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Keeping a cow as a way to provide quality dairy products and beef for the family's menu is a growing trend among those who live on small homesteads in the rural areas of the nation. Dairy breeds, such as Jersey, Dexter or Brown Swiss are popular choices because they can be pastured on small parcels of land and supplemented with hay during the winter when grass is unavailable. If you are considering adding a dairy cow to your homestead, the following information will help you purchase and store the hay properly so that it will be a healthy source of nutrition for your cow.

How to Determine How Much Hay Your Cow Will Need

As a rule, most cows will require a minimum of 2 to 2.5 pounds of hay per day for each hundred pounds of body weight. This means that a Jersey cow that weighs 1000 pounds will require a minimum of 20 to 25 pounds of quality hay whenever their pasture is in poor condition or is unavailable, such as during the winter or during times of drought.

When calculating the amount of hay you will need to purchase for each year, determine the number of days you expect pasture condition to make hay supplementation necessary. In addition, always figure in other factors that can influence hay consumption levels, such as:

• whether the cow is dry or lactating
• whether the cow is gestating or nursing a calf
• whether your current hay feeding regimen creates the potential for excessive waste

How to Choose Quality Hay

When choosing which hay to purchase, look for the varieties of hay that offer good nutritional value for you and palatability for the cow. Clovers, lespedeza, orchard grass, timothy and alfalfa are all good choices to consider as a feed for dairy cows.

Visit the hay producer, if possible, and examine the hay they are offering for sale. Avoid hay that appears to have a high content of weeds, hay that was allowed to become wet after baling, hay that smells moldy or appears to be very dusty.

How to Safely Store Hay without a Barn

Because most dairy cows prefer to be fed a consistent diet, it is best to purchase the amount of hay you anticipate that you will need at one time, if possible. If your property does not have a barn or suitable indoor storage area for hay, you can create safe outdoor storage.

To do this, place wooden pallets flat on the ground in a level location that has good drainage. Stack the hay on the pallets in a tight configuration and then cover the entire hay supply with one or more good quality tarps specifically made for hay storage. These tarps will be weather resistant and will feature convenient grommets to aid in securely covering the stacked hay. Consult your hay tarp supplier for assistance in determining the exact size and shape of tarp to best suit your needs.