Stretching hay supplies?

[tom4018]

Went to a meeting the other night and one topic was feeding soyhulls to stretch out your hay supplies. They were talking about testing your hay or hay you were buying and comparing the TDN's and saying below 45% you were better off supplementing with soyhulls.

So what do you think is the most cost effective way to stretch out your hay supplies?
I know culling to reduce your herd but I wonder what most would do if they had culled as hard as they wanted to and wanted to try and make it thru the winter.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Mix 30 is a good source to stretch hay around 240 a ton, stay away from CLS as they will consume hay as there is no tomorrow great product for sorry hay.
http://www.mix30.com/

 

[cfpinz]

Was short last winter and fed cornstalks for the first time, if you can get your hands on some I'd recommend it. Made up the protein with a lick tank in one group and range cubes in the other. The lick tank group would lick the ground where the stalks were fed while the others consumed less and were more picky. Both came out of winter in about the same condition.

 

[tom4018]

Mix 30 is a good source to stretch hay around 240 a ton, stay away from CLS as they will consume hay as there is no tomorrow great product for sorry hay.
http://www.mix30.com/

Are you feeding it in a lick tank or open top?

 

[dun]

Mix 30 is a good source to stretch hay around 240 a ton, stay away from CLS as they will consume hay as there is no tomorrow great product for sorry hay.
http://www.mix30.com/

Are you feeding it in a lick tank or open top?

We just fed it in an open Rubbermaid water tank

 

[Caustic Burno]

I use a lick tank neighbor uses an open top tank. He picks it up in a 300 gallon tote and fills up his tanks with the tote on a pallet .

 

[Farmgirl]

We feed it in an open top trough. Mix30 is good stuff. Price has gone up some but not like other feed.

Caustic,
Where do you buy Mix30? We buy it from a guy in Bedias. PM me if you want.

Thanks,
Farmgirl

 

[TexasBred]

Went to a meeting the other night and one topic was feeding soyhulls to stretch out your hay supplies. They were talking about testing your hay or hay you were buying and comparing the TDN's and saying below 45% you were better off supplementing with soyhulls.

So what do you think is the most cost effective way to stretch out your hay supplies?
I know culling to reduce your herd but I wonder what most would do if they had culled as hard as they wanted to and wanted to try and make it thru the winter.

Soyhulls are a great product, however, considering the price ($180 a ton probalby if not more) you'll come out better buying additional hay if it's available and reasonably priced.

 

[dun]

Soyhulls are a great product, however, considering the price ($180 a ton probalby if not more) you'll come out better buying additional hay if it's available and reasonably priced.

Or cutting down on the herd size to better match the available resources/carrying capacity

 

[Caustic Burno]

We feed it in an open top trough. Mix30 is good stuff. Price has gone up some but not like other feed.

Caustic,
Where do you buy Mix30? We buy it from a guy in Bedias. PM me if you want.

Thanks,
Farmgirl

Lufkin

 

[tom4018]

Called around today and found a place selling Mix 30 about 30 miles away. $200 a ton delivered, $20 a ton off if you pick up. We got one more cow to cull as her calf is ready to wean. We have cut back but since we have had 2 dry years in a row with this year being worse we had no hay left over like normal and baled everything we could this year. Just looking for some insurance.

 

[grannysoo]

Up until a couple of years ago, I would budget my hay to keep what I needed for the year with a cushion, and sell the rest.

After the droughts we have had in the past couple of years, I now keep a minimum of 2 years hay supply with a cushion, and don't mind having more. I never want to be in a position of having to buy hay that I can't afford to feed.

 

[1982vett]

It's getting hard to grow affordable hay to boot. Since we got frosted a couple weeks ago, I've had to step up the hay feeding. Got one barn empty of good hay. Still has some stuff that got rained on but not good enough to feed right now. The second barn is getting cavernous. Went out this afternoon check on what I had already fed. I've already fed around 53 tons since July. Generally would feed around 120 - 130 tons thru a winter starting about now. I do feel better after figuring that I have around 275 tons left. But that 53 tons already fed represents about a huge feed bill. :frowns:

 

[tom4018]

Mix 30 is a good source to stretch hay around 240 a ton, stay away from CLS as they will consume hay as there is no tomorrow great product for sorry hay.
http://www.mix30.com/

Are you feeding it in a lick tank or open top?

We just fed it in an open Rubbermaid water tank

What do you think the daily consumption per cow averages?

 

[dun]

Never calulated it since it varies so much. Depends a lot on the quality of the grass/hay, or lack of quality, and weather.

 

[1982vett]

To add to Dun's post, It depends on pastures, if their is anything at all out their for them. I'd say right now mine are getting near 20# a day plus whatever they can scrap out of the pastures.

 

[angus9259]

If you're using it to stretch hay, how do you actually know they're not just eating the same amount of hay PLUS the liquid feed?

All things being held constant (hay quality and outdoor conditions) what will the hay consumption drop when the liquid is provided?

 

[rk]

If you're using it to stretch hay, how do you actually know they're not just eating the same amount of hay PLUS the liquid feed?

All things being held constant (hay quality and outdoor conditions) what will the hay consumption drop when the liquid is provided?

Hay consumption will most likely increase when when they are consuming a good quality liquid supplement.

 

[dun]

Hay consumption will most likely increase when when they are consuming a good quality liquid supplement.

But we're talking very poor quality hay/forage, a notch or 2 above straw.

 

[rk]

Hay consumption will most likely increase when when they are consuming a good quality liquid supplement.

But we're talking very poor quality hay/forage, a notch or 2 above straw.

It'll probably still increase, especially if the forage is poor.