There are many questions to answer when deciding to own cows. What to feed, how much to feed, and how to feed them should be among the very first that come to mind.
Of course, the first method of feeding that most people would think of would be to have the cows simply graze on grass. It is a simple and obvious solution! However, this assumption takes two things for granted: 1. Ample pastureland is available for the number of cows kept and 2. Enough grass of suitable quality is produced to sustain the cows on a long term basis. Cows eat a lot, grass doesn’t grow year round, and grass quality will vary over time. How do farmers solve this problem? There are several types of feed and methods of distribution to consider so farmers will make their choice depending on capability, soil condition, and their goals. For us right now, capability is our biggest factor. We’re just starting out so we don’t own enough land to grow our own feed. Even if we did, we don’t own our own equipment so we couldn’t plant, grow, or harvest the feed we need for our cows. Fortunately, my parents own a farm nearby so we are able to buy hay from them and borrow equipment to handle it when we need to.
Hay
Hay is defined as “grass that is cut and dried and used as animal food”. Farmers grow a large variety of grass to make hay that can be classified into three basic types: grass hay, legume hay, and mixed. Hay is typically cut, dried, and baled. Bales are made into several diffent sizes and shape. Small square bales are typically 18″x20″x36″ while large ones are roughly 32″x48″x72″. There are also balers that make round bales. These are typically 6′ wide and 60″-72″ diameter. Of course the sizes can be changed by adjusting the settings of the baler being used. The bales are then picked and moved to a separate area where they’ll be stacked and protected from weather, either by wrapping with a tarp or placing it in a shed, for long term storage.
How to Feed Hay
Feeding hay can be done in several ways. There are large bale feeders that you can place into the pen that will hold an entire round bale. You just unwrap the bale, put it in the feeder, and the cattle can pick at it as they like. Round bales can be unrolled on the ground for the cattle to graze on. Bale shredders are also used to shred the bale and deposit the hay in feed bunkers or on the ground. We have a small shed that we store our hay in. We use either small squares or round bales and a large tub that we fill by hand twice a day to feed the 6 head of cattle we have on our small farm.
Fermented Feed
Fermented Feed comes in two types: Haylage and Silage.
Haylage
Haylage is made from the same plants used to make hay. It is also harvested in much the same way. The key difference is that haylage is not left to dry after being cut. It is baled while the plants are still wet then the bales are encased in plastic to exclude oxygen and enable the fermentation process. Examples of methods of encasements include: bags, wraps, or tubes.
Silage
Silage differs from haylage in that it is made from grains like corn, barley, wheat, or oats. The plants are cut before they fully ripen but after the grains have matured. Then the windrows are picked up and the plants are chopped into tiny pieces and blown into either a wagon or truck for transport. For storage, the silage can be packed into a large pile and then covered with a tarp or stored in a large bin called a silo. Like haylage, silage is sealed off from oxygen to enable the fermentation process.
Feeding
The most common way of feeding fermented feed involves the use of a tractor and a feed mixer wagon. The feed is placed into the wagon either alone or with other additives. Then the tractor engages its PTO (Power Take Off) to activate the wagon, which mixes and stirs the feed. Once adequately mixed, the tractor drives the wagon along an alleyway or to feed bunks and deposits the feed.
This concludes our brief overview of different types and methods of feeding cows.
