Table of Contents
How much haylage should you feed a cow?
A good rule of thumb is that a mature cow will consume about 2.5 percent of her body weight per day in dry matter. If high moisture forage is the sole source of dry matter in the diet, it will take more baleage by weight than dry hay to feed the same class of animals.
How long will a round bale last a cow?
about 8-10 days
One round bale lasts about 8-10 days using our regular round bale hay net with 1.75″ holes. Without a net, a bale lasts approximately 5-6 days and half of it is wasted.
How much feed should a cow eat per day?
Cows will voluntarily consume 2 percent of body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100 percent dry matter. Grass hays will often be 7 percent to 10 percent moisture.
Is haylage OK for cows?
Photo courtesy of Bowie County Extenion Office Bales of haylage stored until needed by hungry cattle. It is simply forage baled at 50 to 60 percent moisture rather than at the 18 to 20 percent moisture content of hay. …
How many cows will a round bale feed?
As an example, a 30-cow herd would consume one 900-pound round bale per day. To feed a 30-cow herd, we could use one hay ring that is filled daily. But a better alternative would be to use three hay rings that are filled every three days.
How much grain should I feed my beef cow per day?
10-15 lbs. per day of corn, oats or barley fed to grazing cattle is a good finishing ration. This fed to a 900-1000 pound steer for 3-4 months should will you a nicely finished animal. If you do not have access to pasture or if you are finishing during the winter, you might increase the amount of grain to 15-18 lbs.
How do you know when a cow is hungry?
I look at the cows, and see if their left side is sunken in, if it is, they aren’t getting enough to eat. The place to look is below the hip bone and short ribs. Just after paddock shift – they are getting down to the business of grazing, but their sides aren’t sunken in.
Can cows eat too much hay?
If the nutrient concentration is such that it meets the cow’s requirements, cows with unlimited access to this high quality hay, will eat more than they need. Over-eating a forage will likely not hurt the cow, but will increase feed costs. Cows over-eating grains is not a good situation.
How much does it cost to feed a beef cow per day?
The estimated cost per head per day was $1.83 per beef cow, or $183 to feed 100 beef cows each day. Over the 120-day winter feeding period, feed costs totaled $220 per beef cow and $21,972 for the entire 100-head cowherd.
How much should a dairy cow eat per day?
A dairy cow will eat 1.5 to 2% of body weight daily as forage (hay equivalent). Fifteen to 20 lbs. of hay or equivalent from other forages will keep a cow’s rumen functioning normally. Feed some grain — up to 1.5% of body weight) during the last 7 to 10 days of the dry period – to lead cows into production.
Is haylage more expensive than hay?
Haylage is often considered more expensive than hay but that is in terms of fresh weight consumed. If its higher nutritional value is taken into account there is really little difference, it may even be cheaper on a total feed cost per day basis, and it has additional health and welfare benefits.
How soon can haylage be fed?
Haylage needs to ferment, so it should not be fed straight after being baled and wrapped. The amount of time it takes to ‘cure’ is variable depending on the moisture and WSC content of the grass when it was wrapped, but a good guide is 6 weeks.