Dave
Well-known member
The accommodations might not be up to your standards but there is plenty of room to roam. It is a private summer camp so you don't have to share it with the public.
Triticale hay
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Katpau
Well-known member
We have been buying hay from the same source through 3 generations of farmers. The young man now farming is switching most production over to a grass seed crop. He now only sells forage hay to us and one other rancher. He had called not long ago to say that one of the orchard grass fields he had planned on haying for us had not done well, and although he still thought he would have enough hay for us, we might need to take some Sudan Grass. I was fine with that. We have bought Sudan from him in the past and the cows did great on it. He tells me it is real difficult to handle with his equipment, so he only does it when all other options don't work and he needs to grow hay in a short window of time.
On Monday he called and asked if we would be interested in trying some Triticale. He sent me the following picture, and we drove over to look. It is stalkier than I was expecting, but it still felt soft. I told him I would take what he had. It hasn't rained here since the first of April and I don't want to say no to anything, because my other option might be hauling hay over the mountains from Eastern Oregon. He plans to bale tomorrow, so I will take samples and have it tested. I picked up some off the field and threw it in a feeder for some first calf heifers. They kind of picked at it and did eventually eat it, but they were not at all enthused. I don't suppose that it was fair to judge anything from that, since they are on good grass right now. I hope they they will eat it, since I told him to bale it for me. He would have made haylage out of it otherwise.
On Monday he called and asked if we would be interested in trying some Triticale. He sent me the following picture, and we drove over to look. It is stalkier than I was expecting, but it still felt soft. I told him I would take what he had. It hasn't rained here since the first of April and I don't want to say no to anything, because my other option might be hauling hay over the mountains from Eastern Oregon. He plans to bale tomorrow, so I will take samples and have it tested. I picked up some off the field and threw it in a feeder for some first calf heifers. They kind of picked at it and did eventually eat it, but they were not at all enthused. I don't suppose that it was fair to judge anything from that, since they are on good grass right now. I hope they they will eat it, since I told him to bale it for me. He would have made haylage out of it otherwise.
GoWyo
Well-known member
They will love it in the winter.
BFE
Well-known member
Most hay per acre I ever had was from a field of triticale. Just a few bales shy of 140 in a 20 acre field. Dry 5x6 big heavy bales. Never had that much before or since.
Fay Holiday
Active member
40-50 years ago when I lived several miles as the crow flies above Dave, I grew Triticale for the grain to make bread and feed chickens. The stalks were course and about 6 feet tall, so I bundled and tied them. They stored nicely vertical, compressed and held by a panel.
I fed them to my cows along with alfalfa. Most ended up as bedding. The cows ate some, but the goats, none. No one in that area at that time had even heard of Triticale. It was amazing how well it did with minimal water.
My only disappointment with it was, even ground very fine, it would never rise with any power for making sheepherders Dutch oven sourdough bread. I loved seeing the dough raise the heavy cast iron lid. It was tasty and great with goat butter, but very heavy. It did rise well with a 50% wheat flour mix.
I fed them to my cows along with alfalfa. Most ended up as bedding. The cows ate some, but the goats, none. No one in that area at that time had even heard of Triticale. It was amazing how well it did with minimal water.
My only disappointment with it was, even ground very fine, it would never rise with any power for making sheepherders Dutch oven sourdough bread. I loved seeing the dough raise the heavy cast iron lid. It was tasty and great with goat butter, but very heavy. It did rise well with a 50% wheat flour mix.
