Custom Feeding Prices???

[RMUG]

What would one charge, and or expect to pay, for someone to feed their Fall calving herd through the winter (per day basis?)

Also what about Pregnant Spring Calving Cows, in addition to calving them out. On a per head per day basis.

I am asking this because I feel it would be cheaper to have someone that can mix a ration (feed wagon) of Barley Straw, ALfalfa Hay and Molasses. To feed my cows, than it would for me just to feed Hay off the back of the truck onto the ground.

Got to do what we can to survive with the high input costs. So therefore I was just wondering what one would expect to pay?

 

[PureCountry]

I'm a long ways from you RMUG, but here we see folks paying anywhere from $1.50-$2.50 per cow/day. That's just the feeding and yardage. To calve them out is usually an additional $25-35/head. With that, some guys will base it on a live calf, others will charge it per cow whether you get a live calf back or not.

I have to ask, how much cheaper can it be done that just dumping hay off the back of an old truck? :wink: We've been doing it for years, but that's just what works here.

Hope some of this helped. Take care.

 

[Shortgrass]

Unless you have another good paying job, I've always figured that it would be more expensive to hire someone to work than it would be to do it myself. Besides, they just don't care as much. I would dump hay off the back of my truck. It works for me, too.

 

[RMUG]

I have another job that keeps me real busy, so usually I have hired out the neighbor boy to feed off the back of my truck. But with FEEDER HAY at $195-210 delivered. plus fuel, labor, etc.

I have to figure out how to let another friend who has a feeder wagon and can put on barley straw, feeder hay, drip molasses and control ration per lbs. and waste. We are just trying to figure out a fair cost. These folks care about cattle, no matter whose they are.

Friends, if your going to make this cattle deal work, you better pencil it out b/c it doesn't pencil anymore just feeding hay off the back of your truck. unless your farming your own hay

 

[per]

One of the biggest things you could do to save costs is to mechanically feed less and graze more. Once you start bringing in feed whether in a TRM wagon or off the back of the truck it is expensive. Put that money to work and rent enough land to winter the cattle on. Just a thought.

 

[RMUG]

I totally agree with that, if a guy can find the ground to do that, more power to him. All of my ground is just pasture at this point and not farmable.

Anybody have any different opinions or smaller ranges in the U.S. on a per head/day basis.

I would say that the figure spoken of earlier is a bit low probably for custom feeding. Maybe it was Canadian dollars CUZ if a guy were to buy $185 HAY (if he could get it for that delivered) at 3 tons per animal (ave. 33 lbs/day 6 months). That is equal to $555 or $3.08 just for feeding Hay. Now if a guy can make a cheaper ration and than add in his labor / fuel Would it be the same cost, less or more???

 

[PureCountry]

$185/ton for hay is triple what it is here, double at best. We've historically averaged $60-70/ton delivered, but it's going up this year. Anybody growing hay as a business usually fertilizes, so with phosphate at $1500/ton and rising, their pricing is reflecting it. It only makes sense.

And, that would be why we are seeding more and more land down to forage, to get away from having to scour the country for good hay, and just graze cows as long as we can.

As for your dilemma, I understand your predicament. With hay that expensive, all I can say is, best of luck.