Amount of hay for beef

[cmitchell]

Should we keep our beef's hay feeder full at all times? We have one 14 mth old angus cross & one 7 mth hereford. How much hay does one animal go through in a day? I'm not good at figuring out weight in hay or types of hay, and so forth. I'm just looking for a rough estimate as to how many square bales to expect to feed each beef per day when graze in very sparse or in New England winter. Thank you!

 

[20kidsonhill]

OUr show heifer was eating around 3/4 a 50lb bale a day, when not on pasture. plus 12lbs of grain a day. That is all the experience I have with it. But maybe it will help some.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Typically one animal will eat 2.5% of its body weight in dry matter ration per day. As far as as-fed is concerned with your hay, that depends on the moisture content and the weight of your calves. If the hay is around 20% moisture you can expect them to eat around 5 to 7% of their body weight in hay per day.

Normally when we feed calves we feed them when they've cleaned up just about all that is left of the bale. But they do get unlimited access to hay, so I guess you can take that as yes, you can keep your calves' hay feeder full at all times, so long as your careful about wastage.