hay question

[9 ER]

This is probably a dumb question to most, but can a cow or heifer get fat eating hay/pasture during the winter? I know yall say to feed free choice hay, but I've got 2 brangas heifers that cant get enough and I'm curious to if they can actually eat too much. They are due to calf in March.

 

[dun]

A couple of years ago we bought a truck load of Oat hay with a little alfalfa. That's what he claimed and that's what we paid for. You'ld go blind trying to find any oats in the stuff. Straight alfalfa. Girls thought it was candy. They stand there with their heads in the feeder and eat and poop. The only time they'ld leave was to get a drink and lay down for a little while. They got really fat that winter.
As long as the protein and enrgy exceeded their requirements they'll get fat. We have very good hay or cows that don;t require much nutrition. They alwasy get a little fat over the winter. Some of them very fat. Friend of mine has a bunch of cows that couldn't put on a pound if you filled them with lead. He grains them, feeds good quality hay and they're alwasy thin.
This goes back to my theory of using animals that are adapted to your environment and managment methods. If they require more nutrition then can be provided from grass and a little grain if the weather is sever, they need to grow wheels and be replaced with more economical models.

dun

 

[9 ER]

I think that they're addicted to hay because they wont let the other heifers touch it. They are like dogs guarding their bones. It's like you said. Eat, poop, drink, chew, eat, poop, drink, chew.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

If cattle are consuming a LOT of hay, that indicates it is good quality, high in protein. If it was poor hay, it would fill there bellie, but their digestive bugs wouldn't digest it, so therefore, there stomach would tell their mouth that they were full. Cattle can litterally starve to death knee deep in poor pasture or with overflowing hay feeders.
Therefore you must have good hay and yes they can get fat. Like Dun says, it depends on how "easy keepers" they are.