# What to feed when you have no grass



## janij (Sep 20, 2010)

Hi all,
I am in East Texas. Everything is dead. And has been for a while. It hasn't rained in almost 2 months. So.... What can you feed cows besides hay and grass and grain? The hay we are getting is coming from out of state and the cows don't really like it. In fact they busted up a fence to get to the last of last yrs hay that they were used to that was in the weaning pen. A mess to say the least. But anyway. I have not farmed my whole life and am a little short on ideas. My husband has looked in to growing barley like sprouts. But I can't find barley seed. Any ideas would be VERY welcome.
I have British White cows, who will not eat corn, and Jersey/ Jersey cross cows.
Thanks.
Jani


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Check at the cotton gins. The gins should be up and running now or shortly. Cotton gin waste and range cubes should hold the animals in fair condition. Keep loose minerals available free choice.

Search for cereal rye seed and annual rye grass seed. These seeds are totally different from each other.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Jani, no rain here in 46 days, I've resorted to cutting down small trees to feed the goats and cattle. It thins out the forest, offers more sunlight thru the canopy enhancing forest floor growth, plus the firewood once it gets cooler. These trees are about four inches in diameter, small saw does the trick. Just thought I'd mention it....Hope we both get rain soon...Topside


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## janij (Sep 20, 2010)

I don't know where I would find a cotton gin.
It last rained on June 22. It has been over 100 I think just about every day since then with most of them over 105. I can probably start thinning trees. So many of them are dying any. Topside I hope you get rain too. We just have none in the forecast and no under 100 days in the 10 day. I wish we would have been able to find better hay then I wouldn't be as concerned.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

There should be plenty of irrigated cotton processed in Texas.
See if this article helps
http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/TXcotByprod.pdf


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Jani you have it much worse than me, my forest land is still green and loaded with everything but grass. I have plenty of hay available but like every year none of the livestock will eat it until all the green is gone. Usually feeding hay Nov1, right now it's offered but not being eaten. Yours will eat the hay when they get hungry enough, pray for rain, you get it first then send the leftovers to me...I cut down poplar, cherry, sourwood, pineoak & maple for them to feast on. Cherry is fine even though toxic when wilted so just only offer small amount of that type tree. Small amounts cause no harm....You may have some of those type trees in your area...Topside


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## janij (Sep 20, 2010)

We have been feeding hay since June. We got very little rain this spring as well and last yr we ended the yr about 24 inches short. Mostly what I have for trees are pine, oak, hackberry.
agmantoo, I will check out the article. I am hoping they will eat it.


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

you might try to find some baled cornstalks, or do the straw and urea trick if your really in a bind. what kind of money do you plan to alot for feed---myself if its over 65 a ton I can't make money. might want to buy up protein tubs now, I expect them to be in short supply this fall and the price will probably skyrocket on them.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

DH has two friends that have had cattle for at least 20 yrs...one gets a big dump truck full of lettuce from a factory and the other uses red onions that the cows love so DH says. They feed these although they both have enough hay to feed.


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## Jeremiahc (Jul 6, 2011)

I heard someone on the radio here in Dallas talking about Fodder grass. With the drought, they suggested it. http://www.grassfodder.com/


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

I know someone in New Mexico who carried their cows thru the 2005-2006 drought by burning the spines off of cholla cactus so they could eat it. Burnt the spines and scattered some hay in the cactus. Chasing the hay, the cows discovered they could eat the cactus. Every morning, he would go burn a patch and the smoke from the burner would bring the cows running. Have heard of doing the same thing with prickly pear. 

Around here you can get alfalfa cubes and pellets in bags, but the cost would be phenomenal if that was your only feed.

Sometimes you just have to sell the stock and start over when there is grazing again.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

rancher1913 said:


> you might try to find some baled cornstalks, or do the straw and urea trick if your really in a bind. what kind of money do you plan to alot for feed---myself if its over 65 a ton I can't make money. might want to buy up protein tubs now, I expect them to be in short supply this fall and the price will probably skyrocket on them.


This is how I am going to get thru this drought..I bought two loads of baled cornstalks..my first time doing it...cows are eating them. some stalk, but alot of leaf too.

Word of the wise, these things bust open easiliy..espc baled as tight at these are..

Also, if you go this route, make sure the nitrate level is safe. The bales I bought were tested safe for all livestock and contain 8% protein..so I can suppliment with cubes and creep..and free choice mineral.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

You could also try to supplement with stale bread from the bread factory outlet store. You can normaly buy a pickup load for twenty bucks or less, and the cattle and hogs love it. Maybe not the best , but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. > Thanks Marc


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I saw a Russian farmer on TV cutting down small trees for his cattle.

I heard of a farmer in India that fed his cattle newspapers until his drought broke.


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## janij (Sep 20, 2010)

Well I think I have found enough hay. My Husband looked into the fodder but I can't find the seed. My problem is they don't like the hay. But I think they may eat it if they have to. They get cubes twice a day to keep them from bothering me when I set up for milking. Thanks for all the tips. I am not going to sell unless they are starving. We own a company that supports up financially, but I want to be as independent in my food supply as possible. So I won't sell unless it is really dire. Maybe we will get a tropical storm soon.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Jani, I don't know what's wrong with you hay, if it's not a moldy rotten mass then they will eat it....Give it time and they will actually love it....I've had your thoughts many times over the years...Yes they will eat it...Topside


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

cows sometimes have funny palets, I have seen cows eat piles of moldy hay with a pile of fresh good hay 10 feet away.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I don't know if you hve Southern States cooperative stores in Texas, but if you do, you can get the name of their cattle nutritionalist. They keep one for our district and he'll come to your farm and try to help you. Costs nothing.

The guy came here, looked at everything that was growing, took soil samples and a sample of one fern. He called me back a couple of days later and told me which mineral mixture to feed my cattle to offset the deficiencies I had. He sent some vitamins he said I needed to my local store.

He told me about different feeds I could use that were currently available, and what minerals I needed to feed to avoid problems. Like brewers grains, corn gluten or whole kernel corn, add extra calcium and you're good to go. I forgot what he said to add if you feed soybean stalks. I remember he said that peanut hay was good unless it was moldy, and it molded easily, so be careful.

I went to my neighbors and asked for their corn stalks from their gardens. I cut and hauled them away for them and we were both happy.

Good luck.


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## WstTxLady (Mar 14, 2009)

Cotton seed hulls are in all sorts of cattle feed. 

We have 1 cow here, a Jersey...well bleached blonde/white Jersey that has a hard time feeding. She come sup into the yard & snarfs up the chicken scratch & I give her lay crumble to hold her over. If she can get to a Flock Block, she'll eat it down. She does enjoy her hay but its good Coastal (cost$$). Then in the evening when I check her teats & try to prevent 1 from caking up, she gets loose cattle feed (like sweet feed). I have noticed that its made up more & more of cotton seed hulls & some cracked/rolled corn.


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## mozarkian (Dec 11, 2009)

janij, If you have a brewery anywhere near you, brewer's grain is fed to cattle with good results, I hear. A guy up the road from us raises "organic beef" and he gets a truckload of brewer's grain delivered about once a week. He says its cheap and they like it.
On the hay you mentioned the cows didn't like-- you can sprinkle a little dry molasses on it for a day or two till they accept it. Sometimes, you just have to encourage them a little. But like the others said, they probably aren't hungry enough yet or they would eat it anyway.
One note of caution on feeding stale bread-- we get truckloads of day old bread sometimes to supplement the pigs and poultry. My oldest cow broke into the bread stash when we were gone one day, pigged out, bloated and ended up with an infection because it changed the bacteria make-up in her rumen. The vet advised penicillin, to which it turned out she was allergic. A week of nursemaiding, $125 dollar vet bill and she was fine, but she would still eat herself sick on bread if we let her. We are finally getting good rains here, after a very dry July. Hope you get rain soon too.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Been a few cattle buyers from WIS preying on you folks down texas way. They been going down and getting semi loads of cheap beef cows and bringing them back to WIS for resale. Now days a a decent beef cow will hit the $1500 mark Cow calf pairs of young cows are in teh $2000 range.
Parkies and jerseys can be pickie eaters. Try a hand full of dry molasses sprinkled over the hay.
Bob


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## janij (Sep 20, 2010)

They are starting to eat it now. They finally realized I reinforced the fence to keep them out of the last good roll the babies got. Stubborn cows. I am just new to this and was unsure. They hay is not moldy it is just more Bahia then they like. But you can't really get coastal Bermuda right now. 
I feel bad for all the farmers around me selling out. What is going to happen next yr when they butchered all their breeding stock?


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Loads of hay in my area even though we are in a sever drought...I know it's a long way for you, just thought I'd mention it. My hayman has hundreds barn kept....25 dollars each....Keep in touch, I'm off to cut down more trees...Topside


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

janij said:


> Hi all,
> I am in East Texas. Everything is dead. And has been for a while. It hasn't rained in almost 2 months. So.... What can you feed cows besides hay and grass and grain? The hay we are getting is coming from out of state and the cows don't really like it. In fact they busted up a fence to get to the last of last yrs hay that they were used to that was in the weaning pen. A mess to say the least. But anyway. I have not farmed my whole life and am a little short on ideas. My husband has looked in to growing barley like sprouts. But I can't find barley seed. Any ideas would be VERY welcome.
> I have British White cows, who will not eat corn, and Jersey/ Jersey cross cows.
> Thanks.
> Jani



Have you tired the feed store? They are hauling in corn stalk like crazy for beef cows. I need coastal square bales and it's 12.50 a bale


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I can remember when cattlemen were feeding ground up newspaper treated with some sort of enzyme. I haven't heard of that for awhile, but it might be possible to figure out how to do it.

Cattle can digest cellulose, which is what paper is made of, and the ink now is made from soybeans.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

janij said:


> Hi all,
> I am in East Texas. Everything is dead. And has been for a while. It hasn't rained in almost 2 months. So.... What can you feed cows besides hay and grass and grain? The hay we are getting is coming from out of state and the cows don't really like it. In fact they busted up a fence to get to the last of last yrs hay that they were used to that was in the weaning pen. A mess to say the least. But anyway. I have not farmed my whole life and am a little short on ideas. My husband has looked in to growing barley like sprouts. But I can't find barley seed. Any ideas would be VERY welcome.
> I have British White cows, who will not eat corn, and Jersey/ Jersey cross cows.
> Thanks.
> Jani


Ok, disclaimer first... I do NOT recommend this personally... but I had a friend who raised jersey calves and didnt have pasture for them. He fed his sawdust!!! He got hold of a cement truck barrel and would fill it with sawdust and shavings from the local sawmills. He added a bit of yeast, and maybe a gallon or two of molasses, then a bunch of water. He had the barrel rigged to a small motor, geared way down so the barrel turned over maybe twice a day, very slow to say the least. after about a week, he had another barrel of "calf feed". He claimed that the fermenting process converted the wood shavings into digestible carbs. I dunno how it worked, but I do know he had very fat, slick and sassy calves. :shrug:


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

I bet they ended up stiff as a board....#2 grade....Topside


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

dried chicken manure


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## eggzackly (Apr 14, 2011)

Yeah, chickens don't spend much time digesting what they eat. They make it up on volume! LOL


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Day 50, still no rain, and over 100 degrees today. I'm done cutting down trees, once every everything that looks green is gone, they will have no other choice then to begin eating winters hay. This is perfect example as to why buying to much hay is never a bad thing. I have three years worth at all times, plan for the worst....Topside


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## SusyTX (Sep 9, 2008)

Hey Jani, we're out in Centerville with a herd of 29 Dexters and not too far from you! We're feeling it too, I've never seen our place this dry...looks like a moonscape out there. We've been irrigating a few pastures periodically just to give our cattle a little real green grass. 

We've watched our neighbors and nearby ranchers selling out, too...it's very sad. There is 'talk' of there being a shortage of replacement cattle next year because of the sell-out, but I wonder if many people have just had it...I'd be surprised if there is a huge buying spree and high cattle prices next year like some have forecasted. Like you, we're holding on...we are going to downsize a bit in the fall, but natural downsizing as our starter herd has finally grown, not due to the drought per se.

We get Crystalyx protein tubs from Producer's down in Bryan...very pricey, but we've tried others and we think our guys and gals do better with that brand. We've been buying good quality square bales from a variety of feed stores every week...some is coming from as far away as Florida...I don't need to tell you how costly that is. And while normally we hold to a grass-based feeding regime, this year we're supplementing with cubes and sweet feed. Our cattle haven't lost much in the way of conditioning, they actually look surprisingly good given the high temps and dryness. We've been pumping into our stock tank to keep the water fresher and the levels up, thank heavens we have good well water and trees for shade.

I've been hearing many people saying we're going to be in drought for two years or so...I've decided I'm just not going to worry about that anymore. Sooner or later it is going to rain, and this will drought be a painful and very expensive memory. But, in the meantime, I say many prayers each day for rain and thank our feed store guys for their hard work in bringing in hay. They aren't making a whole lot of extra money per bale than in previous years, and many of them raise cattle, too...it's hitting everyone hard. It's going to get better and, in the meantime, I'll be keeping my day job to pay for the hay!!


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Amazing it's raining, thank you Tropical Storm Lee....


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

We have a lot of grass seed grown here. I used to feed grass seed straw, crystalix and grass seed screening pellets with molasses. With the free straw it was cost effective....James


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