With hay prices ranging from $95 per ton for Grade 1 (125 to 150 relative feed quality [RFQ]) round bales to $190 per ton for Prime (greater than 151 RFQ) large square bales, hay is a valuable commodity on farms. We already have the labor and expense into producing the hay, but storage and feeding have a great deal to do with how much of harvested hay is actually consumed by animals.
Round bales are a less labor-intensive and relatively inexpensive way to harvest hay but, if one is not careful, storage and feeding losses can offset the benefit of the system. As shown in Figure 1, with good management, storage and feeding losses can be kept to 15% of the dry matter harvested, while less than adequate management can result in an additional 40% loss. This means that good management can harvest and feed forage with 25% to 30% total loss while deficient management can result in 55% to 70% of harvested hay being lost. Thus, hay actually consumed by animals is costing some farmers $124 for the least expensive hay, while with poor storage and feeding management, some farmers have a cost of $161.50 per ton. Differences are even greater for higher-quality hay.
Table 1 shows some of the storage losses one can expect with round bales stored different ways. The least storage loss we can expect is 2% to 5% for bales stored under a roof.
We can expect 15% to 40% loss from an uncovered stack. Round bales will shed some water, but some is taken up and mold starts. This is particularly true where water and snow collect in the crevices between bale layers (see photo below). It is not unusual to see 4 to 6 inches of blackened, spoiled hay around the outside of the bale when left set outside for a few months uncovered. This 6 inches of spoilage represents 25% to 35% of the bale (depending on bale size) that has reduced quality and may not be eaten by animals. Water uptake from rain and snow is somewhat less with net wrapping when compared to twine but can still be significant.
Losses are even greater for bales left outside on the ground. The bales will absorb water like a sponge from wet soil. Losses can be as high as 40% or 60% of the total hay in the bales on the ground. Anything to break bale contact with the soil will reduce storage loss. This can be pallets, plastic sheets, tires, boards or other material-to-soil contact-breaking device.
Consider that, even if the cattle eat the weathered portion of a round bale, the cattle are forced to consume hay of reduced feeding value and may not maintain gain or even condition on this forage.
The other big hay loss is feeding management or lack thereof. Some farmers let cattle up to individual bales, where they will grab bites from the bale, chew and swallow what is in their mouth and drop the rest on the ground. We have measured up to 40% losses when bales are fed with no restriction on access by animals. Limiting hay to a one-day supply without a rack will reduce hay losses.
Using an electric fence to allow access to one side of the bale so cattle have to reach over or under the fence to get hay will greatly reduce loss.
A feeding ring is the most common bale feeder. In general, cattle waste (remove but do not consume) about 25% of each bale in a ring feeder. Hay losses from a ring-type feeder are high because cattle will often grab a bite and back up to chew it, dropping the uneaten portion on the ground to be trampled. Having the ring feeder bigger than the bale will allow cattle to drop hay inside and eat it later. Ring feeders with diagonal bars are also more feeding-efficient because the animal has to twist its head to back up. Losses can be reduced by limiting cattle access to hay to eight to 12 hours to reduce waste to 10%.
Use of a cradle feeder (see photo below) is recommended because cattle have to reach through guards to get the hay. Any hay they drop stays within the feeder and will be eaten eventually. It won’t take much savings this year to pay for a hay feeder.
Staff photo.
One should generally consider 2 feet of bunk space for mature animals so the lower-status individuals do not get pushed away from the feeder.
If you are buying hay, it would be worthwhile to look for bales, round or square, made with a baler that had a recutter on the front to reduce hay length to 2 to 4 inches. Research has shown that while there is no benefit to preservation of the hay, recut hay in bales reduces feed losses, increases feed intake and increases average daily gain (ADG) of the stocker animal eating it. It appears that when hay is cut to about 4-inch lengths, animals waste less because the hay is about bite-size. They then eat more because they don’t have to spend as much time chewing the hay, and the increased intake results in increased animal weight gain. So hay in bales that has been recut would be worth about 5% to 10% more than long hay in bales.
Lastly, when feeding hay on pasture, consider moving the feeder around. One of the more expensive nutrients now is potassium. Animals use very little potassium from the hay, so it is excreted in the urine. If all feeding is in one spot, you will have excess potassium there and little on the rest of the pasture or field. Spreading the winter feeding around a pasture will spread the urine and the nutrients it contains around the pasture or field.
Good management can reduce storage and feeding losses so that 80% or more of the hay is consumed by animals. Lax management can easily result in more than 50% to 70% of hay lost in storage and feeding, thus doubling the cost of the hay consumed by animals. Lastly, remember to value the nutrients contained in hay, animal urine and feces and spread them around the field to minimize fertilizer needs.
