Hay

[HDRider]

If I put 10 cows on a 100 acres of pretty good grass this fall would I need hay through the winter?

 

[Supa Dexta]

Depends when/if the grass runs out, and when spring comes I 'spose. No one can say anything more than that for certain.

If I put 10 cows on 100 acres, they'd turn a lot of it to mud, and then run out of grass when the snow got too deep.

 

[Margonme]

If I put 10 cows on a 100 acres of pretty good grass this fall would I need hay through the winter?

In Arkansas, maybe not. I know people here who do not feed hay unless the snow gets deep or crusts over.

 

[farmerjan]

Unless it was grazed in the ground before you got it, maybe not. Is it all this years growth? That's 10 acres per cow, but alot would depend on the amount of snow you get, and how long your winters last. Here we often get a snow of 3-10 inches then it will warm up a week later and most will melt so the animals can go about grazing again. If any snow you get isn't too deep they will nose through it and graze too. We always figure that we can graze 2 places right into January before we start to feed hay and last year they were still doing some grazing in feb. But the grass won't have the greatest feed value by Jan. either whereas hay made right would be more nutritious, then. Do you not have a way to move hay? I would make an arrangement with someone who could deliver it and put out several bales at once. We have 2 small farm customers that we take a couple of round bales to every couple of weeks and just put them right out in the pasture for them in the winter as their small tractor won't handle the big 5x6 bales we make. They are close so not a big problem. They guy sometimes works away for a couple of days at a time so it works for him real well. And one place we take a flatbed trailer of 11 bales and unload them out in the field and they eat the hay and graze too.

 

[jerry27150]

should be fine down there. when I moved here in November I had no hay but grass had not been cut. I brought 70 head with me & people here said I could not do it. toward spring there was a sale 3 miles up the road & I bought a few 2 yr old bales. cattle came through winter fine. I had 320 acres. never been afraid to take chances.

 

[HDRider]

It is fall growth. Fescue, Bermuda and other grasses.

Our snows don't stay around long.

I have about 15 acres of Bermuda I am going to cut. Maybe get 50 to 75 bales.

My neighbor said he'd sell me what I need and he is just across the road and pasture. I can fetch it with my tractor. I can move two bales of any size on one trip.

Sounds like with luck I'll be fine, and I'll hedge a little on the hay to be safe.

 

[1982vett]

With the Bermuda hay...you will be fine. Get it tested to see it nutritional value so you know if you need to supplement it. Don't know if you get any "green pickings" during your winters but if you do that helps a lot.

 

[ClinchValley]

HD -- Are these 100 acres divided up at all or one continuous field? If you have the ability to move them from section to section, i guess strip grazing it…That would stretch it out for sure. Minimize the mess and waste. Just a thought.

Good luck, Buddy.

 

[nathan arizona]

I had 8 on 30 acres last winter and fed 5 bales. They looked good coming out of it. It's good grass, though.