Canola question ? anyone ?? no Albertans at all????????

[hillsdown]

Has anyone fed canola bales. A crop was hailed on really bad last year so they cut it and baled it. It is very green as it was cut young..

Anyone have experience with this ?

 

[cowsense]

Canola can be very good feed; like any forage it depends on the maturity stage it was baled at. I know guys that baled droughted out mature canola and their cows fought over it! A feed test would be money well spent and check for nitrates as well.

 

[Northern Rancher]

A few years back they fed the entire crop up here to cows-if froze early and there wasn't much snow--guys literally baled all winter as they fed it up. I imagine 40-50,000 bales of it that year. I've wintered the cowherd on it twice with no ill effects.

 

[Mrs.Greg]

We've never fed Canola bales but we've turned cattle into a harvested field to clean up the leftovers...the cattle licked it up.....

 

[per]

For sure cattle like Canola. Take a bale home and try it to find out if they like it. We have grazed it but never baled it, haven't had any issues.

 

[turning grass into beef]

We've never fed canola bales, but have fed canola silage. In 2002 we were very dry in the spring and the canola did not germinate. It did germinate in late July when the rain finally came. Our neighbors had so much late germinating canola that they gave it to us for free if we got if off their fields. It saved them the cost of spraying it. We silaged a lot of canola in September. We found that the calves took a little longer getting on to it than cereal silage, but once they got going they liked it and did just as good as cereal silage.

 

[hillsdown]

Thanks everyone, I knew that people turned there cattle into a field but had never heard of baling it.

I managed to get a few bales to tie me over until I can kick them out to pasture and the price was definitely right. The cows are a little fickle right now but they are going to have to eat it .It is really nice and green a little more mature than I would like but it will do. I am guessing it will test out at around 7-9 % protein ..Have a sample ready to go into the nutritionist..As long as they hold their condition I am not too worried and they are all pretty much bred already..I also have a creep for the calves so they can be supplemented and not pull the cows down. BTW the bales are huge , they just fit in my feeders.

There was no way I was going to pay $120.00 for a bale of mediocre hay, I would sell the cows first.. :shock:

This morning a really good friend and neighbor called and said he would lend me some hay until the cattle can be kicked out. It sure is nice have people like that for friends and neighbors, makes you believe in people again..Thankfully I didn't have to take advantage of their generosity..

Thanks again for all of your input..

 

[Les]

In 02 I fed canala bales..drought yr.. second growth was all we had comin pretty much..cows loved it..protien was good..had to watch for nitrate problems tho cause it froze before it was cut. but all turned out well

 

[Just Ranchin]

Just watch yer nitrates and you will be fine