![]() ![]() The large round bale is the form of hay typically provided to cows in the Southern Great Plains and in the Midwest during the winter months. Survey data from Oklahoma reported that 45% of all producer respondents fed hay between 91 and 120 d each winter ( Vestal, 2007). Costs associated with feed and pasture account for 40% to 60% of the annual budget in commercial cow/calf operations ( Miller et al., 2001 Bevers, 2010 Bowman et al., 2019). Harvesting forage during the summer months for feeding during fall, winter, or early spring is a common practice in cow/calf enterprises. Hay savings from adopting a more conservative feeder design can have a dramatic influence on hay utilization by beef cows and thus on cost of production. Hay waste was significantly affected by hay feeder design with 19.7, 21.1, 12.4, and 5.5% of original bale weight wasted for OBSR, POLY, RING, and BASK, respectively ( P 0.45). Waste was measured for each bale at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after each bale was introduced into the pen. Subsequently, hay waste data were collected while the second and third bale within each period were being consumed. The cows acclimated to the feeders while the first bale was being consumed. ![]() Fourteen cows were assigned to each paddock and three round bales were fed consecutively within each treatment period. Cows were weighed and allotted based on BW to one of four previously grazed 2.0 ha paddocks equipped with a concrete feeding pad. Feeder design treatments included a conventional open bottom steel ring ( OBSR), an open bottom polyethylene pipe ring ( POLY) a sheeted bottom steel ring ( RING), and a sheeted bottom steel ring with a basket ( BASK). 1, 56 crossbred cows were used in a Latin square arrangement. Native tallgrass prairie hay and a protein supplement was fed throughout both experiments. ![]() Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeder design on hay intake, apparent diet digestibility, and hay waste in gestating beef cows. ![]()
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