Winter Hay Feeding: Efficient Strategies to Avoid Mud and Maximize Fertility
go.ncsu.edu/readext?1098583
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲Winter hay feeding season is just around the corner for livestock farmers. As pasture growth slows, animals need supplemental nutrients to maintain their weight. Some farmers have a specific site they use each year to feed hay. It is often a convenient location close to where hay is stored.
Livestock production, like other types of farming, has to be efficient. Making winter feeding efficient makes sense. Traditionally, farmers use a single convenient winter feeding location.
The downside to a single winter feeding site is mud and high nutrient concentrations. When animals are confined to a small area, there will be mud. In colder climates, the ground freezes, and it is not an issue. But in Caldwell County, NC, confining animals will produce mud in a matter of weeks. A little mud is part of farming, but too much can mat the coats of cattle and make their fur insulation less effective.
The other issue with a single winter feeding site is nutrients. Hay and feed ultimately become fertilizer. A single winter feeding site confines the nutrients to where they are deposited. But what are the options?
There are two basic options for reducing mud and spreading out fertility. Moving the feeding site by feeding in different locations on the farm is one option. This is typically called unrolling hay. Most cattlemen feed round bales of hay. The bales can be unrolled, and the cattle consume the hay. Coupling this with temporary electric wire keeps the animals from lying and pooping on the hay. This is a practice that many cattlemen have utilized. The negative is that you can only put out enough hay for one day. If the weather is bad or it has been raining, you may track up the pasture carrying the hay to get it spread out.
Another option that is being tried is bale grazing. This is where 30 to 45 days’ worth of hay is placed in the pasture at one time. The farmer can select a day or time when it is dry so tractors and equipment will not damage the pasture. Once the bales are placed, they will be offered to the animals in 1- to 3-day allocations. This is done using temporary electric fence.
Hay bales set out in the pasture. They will be fed to cattle in one- to three-day allocations using temporary electric fencing to restrict the animals’ access to the entire field.
A Few Keys to Successful Bale Grazing
● Limit the amount of hay per acre. Two tons of hay per acre is a good target. This keeps the pasture from being damaged by the cattle. Damaged pastures will be slower to green up in the spring and are counterproductive to grazing.
● Provide 1 to 3 days’ worth of hay at a time. Limiting the hay to three days keeps the animals moving to fresh areas so the pasture is not damaged. Temporary fence is used to keep animals from having access to the entire field. Be sure there is a path so the animals have access to water.
● Don’t bale graze in the same field more than once. Using the pasture more than once per winter feeding season is a recipe for mud and mess. Experience has shown this will not turn out well. If you have so many animals that you have run out of pasture to bale graze, it is a sign there are too many animals.
● Don’t let animals become hungry. Keep feed before them at all times. When animals become hungry, they wander around. Extra steps in the pasture will cause more unnecessary damage to the pasture. Manage the feeding so cattle can fill their bellies, then lie down and ruminate.
Taking care of cattle and the pastures that feed them is important for efficient and profitable cattle production. Two tons of hay provides 79 pounds of nitrogen, 24 pounds of phosphorus, and 108 pounds of potash. This is equivalent to about 400 pounds of 17-17-17 fertilizer per acre.
Think of this as feeding your animals and having the pasture fertilized for free! And it doesn’t get better than free!
If you have agriculture or horticulture questions, call the Caldwell County Extension Center at 828-757-1290 or visit us online any time at //caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu.
# # #
— Seth Nagy is the Caldwell County Cooperative Extension Director.
The Caldwell County Cooperative Extension Center, 120 Hospital Ave.,
#1 in Lenoir, provides access to resources of N.C. State University
and N.C. A&T State University through educational programs and
publications.
Staff can be reached in person or online at //caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu