Maintaining Cattle Health With Hay Over Winter

When is the right time to cut hay?

Hay should be cut when the plant or forage still has plenty of nutrients available within its content. Cutting the grass after the plant is mature can cause a lack of nutrient build up leading to less efficient hay for production of cattle health and weight. Another key thing to watch for when cutting hay at the proper time is the moisture content. When hay is bailed at too high of a moisture content, it can cause the hay to mold throughout, which can not only lead to sickness in cattle, but can also create a spontaneous combustion within the bale if the mold is able to heat up. Hay should help lower profit loss, not create it with loss of product or loss of weight on cattle. Mature grass hays typically have 45-50% total digestible nutrients. Although your yield of hay may be larger if you wait until the plant is fully mature, you lose some of the nutrients causing you to feed more to produce the same effect.

How do you properly cure hay?

Hay must be properly dried before it is baled to avoid chances of mold within the bales leading to fires as mentioned previously. If you bale hay when the plant is too dry, it will cause you to lose some of your leaves when they break due to the baling process. Typically plants contain anywhere from a 50-60% moisture content. It is best practice to allow this level to decrease by 40% before any attempt to bale is made.

What is the correct way to store hay to prevent weather damage?

It is best practice to net-wrap any bales of hay that you have and line them up in a vertical line with centers of each bale touching each other to allow the water to run off the bales avoiding any mold issues. Laying tarp over your stacks of hay is another responsible practice to avoid damage to the feed. It's also a good idea to tarp anything that is string baled as there is less protection from the elements as there is with net-wrapped hay. When available all hay should be stored in a barn or a covered area, net-wrapped and tarp covered for the least amount of chance for weather damage.

Is hay a sufficient source of nutrients for cattle?

There are many types of hay that each have their own nutritional value to cattle. Alfalfa hay is high in protein. This type of hay is a good source of nutrients for calves, yearlings, lactating and pregnant cows for the increase of protein. However, this should be mixed with other grasses as too much protein content can cause bloating in cattle which can be dangerous if too much bloating occurs. For beef cattle it is best to feed this combination of alfalfa and grass to meet their nutritional needs. Hay during winter season should be in combination of a supplemental nutrition such as cubes and mineral to maintain cattle longevity and growth.

How much hay should you keep on hand for maintaining cattle health in winter season?

The first step in determining the amount of hay you should be cutting and baling to maintain your herd for the winter is getting a firm estimation of your cattle's daily intake of forage. Estimates should be based on average body weights of cattle, number of head and for how many days they need to be fed, and take into consideration any lactating cattle as that will cause an increase in feed needs. Ohio State University believes that the average beef cattle should consume 1-3% dry matter intake as their body weight. This is a good starting point, but it is imperative that a rancher gets to know his herds individually to best estimate the amount of hay he will need for the winter season. Cattle that have not reached maturity will also each a larger percentage than a fully grown cow or bull.

Cattlemen who do not have the access of equipment or the ability due to land restrictions to cut their own hay, should buy from a experienced source with quality hay. Purchasing hay in bulk is usually the most cost effective choice when purchasing hay for winter seasons.