Grains & Forage covers whole and processed grains, hay, and forage products to round out rations or stretch feed inventories. It's the practical staple for mixed livestock operations, cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, and goats, with bagged and bulk quantities for operations of every size in the Delta area.
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Grains & Forage Feeding Guide
What should I look for in good hay?
Bright, clean, dust-free, and mold-free. The type of plant, how mature it was when cut, and how leafy it is all decide how much nutrition is actually in the bale, mature, stemmy hay has less protein and is harder to digest. Give hay for horses an extra-hard look: unlike cattle, horses can't detoxify mold before it hits their system, so they're unusually sensitive to moldy hay.
How do I stretch a short hay supply?
Test your stored hay before winter so you know what the real shortfall is. Grain-based byproduct feeds (like distillers or gluten feeds) are often the best buy for supplementing stockers and nursing cows when you can handle bulk. As a starting rule: cattle eat roughly 1.5% of their body weight a day in poor hay, 2% in average hay, and 3% in really good hay, a 1,200-lb cow on poor hay eats about 18 lb a day. That daily number is your starting point for figuring out how far the stack will go.
Should grain be fed with hay or before it?
For horses: hay first, grain second. Grain fed on an empty stomach moves through too fast, and undigested starch reaching the hindgut can cause colic or founder. A simple habit, hay first, grain after, prevents one of the most common feeding mistakes.
Quick grain-and-forage checklist:
- Test hay before winter; buy the supplement that fills the actual gap
- Buy bright, clean, mold-free hay, especially for horses
- Hay before grain for horses, every time
- Use byproduct feeds to stretch short hay supplies for cattle
- Store grain cool and dry, away from rodents, feed goes stale