What do you feed your Dairy Cow?

[Karen in Alabam]

I give Maggie a big bucket of feed when I milk her. Some Calf starter, some cotton hull (that the previous owner gave me) and some regular cow feed.

I would like her to go all natural and all grass feed if I can, but she has hay outside, so what would I give her? I am sure all this feed is Genetically modified junk.

I also don't want to go broke doing it.

[Karen in Alabam]

Also,

I looked into some bulk feed at the co-op. Their bulk feed contains Bovatech.

What are your thoughts on that?

[francismilker]

When I'm milking in a the stanchion I put out some locally mixed feed that's basically sweet feed minus the molasses. Corn, alfalfa pellets, cotton seed hulls, and wheat mids. I think it's about 12% protein and 3% fat. Works well for me at $260 per ton in bulk 1 ton bags.

[linn]

Right now we are feeding ground whole ear corn with a protein supplement along with all the hay she wants. We also furnish a free choice salt block and loose mineral.

[springvalley]

We feed all the hay they want and ground cob meal in the barn, hand fed loose (Redmond salt), and organic mineral. Check with you elevator and see if they could grind you some corn plain, or put some oats or barley or wheat with it. > Thanks Marc

[scholtefamily]

We feed only hay and I do give them molasses on top when I milk them. The farmer we got them from only gave them some molasses when he milked them.

[greenhorn]

Mine get ound bales outside and some cracked corn while being milked. They get about 2 scoops of corn and then a flake of really good alfalfa/grass hay to keep them happy while I flounder around under there The Guernsey has a Thanksgiving Day calf, so if she's not distracted with good foods she start looking for that baby which is a little scary if my legs are under her when she gets antsy. I was bringing the calf out with her, but she seems better about it now and it was a real pain in the rear! Her calf is half Guernsey, half Black Angus (that's what bull we had her for a year or so).

I've read that good quality hay is all you need but my girls love their treats! Also, a cow will follow you anywhere for a Wonder Bread bun.

[sammyd]

All the hay they can eat and I scatter two scoops of a ground oat/wheat/corn mix along with 1/4 scoop kelp and 1/4 scoop mineral in the trough for about 8 cows when they get in the parlor.
In the summer the grain goes to less than a scoop/8 cows.