How Many Bales Are You Feeding

[3waycross]

We are feeding 12 square bales a day to 32 cows and 8 heifers. They seem to be holding their condition pretty well. But only a couple of the easy keepers look fat. We always feed the same number od bales however when it's realy cold(below 0) we feed alfalfa grass mix that goes about 75 to 80 lbs a bale. When we get a warm spell it's straight grass hay that weighs 60 to 65lbs a bale.

How about the rest of you folks out there. What kind and how much for a given number of cows.

We also feed just before dark to promote daylight calving.

 

[angie1]

When we feed squares, we feed no less than 1 bale/2 cows ~ we consider weanlings as one unit. Are clover grass mix ~ mostly grass. I will weigh bale tomorrow. I should know but don't, and am no good at guessing.
btw ~ Cookie must be one of your easy keepers ~ she was looking fat and sassy :nod:

 

[mnmtranching]

My cows are getting about 30-35 pounds of corn silage and 5-10 pounds of Alfalfa and alfalfa/grass. 30% tubs, salt and mineral. In cold weather they get extra.

 

[C HOLLAND]

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.

 

[bigbull338]

we feed 4 1500lb round bales every 8 days to over 60hd.being the 1st of feb looks like they are backing off the hay.an eating out in the pastures more.

 

[johndeereboy]

I usually put out one 2000 lb bale of grassy alfalfa to 8 head, every week and a half. They also get 1/2 a five gallon pail of 3/4 oats and 1/4 corn. And always mineral

 

[aerow27]

I feed a 2200lb bale every 3 days to 19 cows, they also get rounds bale of corn stalks for bedding, and a 5 gallon pail of corn,oats,soybean meal, and mineral morning and night

 

[grannysoo]

27 cow/calves are eating 2 - 4 x 5 (900lb rolls) every 3 days. Also have free choice minerals and lick tank with mollassas/minerals. They're looking good.....

 

[J. T.]

Zero. They're grazing on stockpiled fescue and they look fine. They have gotten 3 lbs/hd of range cubes since it has turned colder, but that has only been every so often on wet cold nights.

 

[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. :???:

 

[Caustic Burno]

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. :???:

I just want to no the size 5x5's or 5x6's ?

 

[denoginnizer]

I am feeding 18 rolls twice a week to 200 cows with calves. The rolls are mostly 4x5 fertilized rye grass some 5x5 fertilized deer patch grass. I have 27% all natural protein tubs out in some places and 35% tubs out in others. The cattle really clean up all the hay before the next feeding. They are holding there body condition quite well and the calves look as good or better this year than ever before.

 

[aerow27]

i bale with a jd 566, it makes 5x6 bales. my skid steer will lift 2500# easy and some of my bales i have a hard time picking up, and no, they are not wet, they are baled dry. you said you had a 567 and they were about 1000#. we had that problem with our baler once, the main tensioner was broken, fixed it and am back to 1800#-2500#.

 

[C HOLLAND]

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.

 

[Wewild]

If our 4X5 bales weigh 900#, we are feeding between 27# and 34# a day per momma cow depending on the pasture.

 

[Brad D]

We custom fed 300-400 bred cows for the last 4 winters and we usually fed 25-27 pound dry matter of alfalfa silage with some basic minerals, it's about 2-2.5% of their body weight. When it gets below -30 degrees we would give them an extra 5# of rolled barley. Don't know if this helps anyone but the cows kept their body condition really well.

 

[3waycross]

We are feeding 12 square bales a day to 32 cows and 8 heifers. They seem to be holding their condition pretty well. But only a couple of the easy keepers look fat. We always feed the same number od bales however when it's realy cold(below 0) we feed alfalfa grass mix that goes about 75 to 80 lbs a bale. When we get a warm spell it's straight grass hay that weighs 60 to 65lbs a bale.

How about the rest of you folks out there. What kind and how much for a given number of cows.

We also feed just before dark to promote daylight calving.

Based on what I'm seeing here I thought we might be a little light on the feed so when I fed today I did a quick BCS on all the cows. Looks like 5 that are a 6 plus 5 more a 5.5-6, 3 that are a 5- and the rest are a solid 5. We have a first calf heifer that calved 6/2 and has a 400lb calf on her that would honestly go 6 plus of course her mother is probably the only 7 on the place no matter what month it is. Having said that they are still gobbling up all the protein blocks we throw at them.

 

[randiliana]

We are feeding 112 cows 3-4 1100 lb round bales every day. They get 3 when the temps are over -20 or so (Celsius) and 4 when it is below. Works out to 29 lbs on the 3 bale days, and 39 lbs on the 4 bale days. Our girls don't see any grain, unless it is in the bale.

Our heifer calves are getting fed 1 square bale (60 lbs) to every 3 heifers. They are pretty much on self feed. They also get about 4 lbs of split peas/lentils.

 

[1982vett]

Had not given it much thought. Usually put a new roll out when the ring is empty. Put a penci... er calculator to it and came up with about 18 # average per day. They also get rotated into oat/ryegrass/clover pasture for about 20 - 24 hrs. a week. However the amount of hay fed is not as important as is the quality of hay fed.

http://foragesoftexas.tamu.edu/pdf/ForageQuality.pdf

 

[traks44]

Cows winter in the wheat stubble fields, for the cows today I fed 18-1800lbs grass straw bales(4x4x8). Yesterday I fed the same. Only work at home on the weekends as I am in college.

Cows only get wheat straw and stubble for now and hold 5-6 BCS fairly easy, as soon as more than a few start falling off we start feeding alfalfa, we staretd feeding hay only about 2 weeks ago. Its amazing how they well they do on wheat stubble so long as we dont get snow and to much rain.

everday the stockers get eight, 4x3 alfalfa bales(about 1350lbs) and twelve 3x3 good grass bales, also out on stubble pastures.

The calves in the feedlot get silage alfalfa and some grass. roughly 25-28lbs a day.