How Many Bales Are You Feeding

[I luv herfrds]

Feeding 1 round bale of oat hay then rotating to grass and then alfalfa. 4x5 round bales weighting about 800#.
Got tired of feeding squares especially on cold days and loading 30 on a truck and then having to come back and get more. Tore up alot of gloves too.
We would normally feed about 1 bale to 2 cows or as much as they would clean up.

 

[dyates]

This feeding season has been very odd for me, in a bad way. I have eight cows at the home place, for example. Normally, a 5x5 roll will last those eight cows 5 days. This year, I'm feeding a 5x5 roll every 3 days. They aren't wasting it either; they are practically licking the ground. I guess with the drought, there isn't much for them to pick around on. Good thing I had plenty of hay.

 

[dun]

This feeding season has been very odd for me, in a bad way. I have eight cows at the home place, for example. Normally, a 5x5 roll will last those eight cows 5 days. This year, I'm feeding a 5x5 roll every 3 days. They aren't wasting it either; they are practically licking the ground. I guess with the drought, there isn't much for them to pick around on. Good thing I had plenty of hay.

For us it's just the opposit, now. At first they were going through about a bale a day. Now I'm feeding some stuff that was put up in 2005 I think. Been in the barn so long that the painted data has dried up and can;t be read anymore. Since I dipped into it they're only eating about a half a bale every 3 days.

 

[1982vett]

I believe hay quality and condition of the cow has a lot to do with how much a cow consumes. Last winter we were coming of a summer much like the southeastern went through this year. I run around 110 momma cows on 360 acres in central Texas. Bale my own hay off of 45 acres in bermuda type grasses and 15 acres native blackland prarie grass. Also plant 60 acres in oats (ryegrass and burr clover volunteer) for winter pasture. Try to bale 10 - 20 acres of this. Comming off of summer of '06 I did not have an abundance of hay but what I did have was top quality. Some bermuda/ryegrass/clover was 20.3% Crude Protien. (range cube quality) Oats was 16.6% and prarie grass was 10.3% so all of it would meet daily requirements of a dry cow. I had to start feeding in September because the pastures were gone. Was luckey enough to get oats established and was able to start grazing by the end of November. It was gone by January. Point I am trying to make is that forage the cows were getting was good quality at a limited supply and kept them in good shape but they would eat anything and every thing you put in front of them and look for more. I bought 1200 small square bales my uncle had in a barn. He has been out of the cattle business for 5 or so years and had stopped putting up squares for quite a few years more so I knew the hay had to be at least 5 - 10 years old. When I finally got to the end of the barn I found about 30 bales, the wire was rusted off of the bales. The last wire bales were put in the barn in 1976. The cows ate this just like they ate the 20% mix.

This year is a different story. Most of my hay either got wet on the ground, curing was rushed, or was 2-3 weeks past cutting time. I have 30 bales that was old and tuff that got wet that they will not eat. Last year the cows would come off of the oats when they heard the tractor. They would just as soon have the hay as hustle after the oats. This year I have to run them off of the oats to get them to eat the hay. This year my best bermuda is 12.5% crude protien, no oats and didn't bother testing the prarie hay however they seem to prefer the prarie hay over the bermuda.

 

[MikeC]

I have ten pairs in one pasture and they get one 2000 lb roll every 7 days, the calves are getting bigger now and it will probally drop to 6 days per roll. I am not feeding any grain, just a protein tub with free choice minerals. The average is normally 25-30 lbs of hay per day per cow or cow/calf pair until the calves get above 3 months.


This works for me and my cows are fat and sassy.

Who is baling 2000 lb. bales?

We bale with a JD 567 and have a hard time getting them to weigh 1000. :???:

They are 6x6 bales and Jimmy Jones in Ariton and he is selling it as fast as he can deliver, you want some , $50.00 per roll plus delivery Good coastal too. I have them delivered 1 roll at a time by a friend who has a larger hay dolly than I do. Mine won't touch them.

I also have a hard time getting the hay ring around them. I guess you come come down to LA and get some hay bailing lessons. :roll: :roll: Not from me though, I am just a HOBBY farmer.

UPDATE just for Mike C

I went and measured the rolls and they are 5 1/2W x 5 1/2-6' diameter

See the trouble I go to just for you :lol: :lol:

And if you want his number, I can get you that, he sold most of his cows was what he told me and has plenty of hay to sell. Hay is plentiful down here since so many sold most of their cattle earlier this year. The largest barn down here only sold 300-350 head 2 weeks ago.

Our bales are 5 1/2 by 5 1/2-6 also. Weighed a bunch of them in he past year and they weigh less than 2000. Must have a lot to do with the drought and the moisture content, but most people really have no idea what bales weigh.

That's why it should be bought by the ton and not by the bale.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Our weather and rainfall here is vary variable and next to impossible to tell how much hay we feed on a daily or weekly basis. We record every day's hay put out and put on spread sheet each months hay, minerals, and what little supplemental feed we use.

2007 was a very good rain year for us. About 5" above average for our area. 2002 thru 2006 were between "bad" to "acceptable" for rain/grass growth. Right now, we're running about 35 A.U.'s, including horses. Grass is essentially gone. NEED RAIN! When we have no grass we will put out 20-22 5x6 round bales of bermuda a month. Horses get the bermuda. Cattle get bermuda, and weaned bull & heifer calves get bermuda, alfalfa, alfalfa/orchardgrass hay. Lactating cows may get some supplements. We shoot for minimum 10% CP on bermuda. Other hay has tested between about 15 and 18% CP for 2007 cuttings. Our rounds range between 1200 and 1500# (all our Kubota can handle, plus they fit nicely in hay rings). Our alfalfa/orchardgrass hay is 3x3x8 squares.

All in all, our cattle and horses are averaging on a yearly basis probably 15-20# of hay plus pasture grass grazing. During "no grass" times, our horses probably get 20-30# bermuda a day, depending on their size. Some of our mares are on round bale of bermuda, free choice and stay in good condition.

Five weanling, coming yearling bull & steer calves we have right now probably go thru one 3x3x8 alfalfa/orchardgrass every 2-3 weeks.

 

[alabama]

My old roller had the belts streched out and I hate to tighten it up for fear they will break. But, I roll a 5 X 5 bale that will last 9 pair 2 days since the weather has been cold. With mild weather I get closer to one roll every 3 days.
In another pasture planted in Rye I do a little better. With 5 pair, 7 heifers and a bull I am still feeding every two days but then I have more eating and picking at a little rye. When the weather starts to worm a little the consumption should go down as rye and reygrass starts to grow a little faster.
I have weighed some of my rolls that range in the 1100 to 1200 pound range depending on type of grass.

 

[dyates]

Many of the newer rollers with hydraulic tensioning can be tightened up to put an enormous amount of hay in a roll. I had a fellow roll some alfalfa x orchardgrass a couple years back in 5x5's. I couldn't keep the front end of a Ford 4600 on the ground with 400+ pounds of weight. I had to borrow an old tumblebug to move the darn things. The same roller was cranked down where it was supposed to be this past year (not sure what that is, 300# pressure maybe) and produced a more reasonable 1200# roll.

 

[TexasBred]

Don't think I've ever seen a 1500 lb. round bale. Had some maize stalks last year that might have gone 1250-1300 tops. Most big rolls of coastal probably won't go over 1000...course when you're buying they all way 1500. I figure if my tractor can pick it up it without tilting it can't weigh over 1300.

 

[1982vett]

Our

John Deere 410 bales @ 4x4, Alicia bermuda at 15% moisture that weigh 600#

Vermeer 605L bales @ 5x5, Tifton 85 at 15% moisture weigh 1000#

Have run them across a scale.

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

50 cow/calves are eating 1 - 4 x 5 (900lb rolls) every 2 days.I Also have free choice minerals and lick tank with mollassas/minerals.

 

[sidney411]

100 animals (cows, calves, heifers, yearlings, bulls) are going through 10 5x6 bales a week. We bale with a JD 535 but I have no clue what he bales weigh. I do know some are really heavy compared to others as I can tell the difference when I pick them up w/ the loader. How do you know if the main tensioner needs to be fixed?

 

[MikeC]

50 cow/calves are eating 1 - 4 x 5 (900lb rolls) every 2 days.I Also have free choice minerals and lick tank with mollassas/minerals.

You must have other sources of food/forage then.

That's only 9 lbs. per day each.............................

 

[mitch2]

We have a Case 8430 round baler - we are at the present time feeding 2 year old hay at 9 bales a week for 14 animals....

I do realize we have a butt load of waste with these bales... just need to get rid of them. Haven't touched last years hay yet.... I need more animals

Michele

 

[aerow27]

100 animals (cows, calves, heifers, yearlings, bulls) are going through 10 5x6 bales a week. We bale with a JD 535 but I have no clue what he bales weigh. I do know some are really heavy compared to others as I can tell the difference when I pick them up w/ the loader. How do you know if the main tensioner needs to be fixed?

our bales were really loose, the were still the same size but like a big fluffy bale, not packed real tight, my uncle is the on who fixed it, we new something was wrong when the bales were not very dense, and then asked deere about it and they said the tensioner. also I think there is an ajustment on the baler, its a thumb wheel, i belive that can be changed for density as well.