What do you feed in the winter?

[TCRanch]

We average 4 cuttings of our alfalfa & we also feed brome and a little prairie/native in addition to 20% protein cubes. The 30% protein tubs & mineral with CTC is available all year.

 

[skyhightree1]

What does everyone feed their cows during the winter? I live in North Idaho and we have always fed 2nd cutting alfalfa. I have talked the husband into 1st cutting this year to try and save some money. I am curious who feeds what and what works the best for you? Thanks!

Stock piled grass,Grass Hay, Peanut Vine hay, brewers grain

 

[J&D Cattle]

Fescue and clover hay here. Might have a little orchard grass and timothy mixed in as well. We always test our hay and then supplement accordingly with DDG or gluten.

 

[creekdrive]

We try to swath graze as far into the winter as we can. Last year we made it till the beginning of February which is pretty good. Some years the snow gets too deep for them to clean it all up or the swaths get iced down. And on a cold winter they will eat it faster and run out sooner. Once they are out of swath grazing we feed bales. They get an assortment of hay & greenfeed. The type of hay varies, some bales will be straight alfalfa, others a mix of brome/meadow brome/alfalfa and other grasses. We also cut some slough bottoms once they are dry enough.

We don't test any of it, just keep a close eye on the cows and supplement with grain accordingly. If we are short on feed we can stretch it a long ways by feeding some grain. Last year they only got grain once a week, some years they will get it every day.

And yes we will feed hay that has been rained on. The way this year is going so far all of our hay will probably get some rain before it is dry and baled. Not about to start complaining about rain though! And the cows will eat it or they will go hungry ;-)

 

[M.Magis]

People would be shocked at the crap people around here bale and feed. And the cows do surprisingly well on most of it. The only places where you'll see any alfalfa are dairies and people selling small squares to horse people.

 

[TexasBred]

Ok that is a good point! I have been advised to always get alfalfa because of the protein content. And to always get 2nd cutting because it is really nutritious. It nearly breaks the bank for us every year in hay when we get the 2nd cutting alfalfa.

ALWAYS have it tested too and be willing to pay based on its relative feed value. Never accept the test results of the seller. You can't tell anything about it otherwise. It all looks good in a bale. Some always is very little better than many grass hays.

 

[TexasBred]

I normally feed coastal bermuda hay but occasionally will feed maize stalks (milo). Depending on the quality of the hay I'll supplement with 20% or 38% cubes.

 

[callmefence]

Cows at home graze oats and ryegrass along with Milo regrowth hay. When they don't have access to oats. Fertilized haygrazer or Klein hay.
Cows on lease pastures get stockpiled grass hay and protein tubs.

 

[rnh2]

Cheapest hay I can find supplement with cotton seed meal pulverized corn and salt. But I have lots of grass too

 

[Dave]

Realize the regional differences here. Most of the replies are coming from a long ways south of Northern Idaho. That said a diet of second cutting alfalfa most likely has way more protein than your cows need. I feed all the bent grass/bluegrass straw they will clean up and about 5 pounds first cutting alfalfa per day per head. They come through the winter in great shape. Right now you can buy the bent grass straw for about $80 a ton and first cutting alfalfa for under $150. That is a whole lot cheaper than top of the line 2nd cutting alfalfa.

 

[TexasBred]

Realize the regional differences here. Most of the replies are coming from a long ways south of Northern Idaho. That said a diet of second cutting alfalfa most likely has way more protein than your cows need. I feed all the bent grass/bluegrass straw they will clean up and about 5 pounds first cutting alfalfa per day per head. They come through the winter in great shape. Right now you can buy the bent grass straw for about $80 a ton and first cutting alfalfa for under $150. That is a whole lot cheaper than top of the line 2nd cutting alfalfa.

Probably works great since you can limit the alfalfa. Your alfalfa will basically replace what we folks down this way feed in range cubes everyday.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Here is this years hay we purchased. My husband still insisted on alfalfa... Gotta keep him happy so we purchased this hay. Its 1st cutting with 1/10th of a inch of rain received according to the seller. Most bales were bleached on the outside but beautiful green on the inside. I'm very happy with it. We paid $100 a ton. Next year we might try grass We purchased 22,400 lbs. This was out of Spokane Washington and the fields weren't near as thick and way more dry as up by the Canadian border.

 

[Waterway65]

I calve late summer so my girls are working and have to breed back early winter. I ship them out as early as I can in the spring to rented pastures so I can farm hay and irrigate. They will be home to graze sorghum and what pasture I own. Then they will graze fields as well as corn silage and haylage. I do died some first cuttin hay during the winter and spring until they leave again. I push the calves to. This spring we only had two open cows. One would have been a late calver and the other was a yearling I had seen in heat several times. I try hard to keep the cows in really good body condition.
This system has worked well for me but is certainly not for everyone.