feeding Rye sileage bales

[Angus Cowman]

started feeding some of my rye bales that I put up for sileage, figured the cows would like a hot meal with these cooler temps yesterday, fed 5 bales of it and man did they like it
broke open the wrap and the steam was rolling
I was feeding 1 bale to about every40- 50pairs and by the time I could get back to rollout some grass hay they had already cleaned up the rye so they sure must of liked it
sure smelled good my wife said it kinda smelled like a wet dog bathed in CHEAP wine as Jed said that was what Jogee referred it to
I didn't think it smelled to bad
I went to feed some more this morning and the cows were running to the truck stuff must be addictive like crack for cows :lol2: :lol2:

 

[jedstivers]

started feeding some of my rye bales that I put up for sileage, figured the cows would like a hot meal with these cooler temps yesterday, fed 5 bales of it and man did they like it
broke open the wrap and the steam was rolling
I was feeding 1 bale to about every40- 50pairs and by the time I could get back to rollout some grass hay they had already cleaned up the rye so they sure must of liked it
sure smelled good my wife said it kinda smelled like a wet dog bathed in CHEAP wine as Jed said that was what Jogee referred it to
I didn't think it smelled to bad
I went to feed some more this morning and the cows were running to the truck stuff must be addictive like crack for cows :lol2: :lol2:

Jo said a wet dog drunk on cheap wine in a post a year or so back.

 

[Angus Cowman]

started feeding some of my rye bales that I put up for sileage, figured the cows would like a hot meal with these cooler temps yesterday, fed 5 bales of it and man did they like it
broke open the wrap and the steam was rolling
I was feeding 1 bale to about every40- 50pairs and by the time I could get back to rollout some grass hay they had already cleaned up the rye so they sure must of liked it
sure smelled good my wife said it kinda smelled like a wet dog bathed in CHEAP wine as Jed said that was what Jogee referred it to
I didn't think it smelled to bad
I went to feed some more this morning and the cows were running to the truck stuff must be addictive like crack for cows :lol2: :lol2:

Jo said a wet dog drunk on cheap wine in a post a year or so back.

well she said it smelled like a wet dog dunked in cheap wine and she emphasized the CHEAP

 

[kenny thomas]

Just think Jed, he got you talked into doing this next year and now he talks about the smell.

 

[TexasBred]

Cattle do love it. Just don't forget that it's very high moisture so you have to feed much more of it to get the needed dry matter into each cow everyday.

 

[larryshoat]

I think around here there are more silage bales made every year. The weather in Ohio is not easy to make hay in, so many times in the spring on first cutting we just don't get enough dry days to get it done and your always planting corn when you need to be making hay, so it works well to wrap it. There's always some hay that could be made in October that more times than not you can't get made and it works for that. Like you say cattle love it.

Larry

 

[jedstivers]

Just think Jed, he got you talked into doing this next year and now he talks about the smell.

Kenny, you forget where I'm from. I've had to get my dog out of the back an put him in the front so he'd be by me an have a buffer between me an some of the hands. Little bit of silage smell ain't gonna bother me.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Cattle do love it. Just don't forget that it's very high moisture so you have to feed much more of it to get the needed dry matter into each cow everyday.

I am feeding the sileage as an energy and protein supplement and still feeding hay for filler
there have been instances around here where cows got grass tetany from guys feeding to much silage

 

[sizmic]

I don't understand the statement," it's wet so you have to feed more of it to get the dry matter in them." Volume is volume in my mind. Yeah it has more water in it but the hay is still the hay, right? What am I missing?

Sizmic

 

[TexasBred]

I don't understand the statement," it's wet so you have to feed more of it to get the dry matter in them." Volume is volume in my mind. Yeah it has more water in it but the hay is still the hay, right? What am I missing?

Sizmic

Sizmic the best way I know to explain it is to weigh out a half pound of silage....ok you have a half pound. Now put that same half pound in the microwave and turn it on until you get the moisture level down to about 12% (same as hay and basically completely dry to the touch). Weigh it again. There is your difference and it will be considerable.

Hay is typically around 87-88% dry matter (12% moisture) so 100 lbs. of hay will give 88 lbs. of dry matter.
Silage will run about 35% dry matter (65% moisture) so 100 lbs. of silage will give 35 lbs. of dry matter.

 

[sizmic]

If I were using a mix wagon I could understand the measuring the weight, but the volume should be the same, correct? We roll our haylage out or put it in rings and I have yet to see my cows fall off because they were eating wet hay instead of dry. They eat the same volume everyday, a 5x5 roll, give or take a little. Only difference is one bale may weigh 2100#'s, the other around 1300#'s.

Sizmic

 

[TexasBred]

If I were using a mix wagon I could understand the measuring the weight, but the volume should be the same, correct? We roll our haylage out or put it in rings and I have yet to see my cows fall off because they were eating wet hay instead of dry. They eat the same volume everyday, a 5x5 roll, give or take a little. Only difference is on bale may weigh 2100#'s, the other around 1300#'s.Sizmic

Yes the volume would be close to the same "until it was eaten" and you just pointed out the difference in dry matter and it takes that 2100 lb. of baleage to equate to that 1300 lbs. of hay nutritionally. I hope you have scales on your mixer and feed by weight and not by volume and take into account moisture.

A good article: http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2009 ... CT2079.php

 

[sizmic]

We don't have a mix wagon and I still don't see what good it does to weigh the amount of water in the same size bales. I take forage samples often and I understand the as feed and dry matter basis terms. They intake the same nutrients per bale, one has lotsa' water and one doesn't. I know what my cows are eating, nutritionally. When I get my feed test back the "as fed" numbers are a direct factor of the percent of moisture, the nutrients are still there.

I guess I don't understand, again, why someone would have to feed more hay of the same volume just because its wet.

Sizmic

 

[TexasBred]

We don't have a mix wagon and I still don't see what good it does to weigh the amount of water in the same size bales. I take forage samples often and I understand the as feed and dry matter basis terms. They intake the same nutrients per bale, one has lotsa' water and one doesn't. I know what my cows are eating, nutritionally. When I get my feed test back the "as fed" numbers are a direct factor of the percent of moisture, the nutrients are still there.

I guess I don't understand, again, why someone would have to feed more hay of the same volume just because its wet.

Sizmic

Well let's see .... let's pour a shot of good sippin' whiskey (1 oz. I believe) ...now let's pour another shot and put it into three shots of water...(1 oz whiskey, 3 oz of water) . We have the same amount of whiskey in each drink "by volume". BUT, to get that one shot of whiskey out of that mixed drink you have to drink 4 ounces of the mix. Or to think along the line of "dry matter" tomorrow morning, don't pour yourself a cup of coffee...just get a teaspoon of coffee and mix it with saliva.

 

[sizmic]

The same caffine would be there, as well as the alcohol.

Sizmic

 

[TexasBred]

The same caffine would be there, as well as the alcohol.

Sizmic

That is exactly what I'm saying Sizmic :idea: :idea: :idea: But if you add water (as in a cup of coffee or a roll of baleage you have to consume more to get that same amount of the goodies).

 

[novaman]

I feed by weight. That is the only way to accurately know what is going on. Feeding by volume may or may not work.

 

[sizmic]

We'll have to agree to disagree. You shot your own arguments in the foot in my eyes.

Feeding by weight is the most accurate way to feed cattle. However, I believe the original poster of this topic was talking about hauling out hay bales. In my arguments I took for granted his wet bales are the same size as his dry hay. He does not need to feed more more bales to get the same nutrients. Now, he does need to feed more weight for wet hay. I would feel awful if he was misguided into wasting hay that they just tramp over and waste halfway through the winter and run out of hay. Not everyone has feedways and bunks with mix-wagons. 90% of the cattle here get bales hauled out to the field and rolled out or put in a ring.

Sorry if it feels like I'm picking a fight, I'm not. I just diagree.

Sizmic

 

[Angus Cowman]

We'll have to agree to disagree. You shot your own arguments in the foot in my eyes.

Feeding by weight is the most accurate way to feed cattle. However, I believe the original poster of this topic was talking about hauling out hay bales. In my arguments I took for granted his wet bales are the same size as his dry hay. He does not need to feed more more bales to get the same nutrients. Now, he does need to feed more weight for wet hay. I would feel awful if he was misguided into wasting hay that they just tramp over and waste halfway through the winter and run out of hay. Not everyone has feedways and bunks with mix-wagons. 90% of the cattle here get bales hauled out to the field and rolled out or put in a ring.

Sorry if it feels like I'm picking a fight, I'm not. I just diagree.

Sizmic

Thanks for your concern Sizmic
we fed sileage for yrs but it was always chopped and stored in a pit silo and it was corn sileage not rye and this is the first time I have tried any baleage
I really like the rye and the cows seem to also
I am mainly just using it as a supplement for the pairs more than anything along with regular hay

 

[TexasBred]

We'll have to agree to disagree. You shot your own arguments in the foot in my eyes.

Feeding by weight is the most accurate way to feed cattle. However, I believe the original poster of this topic was talking about hauling out hay bales. In my arguments I took for granted his wet bales are the same size as his dry hay. He does not need to feed more more bales to get the same nutrients. Now, he does need to feed more weight for wet hay. I would feel awful if he was misguided into wasting hay that they just tramp over and waste halfway through the winter and run out of hay. Not everyone has feedways and bunks with mix-wagons. 90% of the cattle here get bales hauled out to the field and rolled out or put in a ring.

Sorry if it feels like I'm picking a fight, I'm not. I just diagree.

Sizmic

Here is your original post.

I don't understand the statement," it's wet so you have to feed more of it to get the dry matter in them." Volume is volume in my mind. Yeah it has more water in it but the hay is still the hay, right? What am I missing?

Sizmic

And no there is no fight here at all. Just one guy trying to help another understand something. But you begin with volume and then switch to weight. I gave you several examples and you still disagree...fine..not a problem. You have every right to disagree with me...but you ARE wrong. ;-)