LSU article on Cow's nutrition affects on calf health by Christine Navarre DVM.

LSU's Body condition score for beef cattle is helpful when determining if your Dexter is too thin or too fat. Good thing they don't hang a picture on the wall in the Doctor's office for us!

LSU article on Forage Requirements for Beef Cattle by Jason Holmes. Good technical numbers on the difference between early pregnancy needs and lactating needs for cows. Percentages on digestible nutrients and crude protein in forage.

This is a loaded question because the following are factors that may alter the estimate:

1. Growing yearlings
2. Pregnancy ( early to late gestation)
3. Lactation ( early to late lactation varies too)
4. Weather ( colder temps require more intake to keep the Dexter warm.)
5. Injury or illness that resulted in a body condition loss
6. The quality of the hay itself
7. Hay waste when they soil it

Average hay will test out with a crude protein at about 8% Alfalfa hay will test out much higher in the high teens to 20%

Let's use the following example and then adjustments can be made later:

• An open cow/ non-lactating that weighs approximately 750 lbs
• The season is fall ( temps in the 70s)
• Current Body Condition score would be around a 5, showing average healthy weight.
• Hay quality is testing at 8% crude protein, pasture forage is eaten down.
• This cow will eat approximately 2% of her body weight in hay forage. 750 x 0.02 = 15 pounds of hay per day
• Hay waste would be 15% of the 15 pounds needed for the cow: 15 X 0.15= 2.25 lbs
• Add the pounds per day to the hay waste estimate: 15 + 2.25= 17.25 lbs need to be taken to this cow each day.
• If you are using round bales estimate this need based off of the weight of the round bale, remembering the waste that will happen. Round bales tend to have the most waste over square bales.
• If you are using square bales try weighing a few bales to get a feel for what the bales run, weight wise. Then portion the bales accordingly.

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