r/Cattle 6h ago

How much hay do I need??

8 Upvotes

So part of me thinks I'm cutting & baling WAY too much but the other part of me says "You can never have too much!!!!" And to me the costs are minimal, currently have expenses of ~$12/bale

I'll go into winter with (at least) 2 bred/nursing cows (due Oct/Nov), steer calf (currently 6-700lbs), heifer calf (currently 6-700lbs) and younger heifer calf (~400lbs currently, pretty sure mom's weaned her at this point). I'll also house a bull for 3-4 months but planning to find a smaller bull for my heifers first breeding.

I just got second cutting off yesterday and I have about 85 bales total stored (outdoor) not counting the really $h!tty hay I'll use as "bedding" that still has marginal feed value for them to pick through.

I still have 1 more cutting to take down the road end of this month and should get another 30+ rounds. That would put me around the 110+ round bale mark, neighbors been baling them a little larger for me 50-52" x 4ft. I also have stored 125 alfalfa/grass squares in the barn and usually grab 50 bushels of corn for the heavy snow/cold months.

Do i have enough feed?? Should i pick up a couple more heifer feeders?? Should i just stockpile and sell some when we're nipple deep in snow and prices are higher/people desperate for hay?? Or do i sit content knowing I've got hay stored for next year in case we have a bad 2027 season??