December 2014 Articles

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Feeding Hay: Management Considerations

Feeding Hay: Management Considerations - Winter feeding is often cited as the greatest cost associated with livestock production and hay is the primary winter feed used in most operations. Grazing is usually more economical than hay feeding so one goal should be to graze as long as possible before starting to feed hay. Whatever plans had been made for extending
grazing there will most likely be a time when hay feeding is necessary. Like other feed options, hay is an expensive commodity so plans should be formulated to utilize this feed source effectively. Some hay will always be lost during feeding but the goal should be keep this hay loss to a minimum within any hay feeding system.
The first plan for hay feeding should be to reduce waste as much as practical so hay rings or some other barrier should be used to protect fed hay. If allowed unhindered access to large round bales cattle will eat from head level up and walk on the lower portion and wastage would be excessive (reported as high as 40-50%). You should be sure the hay already fed is fairly well cleaned up before putting out other bales. Cattle will move to the newer hay and leave the remaining older hay to deteriorate. You could use cattle with lower nutritional requirements for hay clean up if possible. Amount of hay put out at any one time will also have an effect on amount of hay loss. Losses are minimized if the amount of hay that will be quickly consumed is hand fed to cattle but labor costs are high for this type feeding so is not used very often. Realize that as cattle feed on round bales the bale structure falls apart so inclement weather can cause more rapid decomposition of the hay and it may not remain
palatable over a period of several days. So feeding hay as often as realistically possible is the best option. Be sure there is enough feeding space for all cows to eat at the same time. If limited amounts of hay are put out in too few hay rings the more aggressive cattle will consume their fill and the more timid cows will not consume enough or will only have access to the
poorer quality weathered hay left over. These more timid cows will lose body condition & require more costly supplemental feeding.
Hopefully all hay has been tested and you know the quality of the hay available so cattle can be fed appropriate quality as needed. Cattle will waste more poor quality hay than higher quality hay. I recently had the opportunity to evaluate Louisiana hay samples submitted to a contest and was reminded of the capability for producing good quality hay in the state. Most of the hay submitted would provide adequate nutrition for most classes of beef brood cows without other protein or energy
supplementation. Cattle should be sorted as to nutritional requirement and appropriate hay fed to each class. If hay is stored in a barn and outside the outside stored hay should be fed first to reduce the potential for deterioration.
Another consideration is the site to be used for hay feeding. You should use a well-drained site with a firm sod cover to mini-mize mud and bogging by cattle. The site can be moved periodically but certainly avoid areas where water will stand around the hay bale. Hay feeding can also be used to improve soil nutrient status since nutrients from manure and organic matter from hay residue and manure accumulate in hay feeding areas. This can provide the opportunity for a rather unique hay feeding plan. Bales can be placed on a field with adequate spacing between each bale during periods when climatic conditions are
favorable and fenced off using temporary electric fencing. The fence can be moved as needed to allow cattle access to the
appropriate number of bales. Remember to still move hay rings around each bale as it is offered to cattle. Temporary electric fences can also be used to limit the amount of time cattle have access to hay if hay supplies are limited. The fact of nutrient accumulation around hay feeding areas also means you should avoid feeding hay in areas that have direct runoff into water bodies. Another point made during a recent meeting was hay should be fed at locations to avoid having cattle develop a worn path down a slope when going between the hay and water source.
A hay feeding program should have the goal of supplying an adequate quantity of quality hay so animals receive adequate
nutrition. A hay feeding program is more than just putting out hay bales so thought should be put into making a plan to insure cattle performance while minimizing wastage and off-site environmental impacts.—Source: M. W. Alison, Ph.D., LSU AgCenter Regional Forage Specialist