Hay is a very important part of any winter feeding program. It is used to supplement cattle’s nutritional needs when forages become dormant. However, when it comes to feeding harvested forages you need to know what you have in order to know what to feed.
When it comes to hay, as with any other feed, quality is important. You must know what is being provided in order to know what needs to be supplemented. Along with that, the overall quality will dictate just how much you will need to provide in order to do the job. With lower quality, you will need to provide more thus making it more expensive.
The key is to be as efficient as possible here. You will need to find that delicate balance between better quality and lower price. On top of that with the conditions that we have experienced this past year finding high-quality hay can be a little difficult.
Understand the cow’s needs
Before you can start figuring out the amount needed you must first understand what you are feeding for. Knowing what stage of production your cows are in is the 1st step in this process. As you can figure a mature dry cow will need less than one in gestation. In fact. late gestation sees the largest increase in her nutritional demand. This can create problems if you have spring-calving cows since this increase happens when most forages are at their lowest.
The weather can also play a factor in their needs as well. Ruminants such as cattle use the rumen activity from digesting forages to maintain their body temperature. So as the temperature drops below a certain point their energy needs go up in order to compensate. According to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for every degree below 32, there is an increase on average of 1% in the hay to meet this demand.
The time that the cow will have her calf will determine her needs. in fall-calving cows, the protein and energy requirements for lactation and maintenance are typically not met by warm-season forages. This can affect her body condition score because she will often place maintenance last in what she uses energy for. Of these two protein is often the nutrient that is most lacking in dormant forages.
Have your hay tested
Before you can make any decisions on what you need to supplement you first need to know what is there. A forage analysis is important to both cost-effectiveness and efficient use of hay, The quality can differ from year to year due to the stage of maturity at cutting and growing conditions. A real understanding of nutrient value comes from accurate sampling procedures and thorough analysis at the lab.
Any samples must accurately represent an entire lot of hay. A “lot” of hay consists of forages harvested from one field in a 48-hour period. This means that each lot should be uniform in the forages that it represents. The type of plants, and the number of weeds. where and when it was cut, and how it was stored should all be consistent in that lot. If there are differences in these conditions then separate samples will need to be taken.
How to test
The samples that you will be taking should be done with either a core sampler or a hay probe. When you are taking the sample the probe should penetrate at least 12-18 inches. The sample should also be no bigger than 3/8-in in diameter when taken. It is recommended that you take no less than 10 samples or cores from each lot. Large round bales should be sampled by pushing the probe straight in at the center of the curve of the bale. That will give you an accurate sample of the entire windrow rather than a single point.
Once you have the samples taken make sure to store them correctly. Place the samples in a freezer bag and seal them tightly so the lab can determine a similar dry matter concentration. Freeze any samples containing more than 15% moisture until shipping. Be sure to fill out all of the information correctly along with what you are testing for.
It is important to test any hay source for moisture, protein, and energy. A correct formulation of any supplement requires this information. It may also be a good idea to have it tested for what minerals it provides. With the drought conditions, we have had it is not a bad idea to also have it tested for potential nitrate toxicity. Knowing that will tell you if it is safe to use or if you will need to mix it with anything to offset the nitrates.
How much hay do you need?
Now that we know what is being provided, let’s determine how much we need. There are a variety of factors that influence how much a cow will need. Body weight, stage of production weather, and quality will all play a factor. Write down how much and what kind of livestock will be fed this winter ( mature cows, bulls, heifers, etc.). Generally speaking, each animal should require 2.5% of its body weight in dry matter each day.
An example of this:
- 175 mature cows X 1,350lbs X 0.025 = 5,906lbs of dry matter per day.
The amount that we just figured is on a per-day basis so now let’s look at the total. A producer typically will feed for 210 days during the year. This means that the producer will need 124,026lbs or 63 tons during this time. If the bale weighs 1,400lbs each and has 88% dry matter that means it will provide 1,232lbs of dry matter. Using our above example that means the producer will need close to 100 bales.
Include the losses too
The amount of hay needed should also take into account other factors. It is also important to include storage and feeding losses. By doing so, we will be able to determine an accurate number.
Depending on how you store your hay, you will lose more or less because of the weather. When storing them outside dry matter losses can be anywhere from 20% or more. Storing them inside losses can decrease to around 7%. If you are looking for ways to store hay better I cover that in a previous article “5 tips for proper hay storage”.
The amount that you lose to feeding can vary depending on the system used. If you feed in bunks waste can be as low as 3-14%. Rolling bales on the ground can result in 45% losses due to trampling and other factors. The type of hay ring can also affect loss from 3.3- 14.2%. Reducing losses may not seem like much but if you can reduce loss by 25% with hay costing $120 per ton that means a savings of $30 per ton.
So for this example let’s assume that we have an average loss of 15%. Using the example that we have above that means you will need an additional 15 bales (100 bales X 1.15).
Quality of hay is key
As I mentioned a couple of times the overall quality of the hay will matter. The simple difference of 9% CP or 7% CP can make all of the difference. A 1,300lbs spring-calving cow in her 3rd trimester will need 1,5lbs of CP to meet her protein needs. If everything worked in your favor divide 1.6lbbs of required CP by .09 which means that the cow will need to consume 17.8lbs of DM to meet her protein needs.
If the hay tests at 7% CP the amount needed to feed goes up to 22.9lbs of DM hay. Now, this increase of 5lbs may not seem like much but if you have a large herd it can really add up. With 94 cows, that’s a daily difference of 470lbs of dry matter. When feeding for any length of time the extra amount can really add up.
