Feeding time!

 Well, the cows were ready for another bale of hay today.  They are eating a bale every 5-6 days.  I mow all my first cutting in mid may to get a higher nutrient level and more tender palatable hay that the cattle can digest well.  I bale it at 40%-50% moisture level and tube wrap it to seal out oxygen and preserve the hay.  It then ferments and turns into silage.  In this form the hay can be preserved for a year or more as long as not opened.  Once opened you need to feed it or it will start to spoil from the open end.  As long as they eat a bale every 6 days or less the hay will always be fresh. 

I also store my dry bales for sale this way.  When I open the row they are usually the same quality as the day I wrapped them as long as the tube was not opened!

 

 This is the two Hereford brothers standing in the feeder to eat.  The one on the left is Pistol and the other is Firecracker.  They should be ready to the butcher late next spring.

 This is a picture of the bunk feeder I have.  It is made by Klene Pipe Structures Inc.  They have great products.  There is room for 8 cattle to eat at one time.  They do not waste much hay with this feeder, maybe 12%-15%.  With a bale ring out in the middle of the pasture they will waste between 40%-50% of each bale.  This feeder really helps me get more out of the hay I feed! 

This is picture of two of my momma cows.  The left one is Sally Shorthorn and the one on the right is Fifty.  Sally is Frosty's momma and Fifty is Precious' momma.

Notes of interest,

A cow requires 2% of their body weight daily in digestible dry matter to be healthy when not pregnant or caring for a calf.  If caring for a calf, pregnant, or a growing calf, they will require 3% of their body weight daily. 

Each bale contains approx 1100 lbs. of dry matter. The herd of 15 cows and calves that I have will eat a bale every 5-6 days during warm weather when the pasture is not growing much.  However they will eat a bale in as little as 2-3 days in the coldest days of winter. 

I will explain later why cattle eat more during cold days vs. warm ones.