# Winter Hay Considerations



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Drovers.

Regards, Mike

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/advice-and-tips/stockerpasturerangeland/winter-hay-considerations


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I believe I am more efficient feeding twice a day. Before buying a used Hay Buster, I unrolled the hay. I feed a roll in the morning and make them clean it up before feeding another. If I feed 2 rolls at once, they fill up and nap on the rest.

I have a friend who puts out 4 rolls at a time. He does not unroll or use hay rings. He does this every three days. He probably has 50% waste.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

For feeder calves hay rings work for me. I move them every 2-4 bales and whats left is usually only good for bedding. I think i'm getting about 90% feed use. For cows i roll them out, always on a new strip until it snows a foot then back over the same area if needed.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I feed my calves through a creep panel going into a pen. Calves, wet and weaned, get better hay than the adult cows.

The roll I put in the creep pen is fed a way I learned on Hay Talk. I stand the roll up, cut the net in one place, pull it down some and use the net wrap as a hay ring. When they finish I pick up the net and put in a new roll.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

Tim I like creep panels to. I calve late summer and by the time I start feeding cows the calves want fed but are crowded back by the cows. Right now I feed my best hay and a little silage to the calves. They are really after it and doing much better than if they were competing with there mothers. About late February I will start giving them a little hand fed oats. Then in a few days I will shut the gates and they will be weaned in that corral right next to there mothers. I tried creep feed and cream feeders but they were way to expensive. I love the creep panel and practical feeds.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Waterway64 said:


> Tim I like creep panels to. I calve late summer and by the time I start feeding cows the calves want fed but are crowded back by the cows. Right now I feed my best hay and a little silage to the calves. They are really after it and doing much better than if they were competing with there mothers. About late February I will start giving them a little hand fed oats. Then in a few days I will shut the gates and they will be weaned in that corral right next to there mothers. I tried creep feed and cream feeders but they were way to expensive. I love the creep panel and practical feeds.


I agree. I never thought about how much hay calves really ate until watching them eat in their own private section. Sometimes they just go in the pen and rest. They see the pen as a safe place. Like you, I close the creep panel and have them caught for tagging or vaccinations.

I put beef pellets in a trough. The older calves teach the younger ones how to eat feed. No butting and pushing from grown cows.

I call my creep section "calf kindergarden".


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Do either of you have pictures of your creeper hay feeding setups? Sound intriguing. Maybe something to add someday here.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I don't but will try to post some tomarrow.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Thank you.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I have pictures of the creep panel. I will take some of the set up. I hate to show pictures now because it is muddy. Not that I am complaining about mud. It was a dust bowl here all summer.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I don't know how to post pictures here. I have them on my iPhone but I don't see how to get them from my gallery to here. 
Tim mud won't be a problem until it warms up here!


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The first picture is on the entrance gate, creep panel beside it.

The second picture is of the creep panel. The height bar is adjustable.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The next picture is of some calves in their pen.

The second picture is of a roll of hay with the net pulled down.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The next picture is part of the big pen. I have some first calf heifers up away from their calves, trying to get some weight on them. They had a hard time raising calves on hay all summer. Dewormed and beginning to put on some weight.

The Jersey nurse cow calved and I am milking her. One quarter is not clearing up as fast as the rest.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Waterway64 said:


> I don't know how to post pictures here. I have them on my iPhone but I don't see how to get them from my gallery to here.
> Tim mud won't be a problem until it warms up here!


I email them from my phone to myself to get the pictures to the computer.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I creep feef the calves too better hay till I wean them. When they are in the creep pen at weaning time I just chase what ever is there into my weaned pen. Sometimes have to do this a few times till I get everything. But I dont have to run the herd in and sort cows and calves. Plus the calves are eating the same diet afterwards. So no added stress getting them used to a new food. Works good.


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

Tim/South said:


> I believe I am more efficient feeding twice a day. Before buying a used Hay Buster, I unrolled the hay. I feed a roll in the morning and make them clean it up before feeding another. If I feed 2 rolls at once, they fill up and nap on the rest.
> 
> I have a friend who puts out 4 rolls at a time. He does not unroll or use hay rings. He does this every three days. He probably has 50% waste.


I have sheep but this has been my experience as well. It sucks to unroll and put in the mangers, BUT it really stretches the hay. This year, according to my winter feed spreadsheet, I should just squeeze through the winter.

We had a really horrible drought this year and so everyone was scrambling for hay. We don't have equipment and the guy who did my 1st crop never showed up. My wife was asking everyone she could to hay it for us and found someone...who promptly stole all my second crop.

It was silly on his part. I have fields coming off fallow this year and he could have had more acreage. I hope he needed them, he'll never step foot on this farm again. I hate a thief.


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

How did he get the hay, cut it without ya knowing or ???


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