who knows how much they eat?

[lonelyfarmgirl]

on a grass-fed only diet, how much hay does one cow or steer eat on average? say how long would it take one grown animal to eat a round bale, if that is all they are getting?

or rephrased, how much hay will one head eat in one year if that is their sole ration?

[sassafras manor]

Based on our experience last season a large round bale fed 3 large feeder calves and 2 goats for 3 1/2-4 weeks thruoughout the winter.

[Karin L]

The main rule of thumb is one cow will eat ~2% to 4% of her body weight. So, depending on the individual animal, a 1100 lb dry pregnant cow will eat ~20 lbs, As-Fed, per day. A good way to average out how much feed to feed an animal that is not 1100 lbs, is to feed a minimum of 2 to 4 lbs per 100 lbs per day. This is also as-fed.

However, one cow does not eat the same amount as another. Some may eat more, some less, so it's better to have a ball-park figure rather than an exact amount. Cows will also eat more hay if it's just grass than if it is a legume-grass-mix hay, and will eat less legume-only hay in comparison with grass-only hay. The best hay to feed to cows is a legume-grass mix.

[topside1]

The best I can recall is 7% of body weight. So a 1000 pounder will need 70 pounds per day into the stomach. Waste is your choice, it depends on your feeding plan and design. So just generally speaking one 4x5 round bale in idea feeding conditions should last you 14 days. Other factors to consider is climate, quality of hay, here in Tennessee I can feed a 4x5 for 21 plus day...Topside

[francismilker]

I agree with topside1. I will say however that you will need to feed some pretty palatable hay in order to keep the waste down. It's hard to utilize a round bale when feeding it outside and to only one critter unless it's covered or unrolled a little at a time.

[anvoj]

Also bear in mind the temperature. There's a formula I saw somewhere for X degrees below zero = X percentage additional pound of feed per pound of animal - but I don't recall what that formula is.
I don't know where you are in cheese country, but if you're having a cold February and it's -20 or -30 without the wind chill, you can expect your herd to roughly double their intake. They have to eat to keep warm.

[randiliana]

It is 2-3% of a animals body weight. We feed cattle on a limit fed ration all winter, we figure 30-35 lbs per day/cow. You can certainly feed them more, but unless it is exceptionally cold, they won't eat a whole lot more than 30-40 lbs.

[Karin L]

Topside: Where in the heck did you get 7% of bodyweight from?? All the sources that I've found, not to mention from personal experience with the stockers we hadn, is what me and randi wrote, which is around 2% to 4% of bodyweight. For instance, one 2000 lb large round bale lasts ~3 weeks feeding 3 x 800 lb calves in the wintertime. As far as my calculations are concerned (2000lbs/ 21 days = 95.2 lbs/day; 95.2lbs/day /3 animals = 31.7 lbs/day/animal; 31.7/800 lbs = 0.039 = 3.9%), those calves only ate ~4% of their body weight, not 7%. I'd like to know where you got that 7% from.

[topside1]

My first sentence says "the best I can recall". Remember the old saying a square bale a day? Most bales weigh between 60-70 pounds each.

[topside1]

If I was the original poster, I'd read what is written then verify all opinions...Last time I checked our advice was free....Also I'd rather have to much hay then to run out in the middle of March...

[topside1]

Believe, this is the answer your looking for: Quality of hay, feeding location, climate all play major roles in how much hay to buy. For example with one cow and the round bale set in an open field setting will end up wasting nearly half the round. ----, poo, sleeping on it, rain, half will end up muddy or rotten...Buy enough is all I can say, if you don't need it all then feed it out the following year......

Dairy cows that are lactating (producing milk) eat approximately 50 pounds of dry matter per day. Converting this to as fed weight of the feed depends on the moisture content of the feedstuffs used. Assuming 50% moisture it would be approximately 100 pounds of feed that a cow would eat per day. She would also consume roughly 50 gallons of water every day while she is lactating.

For beef cows, it depends on the breed and phase of life. However, they will eat primarily between 2 to 5 % of their body weight. A cow will eat more if she is lactating and has a calf to feed, but a little less if she is dry and at her second and last trimester. A bull will eat more than a cow, particularly a mature bull.

[francismilker]

Originally Posted by topside1

If I was the original poster, I'd read what is written then verify all opinions...Last time I checked our advice was free....Also I'd rather have to much hay then to run out in the middle of March...

Amen to that!

[Trisha in WA]

Originally Posted by topside1

My first sentence says "the best I can recall". Remember the old saying a square bale a day? Most bales weigh between 60-70 pounds each.

That's what I figure and it works out about right.
Round bales end up with far more waste in my experience...especially with only one animal feeding on it...even if it is under cover. Cows are the worst when it comes to pulling it apart them soiling it. Horses (in my experience) aren't quite as bad, but still lots of waste.
We finally went to feeding portions off the round bale twice a day and that made a huge difference in how much was wasted....almost none. But it was far more labor intensive than just buying small square bales. So, we only did that when the price was significantly better on the rounds.
Trisha

[topside1]

Also remember to ask the seller the estimated weight of his bales. I'll tell you it varies greatly, hay quality and the equipment used to bale can make all the difference. A 4 x 5 bale of fescue will weigh far less than a 4 x 5 of timothy, clover, & orchard grass. Stick with 7% and you won't be sorry......I'm done....Topside

[lonelyfarmgirl]

wow! ask a simple question, cant get a simple answer.
we have roughly 60 head right now of varying ages.
yes some eat more, some eat less.
this is the first year we have had to buy hay, and I am trying to figure out if it is worth it or not, as if are we going to make a profit buying hay. If so and its a 'worth it' amount, we may increase our stock numbers next year, and just buy in more hay. if it isn't, we wont. I have never tried to figure out the profit margin before, since we never bought hay before.

there is also the issue of raising our own. would it be better to buy in a 500$ feeder steer, or feed the cow a year to get a baby? then if she loses it, which happens, we have to feed her another year. Is that worth it?

I know what hay costs, and I know what it costs us to make it, so how much does it costs (hay wise) to feed an average cow/steer/whatever for one year?

thats what I was getting at.

[randiliana]

Figure on 2.5% of the animal's body weight. A 1000lb cow will eat approx 25 lbs, a 1500 lb cow will eat approx 37 lbs.

[lonelyfarmgirl]

a day?

[randiliana]

Sorry, yes, 2.5% of their body weight a day.

[Karin L]

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

wow! ask a simple question, cant get a simple answer.
we have roughly 60 head right now of varying ages.
yes some eat more, some eat less.
this is the first year we have had to buy hay, and I am trying to figure out if it is worth it or not, as if are we going to make a profit buying hay. If so and its a 'worth it' amount, we may increase our stock numbers next year, and just buy in more hay. if it isn't, we wont. I have never tried to figure out the profit margin before, since we never bought hay before.

The way I see it is that the only profit you can get from buying hay this year is if you sell all your cattle and start all over again. Buying hay is a cost, which will decrease your profit margin. There are also other costs that must be taken into account, like fuel for the tractor, vet bills, time spent on the tractor (and other things that are included with "unpaid labour), water source maintenance, etc. that all add up. You mentioned below that you know the costs, so why not put them together and calculate the profit margins yourself. All it is is just subtracting your costs to your profits to get your gross revenue.

there is also the issue of raising our own. would it be better to buy in a 500$ feeder steer, or feed the cow a year to get a baby? then if she loses it, which happens, we have to feed her another year. Is that worth it?

Technically it's better to keep cows for several years that raise calves because you have profit made by selling the calf each year. If she loses it, she should be culled, as it is extra cost to feed a cow that doesn't add to anything to the operation except take up feed.

With stockers, you have to buy the calves, vaccinate them when you get them and possibly treat those that may come down with shipping fever (which is common with all weaner calves that come off the truck), feed them, then sell them the next year. You'll make a little less money on stockers than you would with cow-calf.

I know what hay costs, and I know what it costs us to make it, so how much does it costs (hay wise) to feed an average cow/steer/whatever for one year?

thats what I was getting at.

If you know your costs and all, you yourself have to ask that question and do the calculations yourself. Basically once you get the average rate of intake per day per head you can do the calculations yourself. Like I said before, I am with Randi: the average rate of intake for all cattle is an average of 2.5% of bodyweight per day.

[topside1]

Good grief I thought the poster was a hobby farmer with one or two head. If your trying to make money (60 head), run with 2.5 % Good luck.