How many pounds of hay per day/cow for winter?

[little creek]

If my heifers/yearlines are 1200 pounds by winter? How much hay per animal should I have stored? Will it take a ton per cow a week or more or less.

 

[Rough'n'Ready Plantation]

A cow doesn't have a requirement for hay necessarily but more specifically for pounds of dry matter. If your hay is 90% dry matter, multiply the pounds of hay times .9 to get your pounds of dry matter. I think a 1000-1200 lb cow needs 20-25 lbs DM daily depending on stage of pregancy, lactation, etc.

 

[Bez!]

If my heifers/yearlines are 1200 pounds by winter? How much hay per animal should I have stored? Will it take a ton per cow a week or more or less.

Depends on the weather and depends on the animal.

You live many, many miles south of me.

But if you figure the length of the seaon - from off grass to on grass - then run a number like 50# per day per head - you will get a rough idea.

Remember this number may seem high, but there is a lot of waste. Hay gets stepped on, hay gets wet and unpalatable and so on.

Your winter is short - I am guessing you will be on feed for 90 days.

My very rough calculation is 6 head x 50 pounds x 90 days = 27,000 pounds.

Add in a bit of mineral and salt and you are on your way.

Yeah I know I could be way off - but you get the idea and now you can do some figuring.

Bez!

One quick addition - never short yourself on hay. It is not always available. If you have the cash and the storage area and the chance - always have a bunch of extra laying around.

Hay stored correctly will last for several years. When it is in short supply - and this DOES happen - you will undestand what I am talking about.

Ask those who are in drought right now.

I fed my cattle wheat straw for two years straight when we were hit hard. I paid $107.50 PER BALE!

Regards,

Bez!

 

[Caustic Burno]

If my heifers/yearlines are 1200 pounds by winter? How much hay per animal should I have stored? Will it take a ton per cow a week or more or less.

You can satisfy a cows nutritional needs on 3 pounds of feed now you need another 27 pounds to fill them up.

 

[OklaBrangusBreeder]

I guess the old rule of thumb I had always heard was 1 Cow = 2 of the old square bales per week. Based on a 75 pound bale, that would mean about 22 pounds per day.

Sound about right?

 

[dun]

You might give the attached lnk a look. Helps in calculating rations more then just guessing about it

dun

 

[msscamp]

I guess the old rule of thumb I had always heard was 1 Cow = 2 of the old square bales per week. Based on a 75 pound bale, that would mean about 22 pounds per day.

Sound about right?

I think a very large determining factor is going to be location - up here 1 cow would go through 1 65# small square bale every other day during the winter = 3.5 65# squares/week/cow.

 

[Susie David]

The quality of the hay needs to be factored into this equation.
Lactating cows? Second/ third trimester? Maintain condition and add some gain?
I like to know the protein content of my hay, kind of helps with the quanity I feed during winter. Up here we suppliment some cracked corn when the temps drop to around zero, like to keep up the energy levels of the diet.
We feed good alfalfa so our girls get 20-25 lbs/day.
Just my two bits worth.
DMc

 

[little creek]

Thanks, for all the help. Little Creek.

 

[Herefordcross]

If it's fair quality hay and they are bred/lactating cows we figure 3tons per head per winter. And we have never had any problem. Of course you need to leave some play room for a real bad winter, better to have hay left over than to run short.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Dry forage intake
Dry cow = 2.0 percent X body weight
Lactating cow = 2.5 percent X body weight

 

[Tod Dague]

This should get you at least as close as to anything we tell you. It requires excel. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/software/OSUNRC2002.xls and some instructions if you need them. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/software/OSUNRC2002B.doc

And more fun and useful stuff. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/software/

 

[msscamp]

Thanks Tod!

 

[little creek]

Thanks Tod for the web sites. Little Creek

 

[Tod Dague]

Dun had turn me on to that site years ago. I love it! You still need to use some cow sense though, but it sure is fun to play with