Feeding cattle in winter

john in la · Dec 2, 2019

All this talk of cutting and baling / re-baling hay.
Pictures of snow; cows that live in barns; and drudging threw the mud to haul hay to cattle.

I guess I am just spoiled seeing cows on green grass just about every month of the year.

john in la · Dec 2, 2019

Here is a better picture where the sun was at my back.

ADB-Ia · Dec 2, 2019

I think they need to poof these pictures because it so insensitive to those of us who fed our cattle in the mud today. LOL By the time our grass is green again, my cattle are all going to be gone. Going to sell out after the first of the year. I'll miss the cows but not the mud.

john in la · Dec 2, 2019

As you can see on the shoulder of the road our summer grass is brown.
That is rye grass in the pasture.
The rye will last till it gets to hot for it.
By that time our summer grass will be green again.

Depending on your timing of planting the rye and if you have extra pasture land to put the cows on we may go a month or two from the time our grass turns brown till the rye is thick enough to graze.

ADB-Ia · Dec 2, 2019

You've got us beat all to heck this time of year. But I'll take my Iowa weather over Louisiana next summer.

David G · Dec 2, 2019

More than that, have to add grain when really cold, and break up water that will freeze no matter how much you try.

formenwhogrow · Dec 2, 2019

I'm in western pa. My cows are on grass I grew in August. That will end around the first of the year, then they go on corn stalks. I lay a months worth of bales out in front of them when the weather is fit ( no mud) and I divide the field with polyrope. Move the cows to fresh bales every few days on foot, flip the black plastic pipe feeders onto the next bales. And no, they don't waste as much as most claim would happen, they only get fresh bales when the previous ones are gone. The result is a field that is evenly covered with manure, tilled and mixed in by the cows. Some spots are a bit rough to chisel through, but that field will go to beans next year and they wil be the best on the farm. Water is provided by a spring development that cows have an access alley to get to it. Water flows through it and NEVER freezes completely due to the constant flow. No hogging through the mud, no starting a tractor except a few times to lay more bales out when the weather is fit. Works for me. Btw, the fields the cows are on are the only fields that see any tillage tools, we are 100% no till on the rest.

730virgil · Dec 2, 2019

I hate mud as long as Tall Kid is willing to help me I think I will keep the cows. I have been having some health concerns lately so am playing it by ear.
I have some small squares of hay in barn so we don't have to fight mud to feed cows.

rusty6 · Dec 2, 2019

I'll take my frozen ground over mud any day. Cows are better off and me too. Surprisingly enough they still get out in the field to graze on old dead grass and the remains of the hailed oat crop. I've put some hay in the feeder and they get oat chop twice a day but still head out to the field every day. Yes, chopping ice out of the water trough every morning is part of the process.

da.bees · Dec 3, 2019

Even office workers and school teachers around here hate mud when farmers are feeding round bales. Tractor tires shed football size clumps of mud on public roads while moving bales. Actually,motorists also hate farmers,hay, cattle and tractors when they hit clumps of mud.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 3, 2019

My cows are still grazing probably start feeding hay about from Christmas thru the end of March,maybe into April.The goats don't eat much hay if they have access to some browse that's when they eat the so called Invasive plants and other browse.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 3, 2019

Mud like that on the public roads means a visit from the cops in my county in short order.

4520BW · Dec 3, 2019

you may have green grass all year but look whats also living in there snakes, bugs and gators! I can remember feeding round bales before we got FWA tractor. Had to have a tractor ready to pull the loader tractor out backwards.

Geo-TH,In · Dec 3, 2019

4520
I made this for my neighbor. He has a hay spear attached to his front bucket.

Without it his Massey's front wheels would get stuck on the mud.
George

Kansas4010 · Dec 3, 2019

I'd love to have fwa. Not going to happen in the foreseeable future. My uncle priced out a new 130 hp JD the other day. Putting fwa on it added $60,000 to the price.

jon f mn · Dec 3, 2019

You could add fwa to your 4020 for a lot less.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 3, 2019

I feed round bales in the snow and mud with 2WD tractors no real problem,and I do have 2 4WD tractors to use,the Oliver 1365 4WD is nice to scrap snow with once it gets over a foot or so deep.

Tx Jim · Dec 3, 2019

(quoted from post at 06:54:57 12/03/19) I'd love to have fwa. Not going to happen in the foreseeable future. My uncle priced out a new 130 hp JD the other day. Putting fwa on it added $60,000 to the price.

I just checked JD's build it tractor page. MFWD for a JD 6130 130 HP tractor cost $9122 retail price not $60K. I think your uncle needs to check price with a different deale.r

4520BW · Dec 3, 2019

When I was feeding with my 4230 I had 1000 pounds of suitcase weights on the lift arms.

Roger in Iowa · Dec 3, 2019

The $9122 is just for the 4WD AXLE! You delete the amount if you don't want 4WD, see the minus sign in front of $9122.

miangus · Dec 3, 2019

Tire chains on at least two tractors, one good sized gas tractor, Muck Artics, leather mittens, insulated coveralls, face mask/neck garter, hat with ear flaps, can of ether on dash, good to go. Actually I wish it would freeze up and quit this rain, Angus do fine on snow, but mud is hard on everyone. I am busy Creating ruts to drive through latter.

Kansas4010 · Dec 3, 2019

They're the only dealer around here. They
have I think around 17 dealerships now.
They quoted $90,000 for the two wheel
drive and $150,000 for the exact same
tractor with fwa. Needless to say he
didn't buy anything.

Kansas4010 · Dec 3, 2019

It happens to be a 2510 gas. I've never been stuck with it but I don't have a loader on it either. There've been times I thought I was going to get stuck. Any time I think there's a chance of getting stuck I back in and get as close as I can. Then I can just drive out.

Tx Jim · Dec 3, 2019

(quoted from post at 08:25:00 12/03/19) The $9122 is just for the 4WD AXLE! You delete the amount if you don't want 4WD, see the minus sign in front of $9122.

You're correct so therefore MFWD would cost $9122 more than a 2WD tractor. Are you implying there are other costs/options I'm overlooking for cost of MFWD?

chevytaHOE5674 · Dec 3, 2019

FWA is a must for winter feeding UP here unless you have time to keep a trail plowed to where you feed and are OK with having to turn your cows loose in your bale yard when the snow gets too deep.

We already have 2 feet of snow on the ground and there's 5 more months of winter. Last winter snow got so deep I had trouble with a 175hp MFWD tractor, a 2wd tractor was best left in the barn.

Tx Jim · Dec 3, 2019

(quoted from post at 09:15:54 12/03/19) They're the only dealer around here. They
have I think around 17 dealerships now.
They quoted $90,000 for the two wheel
drive and $150,000 for the exact same
tractor with fwa. Needless to say he
didn't buy anything.

Needless to say evidently dealer representative doesn't know how to determine correct price on a new tractor or was quoting 2 different HP/option tractors not just 2wd vs MFWD.

I think JD conglomerate multiple location dealerships is going to come back to haunt JD AKA bite JD in the rear end.

Gary201 · Dec 3, 2019

I 55 southbound at N Brookhaven! 20 miles further you could have stopped by for a cup of coffee! Wish my grass looked that good, I was a little late planting this year. I'm having to feed more hay than I'd like this time of year.

Geo-TH,In · Dec 3, 2019

I estimate 55 gallons of concrete is around 1200#. Notice the concrete is positioned behind the lift arms.
He also had tire ballast. The concrete created a lift on the front wheels keeping then out of the mud.

Feeding cattle in winter

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