# How many round bales per steer per winter?



## Guest (Feb 12, 2008)

My grass growing season is mainly April through October. So would have to feed hay from October through April. I would like to grow a couple of feeder steers per year on 5 acres of grass field with another acre of woodland. 

So how many round bales should I expect to buy to get me through the winter months that would be feeding two steers?


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## GANGGREEN (Jul 13, 2006)

Obviously it would depend on breed, when they were born/weaned, what they weighed, the quality of the hay, size of the round bail, etc.. That said, I've heard that a standard rule of thumb is that cattle require about 2.5% of their body weight per day in hay, so a 1000 pound animal would eat 25 pounds a day, a 1200 pound animal would eat 30 pounds, etc.. I live in a fairly cold climate where their needs are probably a bit more to fight the cold but I find that rule to be fairly accurate based on my limited experience.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Rh, another way to look at it is a steer will eat it's weight in hay per month. But as mentioned remember a Jersey eats a lot less than a Holstein. So, 1000 pound steer, 1000 pound roll. So I guess you need 7 rolls per 1000 pounds of steer. That sure is a short growing season. Here in TN. we generally feed hay Dec-March so I only need 4 rounds per 1000 animal each winter. I use three horse corral panels and roll the round inside it. Also I elevate (pallet) the round during storage and even when it's being eaten.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We ran 2 animals and used 3 large squares and 4 4x6 rounds of good alfalfa last year, the animals were around a year old. We also fed a 14% dairy grain mix @ 4-6 pounds each a day.
Our usage was greater before I built a decent feeder.
Just putting stuff on the ground wastes a lot of feed. And putting a whole big round in a feeder with only 2 animals can be wasteful as well if the weather is bad and the hay gets wet and moldy before it can all be eaten.


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## Cheribelle (Jul 23, 2007)

I use approx. 1 round in 2 weeks.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

For only 2 steers, I would avoid big bales if at all possible. Too much waste. Use little squares and feed what they will consume each day. Probably one half small square per day,for 2 steers, depending on size of the steers. If you only have large rounds, maybe you can pitch some off the bale each day and keep the remainder covered. 20 to 25 lbs per steer per day should be plenty. :cow:


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## Anderson farms (Mar 26, 2007)

I secoond the small squares. My calves waste alot of hay even with a bale ring. I'm looking for a good square baler right now. Probally save a third the hay


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

My neighbor has about 200 Angus, the smaller old fashioned looking ones, and he figures on 6 bales per adult per winter. Around here we feed November through April, so that goes along with topside1's recommendation.

Jennifer


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Rh, for smaller calves under 400 pounds I feed 4x4 rounds. No waste at all, put the round in a vacant pen and let the calves eat through the bars of the pens gate....In case anyones wondering the first animal in the photo the animal is a rare red and white belted galloway. Or it could be a Boer goat........Enjoy


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## Guest (Feb 13, 2008)

I don't want to waste anymore hay then necessary. I see a lot of it going to waste around here. My nextdoor neighbor rolls his bales out. Unrolls it like a roll of toilet paper on the ground. After the cows get their bellies full they start laying in it and pooping all over in it till its not good anymore. Then the next day he unrolls another one in a different location. 

I'm wanting to build a overhang type shelter over one of the V hayracks. Place the round bale on top and let the calves eat through the V rack whenever they want. When it gets almost empty I'll place another one on it. 

I'm thinking that going into winter the steers would weigh in the neighborhood of 500 lbs. each. I'm planning on buying sucker calves early in the spring, hay them through one winter, and process them the following fall somewhere around late October, 1st part of November. 

Each year that would be a half a steer for my freezer and 3 halves for other relatives and friends who said they would buy a half from me. 

Thanks for the input it has helped a lot.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We peel our bales with a pitchfork and put it in a feeder.
I bought a calf last Nov. fed it till this Jan and he yielded almost 500 pounds hanging weight..One half was 235 and one was 232. A little good 2nd crop to get him started with an 18% starter grain, pasture all summer long with 16% or 14% grain ration. And it was a lightweight Holstein calf I picked up for 30 bucks.


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

I always figure 25 - 30 pounds of hay per day regardless of the breed, that gets you pretty close in what you'll need. Right now I'm feeding 3 cow/calf pairs and three yearlings. I put out 2 good bales of grass hay and then four bales of grass seed straw. Their Longhorns and Longhorn crosses so they can get by on a lower quality feed and still do well.

Bobg


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## georgiarebel (Jul 7, 2005)

Normally we plan 2-3 per cow between the months of Nov-Mar for our Dexter's, but last yearâs drought put a wrench in that plan. We had to start buying hay in June. :doh: :help: This year is going as planned so far.


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