Post by david on May 29, 2014 17:59:22 GMT -5
Water is scarce this year in CA, so the grass is limited. In order to conserve valuable grass, my one year old Jersey bull is being maintained on dry lot, with purchased feed. Currently, a three tie bale of good quality alfalfa may sell for up to $20 - not an option for my slim budget. But, necessity is the mother of invention, and hard times teach us lessons that may be a blessing in the long run.
Currently, my bull is thriving (three months and counting) on the following recipe, fed once a day:
Free choice straw (works out to about 4 lbs/ day)
4 lbs of 25% protein meal
1 lb beet pulp
10 lbs of almond hulls (moderate energy, high fiber)
Plus occasional willow branches, scraps of hay, escapes into the pasture, etc
Free choice mineral block
The most glaring deficiency of this ration is low Vitamin A, but he gets enough scraps of green feed that he seems to be OK. He's not fat, but his coat is slick. He weighs 600-700 lbs and is still growing, albeit slowly. His libido is still strong.
Many of you may not have access to almond hulls, but I'm pretty sure you could substitute a few pounds of corn for the almond hulls and be OK. The high straw intake appears to maintain the rumen mat and prevents acidosis. A friend tells me that in the UK it is common practice to maintain breeding bulls on a diet of straw and grain. Obviously, this would not work well for a lactating cow, but I'm excited about trying a variation of this idea as a maintenance diet for dry cows this winter.
Many of you have surely come up with creative ways to reduce your hay bill - care to share? It's a little intimidating to admit that we take shortcuts in feeding our animals, but I am now convinced that it is possible, when done carefully and cautiously, to maintain a healthy animal without hay- at least as a temporary measure. Hopefully this post will break the ice a little, and we can generate some more cost-saving ideas for feeding our animals.
Currently, my bull is thriving (three months and counting) on the following recipe, fed once a day:
Free choice straw (works out to about 4 lbs/ day)
4 lbs of 25% protein meal
1 lb beet pulp
10 lbs of almond hulls (moderate energy, high fiber)
Plus occasional willow branches, scraps of hay, escapes into the pasture, etc
Free choice mineral block
The most glaring deficiency of this ration is low Vitamin A, but he gets enough scraps of green feed that he seems to be OK. He's not fat, but his coat is slick. He weighs 600-700 lbs and is still growing, albeit slowly. His libido is still strong.
Many of you may not have access to almond hulls, but I'm pretty sure you could substitute a few pounds of corn for the almond hulls and be OK. The high straw intake appears to maintain the rumen mat and prevents acidosis. A friend tells me that in the UK it is common practice to maintain breeding bulls on a diet of straw and grain. Obviously, this would not work well for a lactating cow, but I'm excited about trying a variation of this idea as a maintenance diet for dry cows this winter.
Many of you have surely come up with creative ways to reduce your hay bill - care to share? It's a little intimidating to admit that we take shortcuts in feeding our animals, but I am now convinced that it is possible, when done carefully and cautiously, to maintain a healthy animal without hay- at least as a temporary measure. Hopefully this post will break the ice a little, and we can generate some more cost-saving ideas for feeding our animals.