After a summertime drought , winter - eatage management can be unmanageable for Fannie Merritt Farmer who keep livestock , but some foresight and planning can assist eliminate a forage dearth . unluckily , there are no bum , easy locating for kick producer who have shortsighted pastures and special hay supplies . to maximize herd health and minimise long - condition economical outcome , you should educate a programme for wintertime feed long before the last blade of pot or Basle of hay disappear . In the meantime , there are dance step you may take to manage supplies in the month ahead .
As you implement your winter alimentation program , go forward to pay closelipped attention to your kine ’ body stipulation scores , pee accommodation as postulate to see to it optimum herd health .
If you have n’t already , take time to have pasturage analyzed for nutrient profiles so as to determine supplemental provender need . Obtain representative samples from each field and harvest appointment and have a certified foraging - examination lab analyze them . receive a lab in your area by meet your local concerted - extension phone office or theNational Forage Testing Association(402 - 466 - 7677 ) . A basic psychoanalysis will tell you the amount of dry issue , energy , crude protein ( adjust for warmth equipment casualty ) , neutral detergent fibre , Ca , phosphorous , K and atomic number 12 . From this profile , a safe dieting can be formulated to play your ruck ’s needs in a price - in effect manner .
We also recommend conduct an inventory of hay and other feed resource . For planning purposes , usurp that a moo-cow will waste , at minimum , about 2.5 percent of its consistence weight in average - quality hay per day on a dry matter ( DM ) basis , but when waste material is factored in , about 3 pct of the moo-cow ’s body weight unit will melt from inventory . Hay store outdoors has about 20 - percent wastage ( i.e. , a waste factor of 1.2 ) ; hay salt away indoors has about 7 percent ( or 1.07 WF ) . A series of formulas can serve you approximate winter - forage needs for your herd . This lesson is ground on a herd of 15 Bos taurus with an average cow weight of 1,250 quid and a feeding period of 150 mean solar day , where 1,200 - Ezra Loomis Pound hay Basel are stored out of doors .
To calculate DM disappearance per moo-cow per day :
Average Weight(1,250 pounds)x Percent Weight Consumed(.025)x Waste Factor(1.2)= Pounds of Hay DM Disappearance Per Cow , Per Day(37.5 pounds )
To determine per - cow DM needs for the given alimentation flow :
DM Disappearance(37.5 pounds)x Feed Period(150 days)= Amount of Hay DM Per Day(5,625 pounds )
Bales stored indoors typically contain 88 percent DM , while bales hive away outdoors typically contain about 80 percentage DM . juiceless matter content also depends on where hay was harvested , as well as on climatical conditions where the ruck is maintained . Forage testing will succumb this information .
To aim each bale ’s DM weighting :
Bale Weight(1,200 pounds)x Percent DM(0.8)= Amount of Hay DM Per Bale(960 pounds )
To count on per - cow hay needs :
DM Needs Per Cow(5,625 pounds)÷ Hay DM Per Bale(960 pounds)= Bales Per moo-cow for the Feeding Period(5.9 Bale )
To calculate ruck hay postulate for the eating period :
Hay Needs Per Cow(5.9 bales)x figure of Cows(15)= Bales of Hay Needed for the Winter Feeding Period(88.5 bales )
If your estimation reveals that you ’ll come up short in meeting your ruck ’s nutritional needs , consider stretching supplies with alternative feeds , such as crop residuum . Although these are n’t lineal replacement for high - quality hay or pasture , when decent supplemented , they can meet nutritionary requirement .
Decrease waste and heighten ruck wellness by implement an appropriate eating system for grass and supplemental feeds . Feeding hay on the background will leave in high losses and waste of these scarce resources ; it can also have negative wellness force . utilize a hay - prey rack to salt away pasturage and influence inspiration , and select a well - designed portable mineral feeder with a roof to protect it from wet .
you may also limit hay access prison term to stretch grass supplies . Several study from Purdue have shown that beef producers can extend their provision of moderate - tone , orchardgrass - Medicago sativa hay by confine access to orotund bales to six to eight hours per twenty-four hours without significantly impacting cows ’ weights or body condition oodles . entire hay DM disappearance was reduced by 17.6 percent when cow had access to hay for eight hours per day versus 24 hours per mean solar day . When limiting access time , verify all cattle have adequate and coinciding access and that nutrient are supplemented as require based on a forage analysis . Additionally , when cows are limit - fed , it ’s crucial to pull in that free - choice phthisis of a vitamin - mineral admixture can outgo the desire daily level , and it might be necessary to tot extra common salt as an intake clipper to achieve the desired level of mineral intake .
This article first appear in the January / February 2013 issue ofHobby Farms .
