Hay Requirements for Bred Cows

**T.N.T.** · Apr 29, 2012, 09:24

We normally try to have 10 6 by 5 rounds per cow,in case of a drought year we have enough feed then.Good quality feed we do 35lbs per day.

**ALLFARMER** · Apr 29, 2012, 10:29

1200 pound cows...we use 5 or 6 per cow per
winter. Had an add in the paper to sell a few
bales had 10 phone calls at 45$/ea

**cottonpicken** · Apr 29, 2012, 14:04

Sunday night and friday afternoons are mandatory
viewing for some.

**bucket** · Apr 29, 2012, 14:12

I have some canola left. Had it targetted for 15 bucks, but the grainco changed the month they were pricing off, so it didn't trigger. The rep was some pissed off the company did that because when I put the target in and priced some other it was on May futures. Friday would have triggered it. And he would have had my canola.

Hoping it moves up to get it out of the way or is there some upside left in this market.

**haveapulse** · Apr 29, 2012, 15:32

I think wheat will be the most interesting. Northern European winter crop damage is being quantified, and Canada has not forward supplied our crop to the world in our usual fashion!

Hope springs eternal, but we may get to see market action in wheat for the first time in our lives... one can only hope that the perfect storm is about the unfold!

**kato** · Apr 29, 2012, 19:03

We allow eight round bales per cow, minimum. With grazing corn, we always have extra. It's good policy to have more than you think you need, because you never know what's going to happen.

There's nothing worse than being short of feed. Hubby couldn't sleep at night if he thought he wasn't going to have some spare.

**ASRG** · Apr 30, 2012, 04:21

The 35 lbs/cow sounds about right although 25 hay and 10 lbs/straw is what we feed. Usually for about 150-160 days.
Hay at 3 cents a pound. Value straw at 1 1/2 cent a pound. 90 cents a day. Fuel/tractor would be extra.
I charge cows $1/day for grazing. Banked native grass (prairie wool).

**furrowtickler** · Apr 30, 2012, 05:52

Also, more and more reports from Mid-West frost damage from 2-3 weeks ago. Damage showing up as far south as North Caroliana.

**smcgrath76** · Apr 30, 2012, 10:56

Depends on the feed quality. A cow can
generally eat about 2.5 to 3% of her
Bodyweight in dry matter. If the feed
is poor she can eat less. Better hay
takes less, but she can actually consume
more.
We bale graze hay and straw, and
generally shoot for around 3 to 4 5x6
bales per cow (one of which is likely
straw). But we are generally bale
grazing a relatively short time period
(like 45 days or less).
We carry moisture insurance to use for
purchasing extra feed if we are short on
hay.
I would say to test your feed and adjust
accordingly. It costs a lot of $ to
move feed around, and even more if you
are overfeeding.

Hay Requirements for Bred Cows