How much hay to feed

[purplequeenvt]

We've been feeding round bales all winter and the cattle have 24/7 access to the hay. We are getting low on hay and our supplier doesn't have more round bales.

We found a guy nearby who has 45-50lb square bales of really nice alfalfa mix hay that his sheep won't eat (our sheep love it!). He's been selling it to us for $2/bale. It will be cheaper for us to buy this nice hay than more round bales of lesser quality.

My question is this: how many pounds of hay should be fed per day?

I am feeding 2 steers and a heifer (all the same age, heifer is open) in one pen and a late lactation milk cow and her almost year old calf in another pen.

 

[norseofcourse]

I don't know, but $2 a bale 'really nice alfalfa mix hay' gives me hay envy!!!

Lucky you!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

You can stretch out the lesser hay by feeding the three stooges of yours a bale a day until the hay runs out. Then you will have to feed more, hopefully they're not going to be needing so much as two bales a day or more. Cattle tend to eat more of the higher-quality feed than the lesser because of the higher nutrient and digestibility, but when you feed both you have a better chance of stretching out both hay types over winter than anything.

And two bucks a bale is a great deal!

 

[greybeard]

Too generic of a question to answer without knowing how many lbs of hay they have been eating/day up to this point. It would also help knowing how much the cattle weigh as well, as most of the times you feed as a % of total body weight. Also don't know how big the round bales are that you have been using.
Feeding round bales, unless you are rolling a specific amt out for them each day, there can be a substantial amt of waste, but considering you are feeding 5 head....
A 4x5 bale of hay will weigh around 1000 lbs. Divided by 45lbs, that's a little over 22 forty five lb square bales equivalent.
A 5x6 bale will weigh around 1200 lbs here. That's approx equiv to 27 forty five lb square bales.
So, figure out how long has it been taking your herd to consume one round bale, and divide 1000 or 1200 by that number of days and you will have an approximation of how many sq bales your cows will consume/day.

Anecdotal, but a 1000lb 4x5 bale will last 4-5 days max, feeding 6 Beefmasters here on my place.

(weights are approx)
One 4 yr old 1500lb bred cow.
Four 2.5 yr old bred heifers ranging 900-1200lbs ea. (one is a runt and on the cull list)
One 4 yr old 1800lb bull.

Of course, it will vary since you are now going to be feeding a higher quality hay (as far as protein and digestibility goes) but you have to remember on extremely cold and inhospitable days and nights, the fiber requirements come into play as well, IF they are out in the weather. (They will ingest more fiber in cold periods as they convert the fiber to energy and that digestive process keeps them warmer.)

I would most certainly start mixing the alfalfa in with the other hay as soon as possible as WRB suggested. This will get them used to eating it. If I were to put out a bale of alfalfa for mine, they would turn their noses up at it because they are used to eating a bahia/coastal mix and would be looking for what they are used to.

 

[purplequeenvt]

How is the question too generic? All I need is a general "x % of their weight". I can figure out the actual numbers.

I don't know how fast they are eating a bale right now. The bale is in front of them 24/7. I'd have to ask my dad how frequently he gives another, but the number will be skewed since there are 3 fat horses in there too. I'm going to have to figure out a way to feed the horses separately once we are feeding the nicer stuff.

 

[SheepGirl]

I jave read for cattle they need 1% of their body weight in dry matter daily.

 

[greybeard]

How is the question too generic? All I need is a general "x % of their weight". I can figure out the actual numbers.

I don't know how fast they are eating a bale right now. The bale is in front of them 24/7. I'd have to ask my dad how frequently he gives another, but the number will be skewed since there are 3 fat horses in there too. I'm going to have to figure out a way to feed the horses separately once we are feeding the nicer stuff.

Perhaps "generic" was the wrong word for me to use. I meant there was not enough information.
We don't know what the hay has in it as far as testing it may have been, and this is a big factor--especially when it is alfalfa. Alfalfa is a "hot feed" meaning it is higher in digestible protein than other grass hays. Because of this higher protein, there is a serious threat of bloat especially with non-lactating cows. If you have access to Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle there is a warning on pg95 under "Grass hay vs Alfalfa Hay" that explicitly warns

Do Not Feed Dairy Grade alfalfa to Beef Cattle
It is much richer than they need and the risk for bloat is great. Feed only first cutting alfalfa as it does contain 'some' grass and can be an ideal ration. 2nd and 3rd cuttings contain all alfalfa because it grows faster than the grass and should not be fed by itself because it contains too much protein. It is an ideal supplement fed along with poor forages such as dry pastures, poor hay, or even straw. Cattle can do well on a mix of straw and alfalfa.

The short answer, as GoatGirl said, is 1-1.2% dry matter of body wieght /day.
But too, unless you know what the actual dry matter content of the hay is, that can be misleading. Dry matter is the term that relates to how much moisture content is in the hay, and this can only be determined by having the hay tested--perhaps the guy you are getting the alfalfa from had it tested?

I would certainly put out a bloat block at least 48 hrs before starting the cattle on alfalfa and make sure they are full of your old hay for the same amt of time before putting them on the alfalfa. I don't have horses, but you need to read up on the bloat block to make sure it is safe for horses since you are currently feeding both equines and cattle together. The bloat blocks are just pressed, so wet weather will disolve a good bit of them if they are not protected from rain and even dew. The working ingredient in bolat blocks is usually poloxolene.

You may want to read this--someone asking the same question:
http://familycow.proboards.com/thread/8397

 

[WildRoseBeef]

I [have] read for cattle they need 1% of their body weight in dry matter daily.

See this link, esp. the table below: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex9146

The 1% would be with poor quality fodder like straw hay, greenfeed, or poor quality hay. PQ is giving them good quality hay, or probably up there at excellent quality, which puts the ROI (rate of intake) more around 2 to 2.5% of their body weight. Dairy cattle will eat less because what would be medium to good quality for beefers is considered poor to medium for dairy cattle, hence the 1 to 1.5% thumb rule would seem somewhat logical, especially per this link: http://www.homesteadorganics.ca/dairy.aspx, which stated:

Drying off cows

[...] Cows should be kept on hay, eating a minimum of 1% of their body weight as hay each day.

PQ, are these dairy-type cattle, or beefers? I can't remember if you had said something about their breeding in other past posts on BYH. That'll definitely put an impact on how much they'll eat in a day. That, as well as weight, physiological needs (growth, reproduction, lactation), age, sex (not always), and genetics with respect to feed efficiency (ROI to ADG [average daily gain]) and as mentioned, type or class (beef vs. dairy).

Last question of the day PQ: What kind of hay are they on now? Like, the stuff they're fed in the round bales?

As far as the horses are concerned, you could probably figure a way to distract the horses away from where you're wanting to feed your cattle, or put them (the cattle) in a separate area for the time they get their few flecks of good hay. At least the new stuff isn't pure alfalfa, which certainly wouldn't be too great for your big-bellied equines. But what I'm curious about is why the guy's sheep didn't want to touch the stuff: too rich, they didn't like the taste of the alfalfa, or maybe they're just spoiled.

 

[jhm47]

The % of dry matter that cattle need relative to their body weight varies considerably. The goal of maintenance vs rapid weight gain will require vastly different percentages. Also, the quality of the ration will affect the percentage. Feeding straw as a main ingredient is usually a recipe for disaster, as it is very low in nutritional value, and the cattle cannot possibly eat enough of it to maintain their nutritional needs. Cattle fed only straw or cornstalks will starve to death with full bellies.

For instance, if you are feeding cows in the first trimester of their pregnancy, they are in a BCS (body condition score) of 5 - 7, you should feed them to maintain their body weight at their present level. If a BCS of less than 5, you would need to feed them to gain weight, and they should receive a higher percentage. Let's say that your cows average a BCS of 3 - 4 (thin to moderately thin), or are in the final 1/3 of their pregnancy, you likely would need to feed 2.5 - 3% of their body weight in a high quality ration, which could require some grain and a protein supplement. If the cattle are a BCS of 5+, lower quality hay and forage is required, and you probably can feed 2 - 2.5% of their body weight.

An analysis of your hay/feed generally is necessary to determine a proper ration for most any cattle. The few $$$ that would be spent on the analysis is cheap compared to the $ that are spent trying to correct a regimen of underfeeding and the health issues that often arise from malnutrition. Overfeeding is also quite expensive, so a feed analysis will save $ there too. After the feed analysis is completed, a visit with a nutritionist/veterinarian/extension person would be helpful. Of course, a balanced mineral and salt supplement, along with parasite control is also necessary.

 

[greybeard]

And the 'old,fat, EMT' nails it again!!