Much has been said over the years about how expensive it is to put up hay and how important it is to store hay in a barn or under some type of cover to avoid the waste that occurs when hay is left to the elements. But while these losses are quite high, the losses from feeding can be just as troublesome, ranging from 5% to as high as 45% or more.
We could examine several different options in regards to feeding hay such as putting hay out free choice, unrolling in the pasture, and feeding in rings and the advantages and disadvantages of each. However, since most producers feed in some type of hay feeder, I think it would be useful to look at the different types of feeders and how much waste to expect with each.
If you haven’t priced a hay feeder lately, you may experience some sticker shock. But is $250 or more really that expensive when you look at the alternative? Research has found that cattle might still waste as much as 10% with a ring feeder, but that is still much better than the 45% wasted with feeding a roll with no feeder at all. If the ring has sheeted metal around the bottom, the percentage of waste drops to around 6%.
Hay trailers and wagons are also available for feeding and may be cheaper to purchase up front. However, keep in mind that feeding losses are typically higher with these methods and may be in the 15-20% range. Many studies have shown that the tapered cone feeders actually have the lowest amount of wasted hay, usually less than 5%. Of course, these are usually more expensive up front so you have to weigh the benefits of less feed being wasted with the higher up front cost of the ring.
A good tool to use when deciding which type of ring to buy is the Noble Foundation’s Hay Ring Waste Calculator. It can be found at http://www.noble.org/ag/tools/livestock/hay-ring/ and allows you to examine the cost of wasted hay among the various feeder types.
I used the following parameters to look at a comparison of three different options. A 25 cow herd feeding 1,000 lb. bales at a cost of $40 per bale. They feed 15 bales per month for three months. The steel ring feeder with an open bottom wasted $368 worth of hay. Adding sheeted metal around the bottom of the ring would lower the waste to $234. The modified cone ring wasted the least at $95 per year.
Are the savings in the amount of hay wasted enough for you to spend a little more when purchasing a hay ring for your operation? I would encourage you to try out this calculator using numbers from your farm and see how much you could save with the various options. You might just decide that hay ring isn’t as expensive after all.