How do you estimate how much feed you need?
Start with the number and type of animals, how long you expect to feed, and a margin for a long winter. Animals need more energy in the cold, so plan above your average. Check with your extension office or veterinarian for typical intake figures for your species, since these depend on size, age, stage of production and weather.
Count what you have in storage and what you can buy. If you come up short, decide early whether to buy more feed or reduce herd size. Prices and availability change, and early decisions are cheaper.
Extra hay is cheaper than an emergency call or a thin herd in March, so a safety margin is rarely wasted.
Why test your hay?
Hay can look good and still be low in nutrition. A forage test through a lab, which your extension office can help arrange, tells you protein and energy content so you can match feed to animal needs. It can reveal when a supplement is needed, and when it is not.
Test different cuttings and fields separately, and store them so you can tell them apart.
Ask your extension office about a lab they recommend for forage tests, and ask how to read the results, since the numbers are only useful if you know what they mean for your animals.
- Sample each lot of hay
- Match the feed to animal stage and condition
- Store lots separately and label them
- Ask the extension office how to take a good sample
How do you reduce waste?
Hay left in the mud or trampled is hay lost. Feeders reduce waste, as does feeding only what animals will clean up. Store hay off the ground and under cover where possible, because rain and snow ruin bales. Put feed areas on well-drained ground and move them occasionally so mud does not build up.
Waste adds up over a winter. A modest investment in feeders and storage often pays off quickly.
Round bales fed in rings, or hay fed in smaller portions, can change how much animals eat and waste, so watch what works with your animals.
How do you watch body condition?
Weight and body condition tell you more than any chart. Learn to assess condition by sight and touch, with help from your veterinarian or extension office. Heavy winter coats can hide thin animals, so feel along the ribs, spine and hips. Adjust feed when you see changes, and separate thin or timid animals so they can eat in peace.
Pregnant and nursing animals need special attention. Ask your vet about feeding plans for them.
Do a hands-on body condition check every few weeks, and write the results down so you can see slow changes. Group animals by need when you can. Thin, young or older animals often do better apart from larger, more dominant herd mates at the feeder.
What about supplements, minerals and water?
Hay alone sometimes lacks needed minerals or protein, and the right supplement depends on your forage and your animals. Over-supplementing can be wasteful or harmful, and some products suit one species but are toxic to another. Ask your veterinarian or extension nutrition specialist before adding anything.
Water is part of nutrition. Animals will eat less if water is frozen or too cold, so see that it stays open and clean.
Salt and mineral access should stay consistent through winter even if animals eat less of it, so keep supplies dry and available.
How do you keep feed safe?
Moldy hay, spoiled grain and feed contaminated with rodents or chemicals can harm animals. Check feed before you serve it, and never feed obviously moldy material. Store grain in rodent-proof, dry containers away from animal access, since animals that break into a grain bin can become seriously ill. Call your vet right away if this occurs.
Be careful with fuel and chemicals near feed, and keep them separate.
Rotate older feed to the front and use it first, and keep a log of what you opened and when, so spoilage never goes unnoticed.
What can you do to prepare next year?
Review how this winter went. Note how much feed you used, how the animals looked and what you wasted. Plan pasture rest, hay fields and stockpiled forage to reduce reliance on purchased feed. Extension and NRCS offices can advise on pasture management and stockpiling, and USDA service centers may know about programs that support conservation grazing practices.
Write your numbers down. Next fall, they will be worth more than anyone's guess.
Key takeaways
- Estimate feed by animals, days and a safety margin for cold and a long winter.
- Test your hay so you know what you are really feeding.
- Cut waste with feeders, drainage and covered storage.
- Watch body condition by hand and call your vet or extension office about supplements.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Rural Farm Life Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.