Sucklers on hay

[Anymulewilldo]

Our spring calvers get good hay & clean barley straw. As much as they can eat of it. During cold spells they get Mollasses on top each end of the day. Pre calver blocks out 3 weeks pre calving. If I give them anything more they grow calves too big too part with.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Autumn calvers get ad-lib hay & straw (occasionally feed silage but use double the amount of bedding and they still aren’t clean) plus 1/2t of chopped carrot or beet depending what I can get a day. Find it keeps them right well.

 

[Bill the Bass]

In my experience mineral levels are key, calf beds can fly out after calves with cows on poor forage and no supplements.

 

[Bill the Bass]

A spring calving beef cow should only need pretty average quality forage when dry.

We currently use pretty mature Timothy hay or haylage cut in late June.
Fed in the morning, we tend to have them running out within 12 hours and they can pick at straw for the other half of the day.

That said I'm wondering about ⅓ red clover silage fed with ⅔ straw or even concentrate and straw, as I think silage and even hay are much too expensive these days with fertiliser being where it is.

If you feed straw and concentrate, how much straw per head per day would you feed?

 

[M-J-G]

If you feed straw and concentrate, how much straw per head per day would you feed?

Last time I did it they ate around 12kg, that was outdoors.

Talk is that cows fed and bedded on straw won't use much more straw than those that are straw bedded and fed silage.

 

[M-J-G]

Sheeted Somersets selected here on how they perform outwintered on hay and a high copper salt lick.
Spring calving, go into the winter carrying condition and having lost some until calving easily in March as nature intended.
No point or profit in making life more complicated.

In a lot if parts of the country, hay is about as complicated as it gets.

 

[Bill the Bass]

Last time I did it they ate around 12kg, that was outdoors.

Talk is that cows fed and bedded on straw won't use much more straw than those that are straw bedded and fed silage.

That’s what I’m thinking. Toying with feeding 10kg of straw plus liquid feed until mid jan then dropping liquid feed and adding silage at that point (three weeks before calving) as we will be short of forage this year almost certainly.

It may also be a way to carry more cows in future if they keep paying

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I found that if I put cows on 100% straw for 10 days after weaning it dried them up quicker and got them used to eating straw , they moaned a bit firva few days , then I reintroduced s bit if silage after I had condition scored the cows

 

[le bon paysan]

My native breed cattle only get hay with 6/7 litres of molasses poured on top when in.

 

[beardface]

Will prob just go hay to start and see how they are after a month. Maybe use a bit of molasses or barley if needed and then baleage in new year.

 

[topground]

In a lot if parts of the country, hay is about as complicated as it gets.

The thread is about sucklers and hay not about how complicated hay is geographically neither is it about what to feed sucklers if making hay is not an option.

 

[hendrebc]

Last time I did it they ate around 12kg, that was outdoors.

Talk is that cows fed and bedded on straw won't use much more straw than those that are straw bedded and fed silage.

That is what I have found as well I've not fed straw outside though. Might have to try it deferred grazing should be good enough for cows with straw as filler
Feeding it might be a problem squares don't roll very well

 

[Anymulewilldo]

That is what I have found as well I've not fed straw outside though. Might have to try it deferred grazing should be good enough for cows with straw as filler
Feeding it might be a problem squares don't roll very well

Square bale feeder? We’ve one you can put 2 quadrants in and feed 24 at one time. Ideal in the autumn when we’re bulking out the green soup with straw

 

[hendrebc]

Square bale feeder? We’ve one you can put 2 quadrants in and feed 24 at one time. Ideal in the autumn when we’re bulking out the green soup with straw

That involves tractors in fields though. Now I just dump a few round bales at the top of a hill with the loader and rear spike every few days and then roll them over the electric fence take the net off and let gravity take over. That's this winters field not really somewhere you want to be driving more than necessary in winter its steeper than it looks. You can see a few bales left on the right hand side just above the mud part. I was rolling them across the slope then though to try and make the field last longer.

 

[Woolless]

Will prob just go hay to start and see how they are after a month. Maybe use a bit of molasses or barley if needed and then baleage in new year.

Keep an eye on gutfill and dung scores. If they look full and their dung is not too solid (low in protein) then they'll be fine.

 

[M-J-G]

The thread is about sucklers and hay not about how complicated hay is geographically neither is it about what to feed sucklers if making hay is not an option.

It wasn't about renamed Lakenvelders either, but they still get a mention

Plus I'm guessing the hay isn't all made yet, so suggesting alternatives might be useful.

I haven't ever noticed that you stick so strictly to specifics during discussions.

 

[Agrivator]

Usually feed cows ad lib baleage. Salt licks right through then lifeline crumb on feed about 2 weeks pre and right through calving. Looking at making more hay this time due to cost of wrap. Thinking hay until new year then switch to baleage. What would people feed with it? Would be medium to good quality (hopefully) with bit of clover in it. Was thinking either molasses splashed on top, or bit of rolled barley? Cows tend to get a little fat on baleage, but not a bad thing as they can be a month or 2 inside milking calves. Or do I just risk plain hay and see how they go? Shorthorn ranging from 600 to 750 kg. Plus weaned calves.

There is nothing to beat good well-made hay, but:

Wrapped haylage is cheaper than hay - although you need a wrapper.

It can be cut a bit leafier with higher protein.

It takes less working and worrying!!,

You lose far less leaf,

It can be made two days quicker, giving a better aftermath,

It can be stored outside, and is healthier for stock and stockman.

The cost of the wrap is peanuts, but the cost of disposal or of being caught burning it the real problem.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

There is nothing to beat good well-made hay, but:

Wrapped haylage is cheaper than hay - although you need a wrapper.

It can be cut a bit leafier with higher protein.

It takes less working and worrying!!,

You lose far less leaf,

It can be made two days quicker, giving a better aftermath,

It can be stored outside, and is healthier for stock and stockman.

The cost of the wrap is peanuts, but the cost of disposal or of being caught burning it the real problem.

Ok, I'll ask.
How is haylage cheaper than hay?
And how is the cost of the wrap peanuts?
Some of the rest of it I'll agree with.

 

[M-J-G]

Ok, I'll ask.
How is haylage cheaper than hay?
And how is the cost of the wrap peanuts?
Some of the rest of it I'll agree with.

He's just trying to agrivate.
Wrap per ton of Dm is significant at about £10 @80%DM (more if wetter) before application, fertiliser is around £24.

Neither are peanuts, and we'll be making more into hay if we get the chance as its only one day and another run through with the tedder to get it there.
But like I said earlier, I'm not sure if either make sense at current fertiliser costs with other alternatives available.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

He's just trying to agrivate.
Wrap per ton of Dm is significant at about £10 @80%DM (more if wetter) before application, fertiliser is around £24.

Neither are peanuts, and we'll be making more into hay if we get the chance as its only one day and another run through with the tedder to get it there.
But like I said earlier, I'm not sure if either make sense at current fertiliser costs with other alternatives available.

I realize that, hence my "ok"

But the explanation may be interesting

I'm avoiding fert to a point. Landlord has spread some on some rented ground, and I had 2 bags left from last year.
I cut 40 ish acres each year that has not had fert for decades. Not allowed to put dung on it either. Yields are low, but consistent year on year
My own ground will have dung only, though we also have a few chickens.