Drought is a normal part of the livestock production cycle. Dealing with dry periods and decreased feed supplies should be part of an overall management plan. The time to be making a decision on this is not when all of the hay is gone.
To add insult to injury, this year has also seen commodity prices reach the highest it has ever been. Basic inputs like grain, fertilizer, and even fuel are getting terribly expensive. What makes it even scarier is that these prices do not appear to be going down anytime soon.
When forages seem to be gone, you may need to use hay substitutes in order to remain profitable. Picking which to go with can be a bit of a head-scratcher since there seems to be a ton of information out there. It can be difficult to pick which is right and which is, basically, nonsense. Here are some things that you may need to consider when looking at substituting your hay.
Why use hay alternatives
As with most of the country, it has been very dry for an extended period of time. According to Texas AgriLife Extension, because of the drought and high fertilizer prices, this year’s hay season looks bleak. The quantity and quality have gone down while the overall price has gone up this year.
This can be bad because with forages not growing that well, hay will be needed more than ever. Typically beef producers depend on hay as the primary feed ingredient for their winter feeding programs. Without this valuable ingredient, overall production can suffer.
Most producers will supplement using grains to fill in the gaps, but this year that will be difficult. Because of a lack of production and high fuel prices, the prices for many grains have skyrocketed. It seems this year is intent on making things as difficult as possible.
With hay, along with grains, getting expensive or virtually nonexistent, it is important to make what you do have as efficient as possible. Now is not the time to waste anything that you have. Things like making sure every bit of hay is used to can add up in the long run. If you are interested in learning some ways to reduce your overall feed costs, then check out my previous post, “Some simple ways to reduce your feed costs”.
Considerations with hay alternatives
As with any choice, you must consider all costs when buying, including fuel. Just the cost of shipping it can make any alternative too expensive with today’s prices. It is important to look for locally sourced options.
When shopping around, keep an eye on local hay prices and availability. At the onset of drought, hay prices often increase and may become scarce. If you produce high-quality hay, it may be more economical for you to use an alternative and sell the hay that you have.
If you are using hay that was made during a drought, it will be important for you to have it tested for nitrates and for prussic acid. They are developed in the forages during times of stress, like drought, and can be deadly to cattle. Forages such as sorghum and annual forages typically contain nitrates and prussic acid. It is possible to dilute these with other feedstuffs up to a threshold for consumption.
Some more considerations for alternative feeding
- Supplement low-quality feeds correctly
- Analyze forages and feed precisely
- Make every effort to reduce feed losses
- Feed the highest quality feeds to animals that have the higher feed requirements.
- Feed the lower-quality roughage to cows in the middle-third stage of pregnancy.
- Save the better quality for periods before and after calving
Take management considerations into account when switching to concentrates. Substitute 1lb of grain for 3 lbs of grass hay. When feeding, grains do not exceed 0.4% of body weight when forage is the major component of the diet. There are ways to more practically feed grains in range conditions like barrels, bunks, or even gated pipes split in half.
Alternative hay choices
There are a variety of options that you can go with to replace hay. It really all depends on what is available in your particular area. When using an alternative, a calcium-phosphorus mineral mixture with salt should always be available to cows. It may also be necessary to supplement Vitamin A in some cases.
Some alternative choices
- Cottonseed Hulls: low in protein (3.5% CP) but equal in energy to late-cut grass hay. They should be fed with 2-3lbs of 30-40% all-natural protein supplement and minerals.
- Soybean hulls: they have a crude protein in the 10-16% range. They can be fed without additional forage; however, the digestible energy increases when fed with hay in a 2-to-1 ratio.
- Wheat Middlings: these are a good source of protein (18%) and energy. It is best to mix at least 5 lbs of forage with this, though.
- Corn gluten feed: A by-product of corn wet milling, it can be found either wet or dry. It is high in protein (25%) and should be fed at a rate of 0.5% of body weight.
Nutritional analysis is crucial when picking a feedstuff. This will let you know what is being provided and what you will need to add.
As you saw in the list, you may need to mix some hay in to get all of your cattle’s needs. Roughage is necessary to maintain the function of the rumen at a minimal level. Generally, cows should get at least 0.5% of their body weight as roughage and 90% dry matter basis. To give you some context, this means that a 1.200-lb cow should receive at least 6 lbs of roughage a day.
Now I will warn you that this is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Cattle and feed prices will fluctuate, so it is important to keep an eye on them to stay profitable.
Plan ahead for forages.
Having forage growing is always a premium in the cattle industry. Compared to other feed options, it has the lowest cost and is relatively the most efficient. To get the most return, it is vital that you start planning now.
It is possible to fill the void in spring forages by using small grains such as cereal rye, triticale, or oats. When planning for next year, you need to plant these varieties in August or September to have forage next spring. These are capable of building up nitrates if stressed, so if in that condition should have them tested for nitrates.
Along with your usual warm-season annuals, sorghum-sudan is a good choice for summer grazing. This plant uses less water than corn and can produce enough for 2-3 cuttings or grazing rotations. It is susceptible to prussic acid, so may need to have it tested.
In June, you can plant winter varieties such as rye or wheat. Winter wheat is a really popular choice where I live here in West Texas. You should do your own research to find what works best for your area and soil type.
