Evaluation of the feeding efficiency of three systems in feeding large roll hay packages

This experiment dealt with three systems for feeding large round hay packages to beef animals and with animal performance (weight gain) associated with outside-stored and inside-stored large round bales of bermudagrass hay.

Feeding trials were conducted at the end of a four-month storage period to determine the amount of hay refused and tramped into the mud by cattle. The amount of hay wasted during the feeding trials was used to determine the cost-benefit ratio for each type of feeding equipment.

Results indicated that larger amounts of hay were wasted from the panel feeder than from the roofed or unroofed feeder (17 percent, 7 percent and 9 percent dry matter loss respectively). Cattle fed inside stored hay performed better (gained more weight per day) than cattle fed outside-stored hay. Based on the data collected from this study, hay saved by the roofed feeder did not justify the cost of using the roofed bunk for bermudagrass hay (at $46/ton, annual value of hay saved amounted to $74 compared to an annual cost for the roofed feeder above that of the panel of $108. Annual value of hay saved by the unroofed feeder amounted to $59 compared to an annual cost for the unroofed feeder above that of the panel of $64).