Feeding rolls and retained heifers

[kickinbull]

I am curious what others do for feeding hay in winter after calves are sold and any heifers are kept? What if any special things do you do to feed retained heifers? Are they fed separately? With free choice rounds in a ring I have read that one ring will work per 20-25 cows. Yes/No? With the heifers do you count them the same as cows?Tnks, KB

 

[dun]

If we winter the bull with the bred cows the heifers are kept separate. They're feed frre choice hay/stockpiled pasture. If we winter the bull separate, the heifrs are still fed free choice hay/stockpiled pasture but they are wintering with the cows. I figure 10% more feed posistions in the bale feeders as there are cows/bull/heifers. If the snow gets much over a caoule of inches or we have ice cover I put a tub out per 20 head. When the snow/ice is gone the tub gets removed.

 

[John SD]

Ideally, heifers are wintered seperate from mama cows seperate from bulls.

Without a calf on them, the mamas can rough it pretty well grazing winter range if the snow doesn't get too deep until after the first of the year. Nutritional requirement increase substantially in the last trimester of pregnancy. That usually means a little cake or ear corn if still out on range, or decent hay.

Keep bulls seperate, because they require a little more TLC than mama cows, and you don't want them near the heifers especially come spring I had a quarter that worked well for winter bull pasture with water/protection, and it did not directly join any adjacent pasture with my own or neighbor's females in it. ;-)

Heifers around here usually got ground hay and some cracked corn/DDG, salt/mineral and maybe a lick tub.

 

[Kingfisher]

I'd go with two rings for 20+ heifers.

 

[Nesikep]

I don't feed rolls, but I usually keep the bulls with the cows over winter, heifers are separate, if i have steers they're often together, and I feed them as much as they'll eat of the best hay I have (2nd or 3rd cut alfalfa), and free choice mineral. No special food otherwise. it seems to be working well for me

 

[Stocker Steve]

Calves stay on the cows, and retained heifers stay with the cows. Pretty simple.
Really depends on when you calve and how good is your standard feed.