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Stretching Hay Supplies
Livestock Update, October 1998
John B. Hall, Extension Animal Scientist, Beef, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech
Hay and pasture may be in short supply this winter due to the drought the last half of the summer and the poor growing conditions early this fall. As a result beef producers may need to "stretch" their hay supplies to make them last the entire winter. Since many grains and by-products are a good buy this year, hay - concentrate combinations may be cheaper than buying and feeding additional hay.
In cow rations, grains and by-products can substitute up to 50% of the hay in the diet without causing any digestive problems. At the level of 50% or less concentrate (grains and protein supplements), experience feeding high grain diets is not needed; any body can feed these diet without problems. Barley, corn, soy hulls, gluten feed and other by-products are all good choices this year due to price.
Some examples of diets for 1200 lb cows with good milking ability are given in the table below. Hay in the following table is 50% TDN and 10 % Crude protein.
| Production stage | Diet | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Cow, last trimester of pregnancy | 22 lbs hay + 5.5 lbs soy hulls or barley and free choice minera OR 5 lbs hay + 22-24 lbs of a 80% poultry litter 20 % corn mix and minerals for use with poultry litter | 65¢ /day
62¢ /day |
| Lactating cow, 1st 3 months of lactation | 17.5 lbs hay + 14.5 lbs soy hulls or barley and free choice mineral OR 16.5 lbs hay + 13.5 corn + 2.2 lbs soybean meal and free choice minera OR 5lbs hay + 24-28 lbs of a 80% poultry litter 20 % corn mix and minerals for use with poultry litter | 78¢ - 89¢ /day
$ 1.19/day 71¢ /day |
The diets in the table above are examples. Actual feed analysis of hay and by-products are needed to calculate actual feed required for a specific herd. In addition, a good estimate of cow weight is also needed. Contact you extension agent or nutritionist for exact diets for your herd.
Keeping cows in good body condition is essential for health calves and high conception rates. These limited hay diets can keep you from having problem this winter and next spring due to short hay supplies.