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Feeding Cows (photos)

randiliana

Well-known member
NOT......

Swath and aftermath grazing.....

Here is their winter grounds, at least for about the next 4-6 weeks.

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Lots to eat...
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Even the 4H heifer is out there, she's the black one.
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per

Well-known member
jopie said:
Is there enough energy in only straw with those temperatures?

It might not be just straw. Either way straw has lots of energy, just light a match to it and you can see how much energy there is. Straw is missing the protein (4% or so) to break it down in the rumen. Protein is cheap and easy to add to a straw diet. It is also missing many essential vitamins and minerals and again they can be added. In most rations, energy is the expensive part.
 

randiliana

Well-known member
Justin, they are Triticale swaths for now, in a couple weeks they will be on oats.

Jopie, it is not just straw, it is the whole plant, grain and all.

For now they are fine with just the grain swaths, as we get closer to calving the plan is to start feeding a hay bale to them now and then. They also have some stockpiled grass to eat for now and we have a Promolas lick tub out for them too.
 

randiliana

Well-known member
Howdy1 said:
How much snow is too much and they can't/won't dig down for it? Snow crust problems??

I really don't know how much would be too much. We generally don't even have this much snow here. But I have seen cows in more Northern areas of Sask swath grazing through 2 + feet of snow.

The snow crust is something I am worried about. We haven't done enough of this to know how much they can handle. And we usually have a few chinooks so a crust is certainly something to be thinking about. Right now the snow is still pretty soft. We haven't had any wind (amazing really) and although our temps are fairly nice, we haven't had above freezing temps yet either.
 
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