Hay feeder mess?

[Ouachita]

If I catch a green up right at the crack of spring I line to throw a match on the old hay circles. It cleans up the hay and any string or any thing that might have got missed.

I am a fire bug. Anytime my wife sees me with a box of matches, she calls the RVFD to be sure the truck is topped with fuel and water, and that her pyro is unleashed.

I've been hogging them with acceptable results for me (I think so far). Removing a couple limit biscuits from the hydraulic cylinder on the pull-behind allows me to lower it down to munch and mulch (hence the rock picking before I set the feeders)

I prefer the idea of burning, but never had any luck without addition of petrochemical.

 

[sstterry]

I need to find some studies that were done showing its less waste. Plus all cows or calves get to eat instead of just the bosses.

Here is one.

Here is another.

I looked into this some time ago. The most efficient way to feed is using skirted cone feeders. Only about 3.5% waste with those.

I want to build one of these, but probably never will.

 

[Hamiam]

Unroll all my hay. No mess to clean up. Manure is spread where it needs to be.

I see some of you do this, but I paid an average of $120 a bale this past year & I just can't roll it on the ground & see the cows walking over it, peeing & pooping on it.

 

[Twisted]

I have experienced if your hay is stored out in the weather, there is more waste whether you unroll it or put it in a ring, with a ring the waste is just more concentrated. I also move the bale rings every time I put out a bale.

I have a spot in the pasture which a couple of years ago was the road around the perimeter. The pasture size is now doubled and the road is in the center of the pasture The previous owner drove this road several times a day and where it goes up a rather long hill is a wash, I have been hauling dirt and rocks to try to fill it in but with heavy rains it keeps slowly washing back out. I have one other spot that is a smaller wash and decided to experiment a little. I've been feeding the cows in and around this wash all winter. They not only wasted hay but they packed it down in the wash and it is all but completely gone. I have one bale left that I am going to unroll in the bigger wash to slow it down some but next season I'm moving the rings there.

 

[gcreekrch]

I see some of you do this, but I paid an average of $120 a bale this past year & I just can't roll it on the ground & see the cows walking over it, peeing & pooping on it.

I bet they are tramping 20% in there.

 

[gcreekrch]

Here is one.

Here is another.

I looked into this some time ago. The most efficient way to feed is using skirted cone feeders. Only about 3.5% waste with those.

I want to build one of these, but probably never will.

View attachment 41667

I was told many years ago by a wise old man. "When a cow man gets the idea to pour concrete he should take two Aspirin and go to bed. He will feel better in the morning."

 

[cfpinz]

I need to find some studies that were done showing its less waste. Plus all cows or calves get to eat instead of just the bosses.

I used to keep good records of how many rolls I fed each year per cow, and remember the first year we started unrolling hay rather than putting it in rings I was shocked by how much hay it saved. I unroll 80-90% of the hay now, and only use rings if on a farm where it's not feasible to drive to daily or if we're going to be out of town. I despise feeding in rings, specially if baby calves are in the picture.

 

[kenny thomas]

But stockpile fescue leaves no waste to worry about. I unrolled a roll 3 days ago and they left it and went back to grazing. When they clean it up they will get another.

 

[greybeard]

I prefer the idea of burning, but never had any luck without addition of petrochemical.

In your case, the investigator would refer to that as "an accelerant"..

 

[bird dog]

Unrolling is the only way to go. Just unroll what they will eat in two hours or less. The only hay ring I use is in the weaning pen.
Everyone eats when its unrolled. Some eat the results a couple months months later.

 

[1982vett]

Here is one.

Here is another.

I looked into this some time ago. The most efficient way to feed is using skirted cone feeders. Only about 3.5% waste with those.

I want to build one of these, but probably never will.

View attachment 41667

Well ain't that a white tablecloth eating facility.....

 

[Ouachita]

How many cows are you feeding? You just have this one feeder? I agree with @Brute 23 ( can you believe it?:!!!) Set those spots on fire.

Just 15 mommas at the moment. Three feeders, but this winter I've just been setting out two bales at a time. That bale in the picture was placed a week ago and they've barely touched it, so hoping the bale moving is over.

 

[Warren Allison]

Just 15 mommas at the moment. Three feeders, but this winter I've just been setting out two bales at a time. That bale in the picture was placed a week ago and they've barely touched it, so hoping the bale moving is over.

Well. looks like you have a lot of green around the piles, with no brush under growth l etc. I believe I would burn them. Burning returns all the nutrients to the soil as good as composting, plowing under, etc., just in a matter of minutes rather than months.

 

[1982vett]

Just 15 mommas at the moment. Three feeders, but this winter I've just been setting out two bales at a time. That bale in the picture was placed a week ago and they've barely touched it, so hoping the bale moving is over.

Lost some leased land and sold down to 41 cows this past year. Roughly 5.5 acre per cow now. Put out 6 5x5 rolls in August and September. 16 rolls since November so 22 rolls the past 12 months. Looks like the last 2 won't be eaten anytime soon unless the rain has stopped. Then I think they will be back on it pretty soon. Far cry from the 135 fed last year to 63.

Despite virtually no rain for 3 months during the Summer, we did come within .05 inches of making our average yearly rainfall of 38 inches.

 

[sstterry]

Well ain't that a white tablecloth eating facility.....

It is from the Ky Experiment Station. They have lots of ideas, it is called Eden Shale farms I believe.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I was told many years ago by a wise old man. "When a cow man gets the idea to pour concrete he should take two Aspirin and go to bed. He will feel better in the morning."

In a perfect world all my hay would be ground and fed in concrete bunks. No waste.

 

[dwilliams35]

Unroll them in the heavy feeding season, once the grass starts growing good (like now) I switch over to rings for the last few bales of the year, and move them with every bale.

 

[coachg]

I have a feed area in each pasture . Try to move it every time I put out new rolls but when it's wet it's hard to find a non muddy area . Have learned not to sweat leaving a little from each feeding. Place for the calves to lay while momma eats . Hay areas are about an acre in size plus I do put some in the woods out of the wind in cold weather .

 

[Brute 23]

Here is one.

Here is another.

I looked into this some time ago. The most efficient way to feed is using skirted cone feeders. Only about 3.5% waste with those.

I want to build one of these, but probably never will.

View attachment 41667

Holy smokes! What is the dress attire to eat at an establishment like that?

Our cows would probably turn tail and run for the brush because they would think it's a trap.

Very nice set up!

 

[Brute 23]

I do a mix of rolling out and using rings just depending on the situation. I don't really see better results rolling it out. If that outside layer is old it's going to get left no matter if it's at the bottom of a ring, a cradle, or left in a line from rolling it out.

The best way I have seen to get it all eaten up is to keep it in a barn. The better the quality is, the better they will clean it up.