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BISON: Hay feeding protocols

Updated: Dec 3, 2023

I've seen a variety of suggestions and methods for hay feeding. So I want to share our protocols, as adapted from Taking Care of Bison at Blackfish Bison in Winchester, KY.


I've experimented with just about all forms of hay feeding protocols for bison -


Setting Round Bales:

This video shows the destruction to the ground when using a heavy tractor to regularly deliver heavy round bales. Repair to the grounds and reseeding is a costly result. It also demonstrates the hierarchy of the herd and the "pecking order" for who gets hay first and who must wait. This competitive environment stokes stress among the lower-ranking herd members and stress decreases daily gains. Stress has also been proven to be a factor in lowering immune systems, allowing parasite and infection risks to heighten.


Hay Ring Method:

One use!! Just one time and I learned quickly the ring was more of a mental stimulant and created further concentrated erosion. Plus, some young bull would always end up with his head stuck in the wrong opening. Now it's a distant memory and sits on the edge of the woods unused. See here.


Unrolling Round Bale Method:


Unrolling the hay promotes waste...or heavier parasite recontamination. As the herd walks through the unrolled hay they are transferring any contamination from their hooves into the hay. It's also nearly impossible to unroll a bale without it being on top of a pile or two of manure. Reducing all contaminant factors so that less chemical/pharmaceutical parasite control is required saves money and reduces herd resistance to current treatments. Prevention is our goal, using treatment as needed rather than as the standard protocol. Healthier for the herd, for us, and cost-effective.


Not to mention unrolling it or setting out an entire roll encourages "bedding" in the hay. Perhaps in areas where it gets far colder that is a fair option. But in East Tennessee, temps never get so cold that these guys need hay bedding for warmth. Yet, someone in the herd is always eager to claim "King of the Bale" as he plops down amidst the herd. Ahmmmm...yes, I speak of Cadillac. After all, he is King around here! So, just for a visual today, I unrolled the very end of a round bale IN THE FIELD as a hay roller would.



If you're unfamiliar with an unroller:

NOTE: I am not affiliated with Lucas products nor do I receive any commission.


In the ad video, you see how thick the hay is unrolled, and how concentrated the area of unrolled hay is along the strip. What I have found, this is more wasteful than many of the hay-feeding methods tried. The herd walks on it (with dirty hooves), defecating and urinating as they move. When their bellies are satisfied, they'll lay in it (with their dirty fur), rolling and further containing edible hay with microscopic organisms.


Parasite control starts with the reduction of reinfestations. It's the most cost-effective, least stressful for the herd, and minimizes repeated pharmaceutical treatments.


Secondary is the cost impact of the hay loss/waste. If, for example, I put out a 1000 lb round bale for a 3-4 day feeding, but the herd wallows, defecates, urinates, tramples some into the ground, etc, let's say I experience a 30% waste. I just lost a day's worth of hay.


If a round bale is 1000 lbs and I'm feeding a small herd 300 +/- lbs/day, that's 3.3 days of feeding per bale. If I have to supplement from October till March, that's about 181 days or approximately 51 round bales. But if I account for the waste? That number increases to nearly 77 round bales.


If I bought my round bales at $60/bale, I just added more than $1300 to my supplementing season. And that's just the added cost to hay provisions.


What other risks do I weigh?


What additional risks can add to potentially avoidable costs?

  1. Is hay sprayed? If so, with what, when, and how often?

  2. Is hay cut from fields that have animals on it at any point of the year? If so, what type?

  3. What type of fertilizer is applied to the fields? Is it animal waste with potential parasitic contamination?

  4. What time of day was the hay cut? Rolled?


Hay Stacking method:


So far, the method I've selected is proving to:

  • Cause the least damage and impact to the fields (reducing the need to repair and reseed)

  • Ensure proper daily intake per head (I know how much I'm distributing daily and able to monitor their intake in comparison)

  • Reduce waste (reduces the cost of overall hay purchases)

  • Minimize parasite risks (devoids contaminated hay being consumed)

  • Promote natural instinct among the herd (encourages grazing instincts)


That method is hay stacking. It sounds time-consuming and, maybe a little OCD, but I've studied the behaviors of our herd when I have tried each method. And, can say that certainly, the hay stacking method is most healthy for them when reviewing charts, notes, and video logs.


For example, we know that parasite infestation is a cycle repeated due, in part, to the herd defecating, walking through it and spreading it along the ground, eating near their pile of manure, and laying in their waste (at least, I've seen a calf or two do it).


The hay stacking method reduces this reinfestation risk. I place smaller hay stacks in locations away from manure, controlling where they are putting their nose/mouth to the ground. It might sound fruitless, as bison instinct is to graze at all times, but the fecal samples I pull every 4-6 weeks definitely show that the effort pays off to apply this method.


Additionally, our average daily gains last year were 1.6 lbs. When I go back and review video logs, I notice the smaller, younger, or lower-ranked herd members being pushed off the unrolled bales, especially on the full bales set in the fields.


With haystacking, If an older or higher ranked herdmate shoves into a smaller herd member's stack, they just 'roam' on to the next stack and munch happily, stress-free. The more stress is reduced, the better my gains are! And, as a grass-fed and grass-finished producer, those gains matter!


And, something more that I touched on...the "bison instinct".....it is so important to me that we do not over-domesticate our herd! I don't want to treat them as cattle. Because they aren't!! We're putting forth the effort to preserve their instinct as wild bison, as true to the heritage and history of the American Buffalo as we possibly can in a contained environment. So I get personal enjoyment watching them mosey through the fields munching on their haystacks rather than clambering through muck and mud around a hay bale or ring!


Examples of the amount of waste left behind -- and is typically the stemmy or woodier pieces that are not palatable to the buffs.



The "crunchy" pieces in the first of the video are leftovers from the morning hay distribution. Toward the end is a fresh hay stack placed for evening grazing. They will consume what is soft and sweeter of the orchard hay and leave behind yet another small amount of the stemmy and crunchy pieces.


Pretty smart cookies, huh?


And what is just as wonderful for the herd? No manure in their hay or near it, as you can also see at the beginning of the video.


Of course, round bales are the most cost-effective, at least around here, and certainly when I apply more time and effort to distribute them in the same manner used when putting out square bales.


Squares are my preference! They are much easier to weigh, easier to transport on the wagon (which currently I'm pulling with the zero turn in effort to keep the tractor out of the fields and minimize compaction or rutting), and all-in-all easier handling.


But, keeping the herd healthy is worth whatever effort I can put forward. And, it's a great excuse to spend time in the fields with them.

All hay, round, and square bales are kept in the barn and out of the weather until I'm ready to feed to the buffs. Unless it is raining or snowing at feed time, they always have clean dry hay. And, of course, we always test our hays so we know what nutrient levels we're investing in....


Hope some of this information is helpful to some. And hope it reassures more of our customers that we truly invest in good health, starting right out there in the field!






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