The drought throughout a lot of the western U.S has resulted in low hay manufacturing, excessive hay costs and in some instances, no hay to be purchased. Some producers could also be contemplating utilizing corn residue bales. Corn residue has been historically used as a roughage supply in feedlot diets and extra not too long ago combined with extra power dense feeds and fed to cows in confinement. Nonetheless, many operations might not have the power to combine and feed diets. These operations could also be fascinated by making an attempt to feed corn residue in spherical bale feeders.
Feeding corn residue bales will not be the identical as cattle grazing corn residue, even when feeding free selection. Similar to when grazing cows will kind out husks and leaves, cows fed a bale in a feeder will do the identical factor. Nonetheless, our analysis reveals that cows seem to spend so much of time working to kind the residue in bales, and whereas they choose a weight loss program (55% TDN; 4% CP) that’s increased power than what is obtainable (39% TDN; 6% CP), this additionally limits the quantity they devour in a day.
On common, when given a bale of corn residue in a spherical bale feeder, cows solely ate about 1.2% of their physique weight. On this trial, her protein wants have been being met with a protein complement, so the low consumption was not the results of slowed digestion because of a protein deficiency. When given corn residue in a spherical bale feeder, a 1300 lb cow ate about 15 lbs of dry matter (18 lbs as-fed). She was solely capable of meet about half of the power and 1/3 of her protein requirement in mid being pregnant (Desk 1). The power and protein necessities improve for cows in late being pregnant leading to much more supplemental power and protein wanted if fed corn residue in a spherical bale feeder.
Briefly, you may feed corn residue bales in a spherical bale feeder, however that you must perceive that you will want to pair it with a feed or feeds that present each power and protein. As a result of restricted consumption of each power and protein, protein tubs won’t meet cow wants. There are lots of mixtures that could possibly be used to satisfy her wants. Two potential choices are at hand feed a focus to make an entire ration or to make use of the corn residue as a hay stretcher wherein you restrict feed the next high quality hay.
For example, to satisfy the wants of a mid-gestation cow, you may feed 4.0 lbs of dried distillers grains or you may use the residue to stretch alfalfa hay. One method to restrict consumption of hay is to restrict entry to spherical bale feeders. Should you restrict the period of time cows have entry to spherical bale feeders with alfalfa hay to three hours per day a cow would eat about 12 lb of dry matter per day of alfalfa. In case your hay was 55% TDN and 15% CP (Please check your hay!), that may be about 6.6 lb/d of TDN and 1.8 lb/d of CP. This plan might meet each the mid and late gestation cow wants. An extra advantage of limiting the time of entry to spherical bale feeders with the alfalfa hay in it might be decreasing waste by about 50% in comparison with free selection entry (waste of 6 lb/cow/d vs. 13 lb/cow/d).
Or you may unroll the alfalfa offering sufficient to satisfy her wants. Earlier analysis has advised that when feeding 2% of BW every day whereas unrolling, we might count on about 20% waste (5 lb/d) to trampling and fouling on frozen floor. You would wish to offer 9.5 lbs (as-fed) of alfalfa (assuming the standard above) in mid-pregnancy and 13 lbs (as-fed) in late-pregnancy to satisfy cow wants when offering corn residue free-choice in spherical bale feeders. If you wish to use corn residue bales to stretch your hay, step one is to get your hay examined in order that you already know the quantity of power (TDN) and protein (CP) your hay will present.
Our analysis additionally discovered that cows wasted about 45% of the corn residue bale when fed in a spherical bale feeder with a sheeted backside. This waste is a mixture of residue that’s pulled out of the feeder and refused (22.7%) in addition to that which was refused (largely stalks) however left within the feeder (22.6%). In different trials with an analogous kind of spherical bale feeder, grass hay waste has been about 20%. Which means when pricing corn residue bales that you must account for the distinction not solely in nutrient content material but additionally waste when evaluating to different forage sources. The feed price cow-Q-lator will help to match totally different feed assets on a value of nutrient foundation whereas accounting for variations in supply prices and waste.
It is usually vital to contemplate nitrates when utilizing corn residue bales as a feed useful resource. When feeding free selection as described right here, excessive nitrates is much less more likely to be a problem as a result of they are going to choose the much less dangerous elements of the plant. Leaf and husk are sometimes low in nitrates. Nonetheless, this yr the stalks might be excessive in nitrates because of drought circumstances, and if grinding corn residue to be included in a ration, it’s a good suggestion to get the residue examined for nitrates as it could restrict the quantity you should use.
Supply: College of Nebraska-Lincoln
