The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: Helen Wiltshire Horn on February 08, 2016, 05:49:48 pm
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Just a quick query. I have 4 Dexters, one cow in calf, one cow with 8 week old calf at foot, one heifer and one steer. They are outside and usually eat 2 small bales of hay per day with a few cattle nuts and sugar beet pellets as and when. The only problem is that I have had to take some bales of hay to my hoggets who are at a neighbouring smallholding and now find myself without for a few days as the people who I buy my hay off are on holiday. I can put them in a field with a bit more grass so they can get some roughage for the next couple of days but should I be feeding concentrates as well and, if so, how much? Any other suggestions?
Helen
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Do you have any straw?
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I do but they didn't eat it last time I tried! Perhaps if they are hungry enough they might try it.
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I do but they didn't eat it last time I tried! Perhaps if they are hungry enough they might try it.
Totally - so long as it's good barley straw, suitable as cattle fodder, of course ;)
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Mine will eat hay given the choice, but needs must where the Devil drives, so thye'll eat straw if there's nothing else. The steers only get straw.
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We're using oat straw for bedding this year - and the coos just love to eat it. Seems very popular with our Blonde bull too. They have 2 feed rings full with large round bales of hay, but like chewing on the oat straw before eating their hay. Looks like they like a bit of variety in their fodder.
Last few years we've used barley straw, but they didn't eat that with such gusto...
Sue
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You need to keep the gut flora ticking over until the hay arrives, so at least offer something of similar composition to hay - straw should do the job.
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same here factotum. I feed the buffalo straw during winter, to keep the gut healthy and it also helps them keep their weight too. The stuff I buy in is either barley or oat straw, also I find that if I give the calves straw for bedding they eat it as well as having ad-lib hay and water, with animal cake too. They seem to love it and they certainly put on quite a bit of weight with it as well, which of course in turn helps them to grow. I would definitely go for it and if they're hungry enough they should certainly eat it
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Unfortunately I think that the straw that I have is wheat straw which I gather has a much lower nutritional value. Shall I feed nuts or sugar beet and pop them in the field with a bit more grass and give them a couple of chunks of straw? I should have hay by the end of the week at the latest.
Helen
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Well, I'd try them with the straw and see if they like it. You could maybe make it more appealing by dribbling molasses on it, if they don't seem interested.
Our coos seem to know how much of the forage they need, and stop eating when they've had enough - so in theory, I would think they'll just eat more of the wheat straw. You could give them a scoop of nuts and/or some sugar beet if you're bothered.
Assuming your land is as wet as everyone else's at the moment, I think I wouldn't put them out on grass unless they really won't eat the straw.
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Our cattle quite happily eat wheat straw as readily as barley. The actual feed value of what is eaten is the same for the 2 straws. But wheat straw is more stalky and that tends to be rejected, so just goes towards the bedding.
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Upping the nuts is bad for the digestive system but a bit extra sugar beet should be ok.
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not a good idea to let yourself run out of fodder in the middle of winter
cattle don't like rapid changes of diet
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Is there no-one else around who could sell you a few bales?
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you'll find plenty of sellers around if you go via the horsey lot or local auctioneers. Ebay sells it but be very fussy smelt some poor hay in the past. Any good local feed merchant will be honest and usually knows what is about and what to avoid. Manky hay - yuk. You def need to over stock because in our experience if the wet weather continues they could be in longer than usual.
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Countrywide had small bales in store today