Oklahoma winter feeding plans

[BrandX]

What plans do you guys have for winter feeding programs? For simplicity and comparison lets keep it to Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. To come up with data that might be able to apply to everyone lets produce the results as they apply to ten head.

Example: 10hd x 2bales a week x 14 weeks of winter feeding = 28 bales x $40/bale = $1120
10hd x 1 tube every 2 weeks for 14 weeks of winter = 7 tubs x $45/tub = $315
total = $ 1425
$1425 divided by 10 head = $145 per head for 14 weeks of winter feeding


Please tell what kind of land they are on such as dry land or pasture and if or how you rotate pastures. Please tell what kind of cattle operation such as feeders or cow/calf and if you mostly have a certain breed, what kind it is.

 

[Cross-7]

Sw Oklahoma I don't plan on feeding anything but maybe 2# a cake every other day a head if I have to and hope I don't have to do that

 

[Kingfisher]

Way to diverse geographically for what ever your trying to deduce..

 

[cow pollinater]

This will be my first winter feeding here in OK so I don't have any real advice but I'm asking lots of questions when I get the chance and the common answer is to "plan on four bales per head" but I know of at least two places that consistently use about half that. I know of several ranches where less than a bale per head was fed this last winter since there was very little ice.
All in all, I think it boils down to plan for the worst and hope for the best. When you do have to feed they're going to need about 2% of their body weight per day but the length of time that you have to feed is unknown until spring of the following year.

 

[angus9259]

This will be my first winter feeding here in OK so I don't have any real advice but I'm asking lots of questions when I get the chance and the common answer is to "plan on four bales per head" but I know of at least two places that consistently use about half that. I know of several ranches where less than a bale per head was fed this last winter since there was very little ice.

Wow that seems really cheap - but what do I know about OK being in MI??!? I'll do about a 1000 lb bale per month per head for 5 months here!

Is that because they can feed on stockpile forage or because grass actually may grow in the winter?

 

[AdamsCreek]

This will be my first winter feeding here in OK so I don't have any real advice but I'm asking lots of questions when I get the chance and the common answer is to "plan on four bales per head" but I know of at least two places that consistently use about half that. I know of several ranches where less than a bale per head was fed this last winter since there was very little ice.

Wow that seems really cheap - but what do I know about OK being in MI??!? I'll do about a 1000 lb bale per month per head for 5 months here!

Is that because they can feed on stockpile forage or because grass actually may grow in the winter?

Im 17 miles east of Tulsa stockyards. I ran 6 head of mommas last winter and I only fed 11 6x4 bales. We really didn't have a winter to speak of so my little bunch had green fescue to chase all the way into January. I normally do the four 4x5 bales a head plan. Usually have some left over just in case we have a dry summer. That's not based on any scientific research on my part but just me doing what the old timers before me did.

 

[BRYANT]

I have lived I Okla. for most of my life and who know how much we will have to feed ????
our weather is one big guess. Fed almost nothing last year but may have snow or ice for days this year. we are getting all kinds of rain now, greenest I have seen it for this time of the year in a long time BUT it may stop raining and the wind may blow for next 3 or 4 month and every thing dry up and blow away ?????? its Oklahoma

 

[RScott]

In NE OK, it does vary greatly year to year. However, we average just under 3 5x6 bales per head typically having hay out late Nov - early Mar. Plan for another bale per head or so and hope to have hay in the barns when spring comes. Last winter, two full barns.

 

[BrandX]

Alright, we are getting some responses. It sounds like almost nobody is supplementing their hay with cake or liquid feed. Thats great. To be that confident in your hay you all must be testing it. Maybe its a good idea for you all to also share where you are getting it tested (example OSU) for the beginners. Also for those that are only feeding a few bales per head for a winter season, are you maintaining BSC(body score condition)?

I myself have noticed problems with heifers getting rebred from being under nourished on hay/pasture alone during the winters and feel the need to try supplementing with tubs also.

 

[Cross-7]

Calve in early spring, breed back summer and wean calves in fall.
Dry cow doesn't need much if the weather isn't bad and she has plenty to eat

 

[BRYANT]

Alright, we are getting some responses. It sounds like almost nobody is supplementing their hay with cake or liquid feed. Thats great.

I have a feeder that I keep Range meal out all year long I use medicated in the summer and non medicated in winter. It seems to me like they only eat it when they need it sometimes in the year they eat very little others times they eat lots more. I know there are people on this site that don't agree with me about this but this is how I do it and have for many years. My hay is not the best just grass hay but they eat what's put before them or do with out. I have had some people on here that did not like me saying that also, but my cows come through winter looking fine and lay down and have a calf every spring and I sell a calf in the fall and the income is more than the expense so that's the way I do it.
I also dump them a bag of cubes about once every week or two to keep them gentle and coming to the lot.

 

[AdamsCreek]

Alright, we are getting some responses. It sounds like almost nobody is supplementing their hay with cake or liquid feed. Thats great. To be that confident in your hay you all must be testing it. Maybe its a good idea for you all to also share where you are getting it tested (example OSU) for the beginners. Also for those that are only feeding a few bales per head for a winter season, are you maintaining BSC(body score condition)?

I myself have noticed problems with heifers getting rebred from being under nourished on hay/pasture alone during the winters and feel the need to try supplementing with tubs also.

I give them good enough hay. Either bermuda or prairie hay that ain't real weedy. I give them half a sack of 20% bonanza cubes a day December through March because my calving season is December thru February. I don't like em mud fat but I like to help em stay conditioned when they got calves sucking and no green grass. They also get cattle grazers ctc and igr mineral from mid February until the first good frost then I cut out the igr. Rough math off the top of my head between hay, cubes, and mineral it costs me $186 to feed one a year.

 

[cow pollinater]

Maybe its a good idea for you all to also share where you are getting it tested (example OSU) for the beginners.

I'm dealing with Livestock Nutrition Center.