Is it better to have lots of bad hay, or not enough good hay?
Ideally, of course, producers would like to have the best of both worlds – plentiful, high-quality hay. But whether it’s preferable to have abundant hay of lesser quality depends on the price of supplements to that hay, according to University of Arkansas professor of ruminant nutrition Dr. Shane Gadberry.
“We’re going to have to make sure the cow’s daily protein and energy needs are met,” Gadberry told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. “So if we’re in a situation where we have an ample supply of low quality hay we’re going to be able to fulfill part of the nutritional needs, but we’re going to have to supplement that hay.”
If feedstock prices are cheap, he said, the producer might be better off with both low-quality hay and not enough of it. Gadberry said that’s based on research into “program feeding” high protein, high energy by-product feedstuffs to beef cows with a limited hay supply.
“In situations where you have an abundance of low quality forage and you have to supplement it, that’s going to come with the long term expense of wasted hay,” he said. “The cows aren’t going to utilize that hay as effectively, at the end of the winter feeding period you’re going to have hay reserves that, if stored outside, are just going to deteriorate.”
When calculating whether hay stocks are adequate for the winter, waste has to be taken into account. Gadberry said waste can run as high as 40 percent if hay is stored outside after harvest, and fed unprotected without being put into hay rings. On the other hand, if hay is stored in a barn or under well secured tarps and is fed in hay rings, the loss may be as low as 10 percent.
If hay supplies are inadequate, one of the most cost effective supplementation alternatives is alfalfa hay, according to University of Missouri Extension Livestock Specialist Andy McCorkill.
“Feeding somewhere in the 5 to 10 pounds per head, per day range is often enough to fill the gap between what lower quality forages provide and what the cows actually need,” McCorkill told OFN. “If it isn’t practical to feed alfalfa every day, you can double up every other day or even triple up every third day, and still be OK.”
Many producers use lick tubs or liquid feed, but McCorkill noted, “You are mostly buying convenience.”
It’s becoming more frequent for producers to have fall calving herds, and McCorkill said one of the big reasons is energy requirements. The beef cow’s highest nutritional requirements come from late gestation through the first 60 days of lactation, and with fall calvers that generally falls in the September through November time frame, when there is still standing forage available. That reduces the need to supplement with additional protein and energy sources.
“With the use of stockpiled fescue pasture for winter grazing, in some instances the cow herd can be grazing almost up until weaning time,” he said.
McCorkill said he generally recommends that producers get their hay tested.
“At $20 to $30 per sample, it could be one of the cheapest investments you make on the farm and can pay back with big dividends,” he said. “If they aren’t getting fed what they need they are going to be stressed, which can lead to health issues, breed back issues and reduced milk production.”
Gadberry offered an additional tip to producers.
“The most common misconception about a 4-by-5 round bale is its weight,” he said. “When we have surveyed cattle producers, the most common answer is a 4-by-5 bale is expected to weigh 1,000 pounds. The 4-by-5 bales that we have weighed over time average closer to 750 pounds, so there’s a 250-pound difference.”
