feeding hay yet?

Yup - we are feeding four 5 foot round bales every couple of days and will increase to about 10 in another month.

I will also start on the 8 foot big squares in about four weeks - I expect to feed out about one of those a day.

And we are hoping to be able to NOT feed out the big square wrapped bales for at least another month as we go through one of those a day as well.

The perils of an early fall and a long winter - too many cows and too many sheep plus all the lambs that will be born in December. Our calving will be held off until March next year - it was too early this year and we ended up feeding out some hay we did not have - meaning we also bought about 100 five foot round bales extra. Absolutely hate doing that!

Best to all

Bez

 

[circlew]

This is the first year I haven't had to start feeding hay already. Got a lot of stockpiled grass and probably will make it til mid December or later on no hay.

 

[Dale L]

We should make it till late December or January before needing to feed hay. We had a good year for pasture. Plenty of rain. We also had a smaller herd this year than normal so we have got some replacements to enlarge the herd.

 

[1982vett]

Had to feed for 4 weeks in September...Has greened up nicely with the rains we have been getting. Grass is starting to get ahead of the cattle so maybe can hold off till some really cold weather. If I can make it to January like I did last year, I will have fed 1/2 a roll per cow for the year. Sounds pretty good, but wasn't able to bale anything.

 

[dun]

I've got 50 some odd bales sitting at tthe edge of the hay field that I didn;t have room for in the barn and been half wishing I would need to feed it. Unless we get a lot of ice and or snow we have enough grass to hold us till spring calving at least

 

[skyhightree1]

I haven't started yet. I have enough grass to last till maybe hopefully january. I don't plan on feeding before unless the pastures look like turf or it snows.

 

[greybeard]

Not yet--grass is still green and if it warms back up into the 80s for long, the grass will grow some more, since we're getting a little rain every week---but if we get a killing frost in Nov, I'll probably have to start feeding hay then unless the ryegrass really comes on strong soon.

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

We are two weeks into hay season now. Finishing off a few steers on some sweet second cutting and got the ladies and younguns on some first cutting. Still rotating them and they are getting a little fresh green to go with the hay, but not much anymore. Snow in the forecast for next week but nothing that sticks (I hope).