Beef cow winter ration

[boer]

Although I don't live in any of the drought stricken areas, there still is not a great deal of extra feed here and so I want some ideas on the best way to stretch the feed that we do have.
I have access to good quality alfalfa grass hay, barley silage and straw. I will be having the hay and silage tested but if I were to assume the hay to be about 12-14% protein how much hay would I have to feed and how much straw would they eat to make up the rest of what they need.
I had thought of not using the barley silage until closer to calving and at that time feeding them this free choice. It also will be tested but was cut when it was headed out and still green.
The cows are easy keeping black angus cows that have a tendency to be too fat most of the time. They weigh on average about 1200-1300lbs and are due to calve in April.
Any help in this matter would be appreciated.

[Stroppy]

This is just roughed out, but figuring about midway through the second trimester and assuming, and I stress assuming, that: your hay is 14% protien, your straw is barley, you plan to feed minerals, your cows are in moderate condition at 1300 pounds, and the daytime temperature is about minus 10C you could probably feed about 12 pounds of hay and 20 pounds of straw per head. That fits nicely on the energy and dry matter intake side and leaves you a little over on the protien.

Wouldn't hurt to get your whole program (including post calving) in place and check it with a beef specialist. (Let me really stress that "check it with a beef specialist" part. Sometimes when you're doing something new or different it's difficult to stay the course. It's nice to have peace of mind knowing you're on track.)

Feed was a little tight here last year. We developed a program, stayed with it and it really payed off. The cows stayed fit, the calf crop was good and we had three more days worth of feed than we targeted when they went to pasture. Learned a lot doing it, but the biggest thing we learned is that we'd been over feeding. Every time that cow lifted her tail wasted money was hitting the ground.

[boer]

Thank-you for your reply. The protein you quoted is that as fed or dry. As fed the protein is just a little over 12%. Confirming with a beef specialist is a good idea, but here in BC finding anybody to help is a near impossibility. The new government cut backs mean the District Agriculturists are no longer even able to talk directly to us. Their new work criteria means they put all the information available on the web site and we are to utilize that, but no information about ration building is on it!
Anyway how would this 12% protein hay change the ration that you suggested?

[boer]

get cowchips software . Just go to the albert agriculture site and youll find it.