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North Central MN. Wolf Lake | My brother has lots of dairy quality baleage to use up. He wants to buy a bunch of feeder cattle and feed for three months. On pasture with good wind protection and water.
What would be the best weight to buy?
Thanks Lanny
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Ne Nebraska | Grazing Pasture in Minnesota in winter? What other feed sources are available? I’d be looking into some lighter 5wt calves. The smaller the calf the higher protein requirement is, but they can’t eat a lot per day either. How much is a lot of balage? 100 bales? 1000 bales? Even if you fed 10lbs as fed a day it would take 200 calves to eat one bale a day of it assuming it’s a 2000lb bale. Would also need some grass/crp type hay and lil bit of corn to go with it ideally. |
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North Central MN. Wolf Lake | Thanks for the input.
He has at least 900, 1200 lbs dry matter bales. 160 to 200 rfq. Protein is 19 to 23.
Also has 3000 bales ranging from crp to dairy quality that he doesn't need to feed but can.
Hay sales are slow so looking to feed hay.
Currently no other feed stuffs on hand. |
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Ne Nebraska | Ideally contact a nutritionist to figure a ration, tell them what ingredients you want to maximize and what else is available. If you have a feed store you buy mineral or other products from they would probably be glad to help out as most should have a company nutritionist they can reach out to. |
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Central Saskatchewan Canada | cornncows - 1/2/2025 20:07
Grazing Pasture in Minnesota in winter? What other feed sources are available? I’d be looking into some lighter 5wt calves. The smaller the calf the higher protein requirement is, but they can’t eat a lot per day either. How much is a lot of balage? 100 bales? 1000 bales? Even if you fed 10lbs as fed a day it would take 200 calves to eat one bale a day of it assuming it’s a 2000lb bale. Would also need some grass/crp type hay and lil bit of corn to go with it ideally.
He’s feeding the calves baleage not grazing pasture. He’s feeding them out on pasture. Gonna need a lot more than 10 pounds as fed. |
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North Central MN. Wolf Lake | Correct, the goal is to get rid of hay. |
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NC KS | Need to mix those hay sources and grind them somehow or use a tmr mixer. I will let a more experienced cattleman take from here.
A little mineral and salt plus your hay will get decent gains. Add a little corn and or wet distillers to get good gains.
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NEMO | Get ahold of Great Plains Nutrition. They have a good rep in your area. They will test your feedstuffs and tailor make rations around whatever you have, and whatever you will feed it to. Anything else is guessing |
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Ne Nebraska | johndeere1 - 1/2/2025 20:33
cornncows - 1/2/2025 20:07
Grazing Pasture in Minnesota in winter? What other feed sources are available? I’d be looking into some lighter 5wt calves. The smaller the calf the higher protein requirement is, but they can’t eat a lot per day either. How much is a lot of balage? 100 bales? 1000 bales? Even if you fed 10lbs as fed a day it would take 200 calves to eat one bale a day of it assuming it’s a 2000lb bale. Would also need some grass/crp type hay and lil bit of corn to go with it ideally.
He’s feeding the calves baleage not grazing pasture. He’s feeding them out on pasture. Gonna need a lot more than 10 pounds as fed.
Assuming the balage is 50% moisture (not sure here) feeding 10lb as fed would be 5lbs dm of 20% alfalfa is going to get a vast majority of his protein needs, could pry feed more alfalfa but won’t be the cheapest ration. Add in about 5 lbs of rolled corn and 5 lbs of dry grass hay and have a nice ration. But as said above have a nutrition expert figure it exactly. But that would be some rough quick numbers. |
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Sw mn | That’s a lot of hay, time to buy some stock cows. |
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west central Ohio | Whoa. That’s work ! I’d just sell the hay |
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North Central MN. Wolf Lake | I don't think he is scared of work.
He was thinking 5 to 600 feeders would burn up some hay.
Just a matter of what size feeder to get.
On a side note the hay is for sale. |
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ottertail co mn | Feeders don’t burn up much hay.
If they eat 3% dry matter of their body weight it is going to take a lot of very high priced 5 weights to use an amount of hay.
Too much hay in the area this year, cows would be the way to go to burn up hay |
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North Central MN. Wolf Lake | Yes it will. About 600 of them.
Can you feed lots of good hay to cows? |
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NEMO | I really can't imagine buying 600 head of feeders to use up hay. That's a lot of dollars to pay interest on,,,figure in some death lose, and suddenly this maybe isn't such a hot idea. Not only that, but like stated above, a TMR mixer is about essential. Sell the hay
Edited by oldtiger 1/3/2025 18:25
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McCanna, ND | oldtiger - 1/3/2025 17:23
I really can't imagine buying 600 head of feeders to use up hay. That's a lot of dollars to pay interest on,,,figure in some death lose, and suddenly this maybe isn't such a hot idea. Not only that, but like stated above, a TMR mixer is about essential. Sell the hay
Doesn’t make much sense to sell hay for below the COP. I’m doing the same thing, at a much smaller scale. |
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NW Iowa | Depending on his setup, I'd be more worried about death loss and treating calves.
Just depends on what kind of weather you think you might have.
If it was me I'd pound out some short term open cows from out west. That's if you can find any.
Hit that April Fat market.
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Ft. Ripley MN | You’re gonna want cows….. sounds like you were talking 5-600 feeders.. that’s gonna cost an easy million.. and you don’t have a plan to feed them ??? You have the protein and the fill but no energy?? To be honest even the cows are gonna be a chunk of change.. the banker is gonna want a better plan and if you have the cash there is better places to put it.
Did you get ahold of the two guys that own the sales barn in the areas?? I know the one will clean guys out of hay and cornstalks for his feed lots… unfortunately we had a good year so hay is plentiful… I’m not against buying cattle and feeding it… but the volume you are talking you better have a better plan then asking people from different areas then you… a percentage point of sick or death loss will determine if there money to be made… the reason I say that is it sounds like you wanna do it just to burn up inventory instead of a yearly business venture |
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Best gain with hay to feeders
