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North Central Kansas | My cows have been running on stalks since November. We had an ice storm here the 2nd week of December and had to shut them off the stalks for a week until the ice melted off the fence and I had time to go around and fix it. I have been feeding my cows free choice prairie hay since they went to stalks. We too have had snow after snow. Some years the stalk thing does not work. This is definitly one of those years. My cows still go out and pick, but I can see that their body condition is not as good as years past. In addition to the hay I have been feeding a Crystalix tub for added protein. My cows calve in February. All I ever feed is Brome and Prairie hay, tubs until just ahead of calving and then I grain them until pasture. Usually start Brome after the middle of January. In winters like this a cows maintenance needs really go up. One thing I have noticed was that a "cowboy" usually starves his cows (they usually call this roughing them) and a row crop farmer with cows usually treats them like he farms his crops and feeds them. Calving ease and rebreeding have a lot to do with body condition. Don't let it get to the point that you have problems down the road. | |
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Need a little advice (small cow herd)....
