How much hay should I give my cattle?

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How much hay/feed should I give to my cows? This is a common question, and the goal of this video is to give a very specific guideline and example for answering this question. Watch this video and check out my channel at Learn2farm to gain some knowledge on farming.
With winter setting in heavy here in Middle Tennessee, the question arises on how much feed/hay do cattle need, and what is the right amount to feed them? Cattle generally consume, give or take in consideration of lactation/pregnancy/weather/sickness/amount of walking cattle do/etc., about 2% of their body weight daily when in a healthy body status (body condition score 5-6). This comes out to about 24 pounds of feed/hay per day for a 1200 pound cow.
Calculate a 10% moisture level in hay that is stored covered, respectively, and a 1000 pound roll of hay. For 24 cows at 24 pounds of feed/hay needed per day per cow, you can assume you will need close to 23 rolls in a 90 day period. Again, this is assuming the given characteristics of your cattle are within "normal" ranges, and always take into consideration the weather.
I hope this video clears up some misconceptions, and if you have any questions/comments/tips/ideas please comment below.

Опубликовано:

26 янв 2016

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Комментарии : 16

@joshuamoore24_7 4 года назад

Thanks for the video info, you said the exact base number I was looking at how much for 10 cows a hay roll will last, plus the extra grain.

@TheAnnieDeppeChannel 7 лет назад

Great video.

@Mr.frag-out 6 лет назад

Thank u

@draglt250r 4 месяца назад

I see you have some brom sedge out in the pasture. How will you go about getting rid of that

@bigears4014 2 года назад

Hay should be on demand not weight

@terraconensis2317 7 лет назад

How many acres do you need to feed one cow without any hay or feed for one year (there is no winter) ?

@dustinwilliams1848 5 лет назад

I don't really know the right way to word my question so please bare with me and hopefully it'll make sense. Ok, so when saying that cattle will eat 2% of their body weight a day and 90% of their diet is grass or hay depending on the time of year, how do you know how much grain to feed? Most labels will tell you to feed 1 to 2 % of their body weight. I want my cattle to have a average daily gain of two pounds per day but I don't want to risk the chance of bloat either. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

@minkoil00 7 лет назад

What is 14% grower? I got 2 cows, I'm a noob when it comes to this cow thing

@storminnormanz 8 лет назад

What kind of mineral do u use? I've heard of people buying individual minerals and kelp, just wondering if I would be better off putting money into better mineral than buying feed

@learn2farm668 7 лет назад

I use a good reproduction mineral with high selenium, high Vit E content, and good magnesium. Co-op has some in our area, United Livestock out of Mayfield, KY sells good reproduction mineral. I use United Livestock pasture grazer because it actually has the same amount of important reproduction minerals as other companies dedicated reproduction minerals. Of course, in spring grass green up you want to pay attention to Magnesium to avoid grass tetany. I give them free choice mineral all year long. Hope that helps. Thanks for the comment.

@johnboy2945 8 лет назад

There's a saying you will hear frequently that says "it beats a snowball." Does trashy/poor quality hay actually beat a snowball?

@learn2farm668 8 лет назад

+John Boy Well, I would say poor hay is equal to a snowball because it will just fill up their stomachs temporarily. Unfortunately, your cows will get in VERY poor quality body condition and this will affect their reproduction status, health, milk production, ability to fight infections, and overall life. I would never, and would not recommend feeding poor quality ever. There is another saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Basically, you can pay for better, good quality hay now, or pay for it in loss of cycles for reproduction, medication for sick cows, or death of livestock. All of these are unacceptable. You will save money in the long term buying the best quality hay you can afford now, and ensure your livestock ventures will continue to be prosperous.

@circlegranch6721 6 лет назад

While feeding poor quality hay must be done in significantly higher quantity due to the depletion of nutrient content (it's low in nutrition, not without nutrition like a snowball), it can be done, particularly if "range meal" and/or mineral is available to the cattle. If no supplementation is being done, the feasibility of using old hay decreases. It will sustain them if absolutely necessary, but they will not thrive. Also of note, lower-quality/year-old hay can actually require more energy from the cattle to process -- which has a plus side. Studies at Texas A&M show this requirement can be used as a benefit on abnormally cold, wet, windy days (all of the big three detrimental factors) because the digestion of lower-quality generates slightly more internal heat, keeping the cow a bit warmer. It's not an everyday practice, but if you're feeding good quality hay, using leftover bales from the previous years for a day or two in the harshest winter days can be actually hold some benefit and gives a use for old hay.