how much feed do I need?

[dwadedude]

I am interested in owning a 180 dairy cow operation but I am stumped as to how much silage I will need to feed the cows for the whole year. One guy I talked to said I need at least 1000 acres for silage. Is this true? I was online and I found that it depends on the weight of the cows. I am open to suggestions and other ideas of to feed. I am thinking about pasture. So If what is said is true than I would need 180 acres of pasture. I could feed round bales but I would need more than 1000. Some help and guidance would be very much appreciated.

 

[bigbull338]

you dont need 1000acs for 180hd of milk cows.id think you would need 200acs.an that would be more than enough to produce silage for the herd at 10 tons to the ac.

 

[thendrix]

an that would be more than enough to produce silage for the herd at 10 tons to the ac.

Just curious but isn't 10 tons per acre a little high?

 

[Dave]

There is a lot of variables in the answer. How much silage do they typically grow per acre in your area? Corn silage or grass silage? What percent of the ration do you plan to use silage for? And how big are the cows? Answer those question and the answer is just in the math.

 

[bigbull338]

an that would be more than enough to produce silage for the herd at 10 tons to the ac.

Just curious but isn't 10 tons per acre a little high?

10 tons of corn silage would be like 70 to 90bu of corn pre ac.

 

[thendrix]

an that would be more than enough to produce silage for the herd at 10 tons to the ac.

Just curious but isn't 10 tons per acre a little high?

10 tons of corn silage would be like 70 to 90bu of corn pre ac.

Just wandering. I didn't think it would way that much

 

[bigbull338]

a bu of shelled corn weighs 56lbs a bu of cob corn weighs 72lbs.plus you have to figure in all of the stalks an leaves an ac of corn produces.

 

[jerry27150]

used to feed a lot of corn silage. 30 acres will usually fill a 20 x 50 silo, which holds over 400 tons. we fed 50 mature holsteins & all replacements. we had a 16 X 50 silo for grass silage, can't remember how many acres to fill it. winter time we fed everything & in summer we fed silage & pasture

 

[Nite Hawk]

Also take into account your local climate and length of winter. Cold climate equals more feed needed so cows can generate body heat.
Different breeds / cow sizes require different volume of feed.
Nite Hawk