February 20, 2009
Dealing with Short Hay Supplies
As our livestock herds in the region enter early March, herdsmen are seriously
assessing their existing forage supplies and trying to determine if the supply
is enough to get their herds to grass next spring.
May is generally considered the first month that pasture grass is
available for grazing. But in
reality, with the exception of early tame grass pastures like crested
wheatgrass, native cool season pastures are not ready for grazing until about
June 1. This leaves the average stockman
four months or 120 days to provide feed for the herd until grass time.
2008 was a difficult year to secure enough forage supplies for any
livestock herd due to early drought. In
addition, the early onset of winter the first week of November, further
complicated a short hay supply situation.
Most livestock herds have now been on full feed for about three months and
consumption has been about 15 percent higher than normal due to the extreme cold
we are experiencing. When you consider
the typical 1200 pound cow requires a minimum of 25 pounds per day of dry matter
feed, without wastage, this increases to at least 30 pounds per day in below
average temperatures. Average hay wastage
whether you feed on the ground, in bale feeders or chopped hay in the bunk runs
another 35 percent. So now we are
looking at another 2 pounds per day required per head.
If the forage provided is of relatively poor quality and animals are fed
free choice and allowed to pick and choose, wastage will run much higher than
3-5 percent.
Here are some Rules of Thumb or Cowboy Logic to help you get your livestock
herd through the winter with the forage supplies you have on hand:
One pound of grain or high concentrate feed will substitute for about 1.5 to 2
pounds of hay.
You can feed a few pounds of grain, ration your good hay and use straw as a
satisfier or way to keep your herd full and contented.
Dont try to get by feeding all poor quality hay or straw, these forages have
high levels of un-digestible fiber and can cause rumen impaction if not fed
correctly.
To prevent rumen impaction from straw or poor quality grass hay, animals will
need some grain, natural protein and good quality hay in their daily diet.
Protein and energy requirements increase as cattle and sheep enter the third
trimester of pregnancy. Consider this
fact when designing your feeding program for this season.
Because of the way the rumen functions, it is best to supplement cattle with 2-4
pounds of grain, rather than 5, 6, or 7 pounds of grain.
If your hay supplies are really short, you are likely better off feeding
7-9 pounds of grain, then limiting the hay you feed.
Wheat midd pellets from milling plants are a good source of protein 16-18%, and
have average energy levels. They are
costing about $125 per ton this winter.
Dry corn distillers grains from the ethanol plants are excellent sources of
protein and energy. These come in meal
form and transportation from the plants can be a problem.
Large feed pellets or Cow Cubes are a good way to supplement a herd as they
can be fed on frozen ground. Energy
levels are generally average or better and protein levels can run from 14% up to
30% depending on how much you are willing to spend per ton.
Large protein and energy blocks will supplement a herd, but are generally higher
in cost per pound of nutrient than other forms listed above.
These blocks will cover minor shortages in feed, not major shortages.
It becomes even more critical with rations made up of alternative and non
conventional feeds to insure cow mineral and vitamin needs are met.
Unless a fortified commercial supplement is being fed, consider free
choice feeding or blending with concentrates a high quality mineral at 2-4 oz
per head per day.
Methods to supplement a herd on short forage supplies are limited only to the
imagination of the herdsman. The herdsman
needs to evaluate local feed resources, feeding methods, equipment available,
test nutrient levels of feeds on hand, then develop a feed ration and plan to
meet the needs of the herd. NDSU county
extension offices are equipped to help with this challenge.
If you find yourself in a short hay situation this winter, shop around
for feed resources and contact your county extension office to develop a plan
for this winter and spring.
