How To Reduce Hay Waste When Feeding Cattle
Dealing with hay waste can be one of the most frustrating and monotonous parts of ranching or farming. Of course, you want to make sure your animals are well-fed, but you don’t want them ripping out hay only for it to become inedible. Here’s how to reduce hay waste when you’re feeding cattle to save money and ensure your animals remain well-fed.
Change Your Feeding Method
It’s best practice to put out only as much hay as your animals can eat in a day. If you have to put out a large portion of hay, make sure to put a barrier such as a feeding rack between the feed and your animals. In addition, never place your hay in lowland areas or streams. You want to make sure to place your feed at the highest elevation point possible on a high-traffic area pad. A high-traffic area pad is a flat, solid surface usually made of concrete. This is great for preventing mud, reducing the spread of pathogens, and avoiding soil compaction.
Switch Up Your Feeder
Trailer and cradle feeders generally produce the most hay waste. This is because cattle tend to push others out of the way, dropping hay and trampling on it. Ring and cone feeders allow for more room and less resource guarding, meaning less hay falls out of the feeder. In addition, adding a metal sheet to the bottom of the feeder catches the fallen hay and prevents it from being trampled into the soil, no matter what type of hay feeder you choose.
Monitor Hay Quality
The nutrient profile of your hay should match your animals’ nutrient needs. To be able to use your hay with the most efficiency, it should be sampled in separate cuttings to determine which type your animals respond to the best. Or you can test your hay’s nutritional profile by obtaining a sample from a coring probe and sending it to a lab for testing. Either way, you should always monitor the quality of your hay to avoid buying hay that your animals won’t eat and that won’t benefit them.
Now that you’re equipped with the knowledge to reduce hay waste when feeding cattle, you can be sure that your cattle are well-fed on your budget.
