Picky bovines

I have some cattle (Scottish Higland) that are turning their noses up at some round bales of alfalfa. They ate the stuff all winter long, but now they don't want it. We haven't had rain in almost two months, so I'm feeding hay. They are getting downright rude about it. They will stand looking at me mooing with their backs to a bale of alfalfa and when I break down and give them some grass hay they devour it. I'd really like to use up the alfalfa. It has been kept dry the whole time and is still green.

Has anyone experienced this before? Maybe they just know what they need...

Chris

Chris,

They do know what they need. Alfalfa is very high in protein. Grass is lower. Grass has more hydrogen (energy), which is why they like that. How many acres do you have? You might want to consider improving your grazing management in addition to destocking. Cattle prices are low right now due to the drought and corn prices, so I wouldn't recommend selling. Could you ask a neighbor if you could graze their unused pasture? It's easy to control their grazing with portable electric fencing. Hope that helps, thanks!

Chris