Dixieangus":37u6qap2 said:
I was thinking people say 2% of a cows body weight a day will do....so if a bale of hay weighs 1200 and i was feeding 2 heifers 1 weighing 450 the other 550 and a momma cow fissin to calve weighs about 1100 then how long would the bale last if i am feeding 12% protein pelletes every other day about 3 fourths of a 5 gallon bucket
Depends on the quality of the hay or digestibility of it that that matters. Without knowing those factors an answer is just a wild guess. The lower the TDN the less the cow can eat. Hence, you can starve a cow to death with a plenty of hay in front of her all the time if the hay isn't any good.
http://foragesoftexas.tamu.edu/pdf/ForageQuality.pdf (scroll down to page 4)
Really, in my opinion you are going about it the wrong way. You should figure out how much hay the animals can/are eating or needs to eat, know the protien and TDN of the hay you are feeding, then figure how much/if you need to supplement by feeding whatever you choose to supplement with. Of course, somewhere in their you also need to know what the animals nutritional requirements are.
By the way, do you know how much 3 fourths of a 5 gallon bucket weighs? You also need to know that to know how many pounds of feed you are feeding.
A dry cow in these parts should be able to eat and maintain herself on 10% CP hay and not need protein supplementation. Around 10-12% for lactating beef cows.
Sorry this post sounds so not-helpful.
Waste is probably going to be a problem if you don't limit the time they have at the hay feeder. But if their were no waste of hay that bale should last about 3 weeks if it meets nutritional needs of the cows without futher supplements. Letting them have free access to the hay will greatly reduce how long it lasts.
