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Feeding
Dec 4, 2019 13:35:36 GMT -6
Post by dave on Dec 4, 2019 13:35:36 GMT -6
My heifers have been eating a big square bale every 4 or 5 days. I pitch it into the feed bunk with a pitchfork. So on Monday morning the neighbor called. One of his hired men and him were both going to Las Vegas to the NFR. Bad planning they both scheduled their trip for the same days. So he wanted to know if I could feed for him for 4 days this week. Yesterday I went down there for lessons on how to operate, how much to feed, where to feed, and the mixture. Sure a lot more modern than the pitchfork.
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Post by angusrancher on Dec 4, 2019 14:34:03 GMT -6
We now go with cheap, quick, and easy. Have converted. 
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Post by dave on Dec 4, 2019 16:46:00 GMT -6
He is not feeding cows yet. They are working for a living on lower range land digging through the snow. Five different bunches of calves being fed. Light calves that will be over wintered and sold mid summer as yearlings. Wagyu calves that will.... they are Wagyu. They sure look sorry. Lighter calves that would have left last week but weather prevented that. A dozen yearling registered bulls. And bigger calves being fed a warm up ration. I think they will be leaving soon. All totaled there is about 500 calves with more coming as that great white cowboy pushes them out of the hills.
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Feeding
Dec 4, 2019 18:10:35 GMT -6
Post by okie on Dec 4, 2019 18:10:35 GMT -6
Dave with all that free BLM grazing around I'd think you'd at least splurge for a new pitchfork.
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Feeding
Dec 4, 2019 18:47:05 GMT -6
Post by dave on Dec 4, 2019 18:47:05 GMT -6
Dave with all that free BLM grazing around I'd think you'd at least splurge for a new pitchfork. The handle is about to go. I bought a new handle but I am too frugal (or lazy) to put it on until this one breaks. |
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Feeding
Dec 4, 2019 20:22:05 GMT -6
Post by angusrancher on Dec 4, 2019 20:22:05 GMT -6
He is not feeding cows yet. They are working for a living on lower range land digging through the snow. Five different bunches of calves being fed. Light calves that will be over wintered and sold mid summer as yearlings. Wagyu calves that will.... they are Wagyu. They sure look sorry. Lighter calves that would have left last week but weather prevented that. A dozen yearling registered bulls. And bigger calves being fed a warm up ration. I think they will be leaving soon. All totaled there is about 500 calves with more coming as that great white cowboy pushes them out of the hills. The last storm here dumped too much snow. Calves were grazing on 1100 acres, half of it forage wheat, and doing good. Everything's getting bales now. A forecasted warm-up should get rid of some snow. |
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Feeding
Dec 8, 2019 16:22:20 GMT -6
Post by angusrancher on Dec 8, 2019 16:22:20 GMT -6
A couple things I wanted to throw out there for S&G.
Feeding bales through bale processors, with the net wrap left on, 2 or 3 tenths of 1 percent of your cows will die each year with a rumen full of net wrap. The occasional calf will die like that as well.
Setting bales out as is, with the wrap on them, over a couple years observation, zero have died plugged up from net wrap. It's all in one piece and apparently doesn't get eaten.
A solution would be, of course, to remove the wrap before processing. That's not feasible here, especially when bales are wet and frozen. Wouldn't get anything else done.
Just my observations, fwiw.
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Feeding
Dec 8, 2019 21:52:37 GMT -6
Post by dave on Dec 8, 2019 21:52:37 GMT -6
A couple things I wanted to throw out there for S&G. Feeding bales through bale processors, with the net wrap left on, 2 or 3 tenths of 1 percent of your cows will die each year with a rumen full of net wrap. The occasional calf will die like that as well. Setting bales out as is, with the wrap on them, over a couple years observation, zero have died plugged up from net wrap. It's all in one piece and apparently doesn't get eaten. A solution would be, of course, to remove the wrap before processing. That's not feasible here, especially when bales are wet and frozen. Wouldn't get anything else done. Just my observations, fwiw. All the bales are 3x4x8 squares. The twine is removed before going into the mixer. I know that on occasions he just sets those big squares out and lets them have at it. The main way that the big squares were fed in the past is to set the bales on edge on a trailer or flatbed truck. The tractor or truck is put into low gear. The driver hops out and climbs on back. The hay is kicked off by the flakes as they slowly move across the field. The plan is to feed wheat straw, corn silage, and other less expensive feeds using this mixer. That is for once the cows all arrive. Right now he is just feeding calves. They are getting better than the cows will get. I know that the one mix I fed was 2,000 pounds of grass hay, 2,000 pounds of alfalfa, 1,500 pounds of corn silage, and 1,500 pounds of shelled corn. The other mix had no corn, less silage and alfalfa, and more grass hay. |
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Post by angusrancher on Dec 15, 2019 14:34:44 GMT -6
 Just calves, haven't been sorted up yet. The closest bale is a 3rd cutting alfalfa that was put up really wet. You can see how those bales have gone flat, and are heavy, but they eat the hell out of them. If it wasn't alfalfa it surely would have burned spontaneously. Have got bales set out in about a half dozen locations for the calves, close to water. On the top of the hill, in the background, there's one electric well. On the other side of the hill is a better fence with some good blizzard protection. The fence on each side basically serves to lock them up in this fairly small area in case of a storm.  Warm, moist, brown center. They'll eat it down to almost nothing, and they're not forced to it.  What's left of a Golden German millet bale, carryover from last year.  |
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Feeding
Dec 16, 2019 12:38:00 GMT -6
Post by greybeard on Dec 16, 2019 12:38:00 GMT -6
Pitchfork handle costs almost as much as a complete pitchfork nowadays. Same with a  shovel handle. Ya'll's pictures sure are making me cold. Always good to see how everyone else does it for sure. Still doing the old drop a round bale in the hay rings thing here. "The tractor or truck is put into low gear. The driver hops out and climbs on back. The hay is kicked off by the flakes as they slowly move across the field.
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I tried that once to get a trailer and tractor thru a gate before the cows followed it thru. Found out I wasn't as fast as I thought I was. I DID catch up with it, but was nearly to the next fence before I did.
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Feeding
Dec 16, 2019 18:53:37 GMT -6
Post by okie on Dec 16, 2019 18:53:37 GMT -6
My son has been driving since before he could see over the steering wheel. He used to "drive the truck" for me while I fed this way in California. It worked great right up until the day that he slid down and pushed in the clutch to stop after I stepped off the bed "just like dad does" while we were feeding on a steep slope that ended in a lake with only a fence and a few rocks and some brush in between us and it. There's nothing quite like the feeling of chasing your new one ton pickup off the side of a mountain with your child in the seat screaming "take your foot off the clutch!" I really don't know if I'm prouder that he learns just by watching or that he eventually listens to me. |
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Feeding
Dec 16, 2019 23:28:17 GMT -6
Post by dave on Dec 16, 2019 23:28:17 GMT -6
Pitchfork handle costs almost as much as a complete pitchfork nowadays. Same with a shovel handle. Ya'll's pictures sure are making me cold. Always good to see how everyone else does it for sure. Still doing the old drop a round bale in the hay rings thing here. "The tractor or truck is put into low gear. The driver hops out and climbs on back. The hay is kicked off by the flakes as they slowly move across the field.
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I tried that once to get a trailer and tractor thru a gate before the cows followed it thru. Found out I wasn't as fast as I thought I was. I DID catch up with it, but was nearly to the next fence before I did.
I haven't seen a decent pitchfork for sale in years. The fork tines on the new ones are about the size of my finger. This old one has spring steel tines that are thin and sharp.
Your tractor must have had too high of a gear or you are really slow. The one we use at an idle in low gear doesn't do one MPH. The biggest issue for me is climbing on to the trailer, not being as good a climber as I once was. |
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Feeding
Dec 17, 2019 8:14:50 GMT -6
Post by greybeard on Dec 17, 2019 8:14:50 GMT -6
8n Ford..belonged to my brother.
I'm not much of a climber either but I can fall down better'n anyone on this board..
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Feeding
Dec 18, 2019 11:32:24 GMT -6
Post by 76bar on Dec 18, 2019 11:32:24 GMT -6
Don't get too cocky.  Pretty sure I can give you a run for your money. |
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shovel 
Pretty sure I can give you a run for your money.