Forage is a valuable resource which is relatively easy and economical to produce as baled hay. Traditional methods for feeding hay on the ground or in hay feeders, however, are subject to high levels of waste that can exceed 30 %, and permit sorting and ingredient selection that can dramatically limit animal performance.
Alternatively, research and experience have shown that processing hay and mixing it with other ingredients in a TMR mixer economically decreases waste and increases animal performance.
In some areas this has been accomplished by processing the hay separately using a high-capacity tub grinder and then mixing it in a horizontal style (e.g., four-auger) mixer, which has a limited ability to process and mix long forage, to make a nutritionally balanced ration.
Alternatively, these two functions can be combined by using a vertical-auger TMR (Total Mixed Ration) mixer, but there have been concerns that the longer processing time required per bale makes this less desirable.
The following shows that the unique ability of the Jaylor TMR mixer to process bales and make a mix in a minimum amount of time makes it a viable alternative to tub grinding hay.
Cost of Tub Grinding
The cost of processing hay to a given particle size is a function of machine design, energy input, and time. Most people would agree that the most efficient way to process hay is to use a high-capacity tub grinder.
A representative quote out of Alberta for this service was $450 per hour processing plus $250 per hour travel time, for which one should be able to process 50-60, 5’x6’ round bales weighing 1,200 lbs. per hour, or about a bale a minute.
In addition, it is recommended to only process up to a one-month supply at a time to minimize spoilage and storage losses. This means that the cost of processing hay for a 100-cow herd being fed 24 lbs. of hay per head per day (approx. 60 bales per month) would be $12.35 per bale; for a 200-cow herd it would be $10.27 per bale, so scale makes a difference due to the travel cost.
However, tub grinding is not without waste, or shrink, itself. There are drift losses while processing, further storage losses from weather and spoilage, and then additional drift losses while loading the TMR mixer, all of which can be significant depending on the velocity and direction of the wind.
One producer claimed that his hay consumption decreased by about 30% when he ground his hay into a storage facility versus outdoors. Though no research data appears to exist regarding the shrink losses associated with tub grinding, most producers would agree that it likely exceeds 10% of the bale weight.
At a value of $100 per bale, 10% shrink would amount to a cost of at least $10 per bale. Added to the processing cost, it would appear that the net cost of tub grinding, not including the loader cost, would be at least $20 per bale for most herds.
Jaylor Mixer Processing Cost
With a Jaylor TMR mixer, such as a 5750 or 5850 twin-auger mixer, it will usually take about 15 minutes of processing time over and above the standard 3-5 minutes final mix time to incorporate 2, 5’x6’ round bales into a TMR.
This seems like a long time relative to tub grinding, but we must consider this relative to the mixing time with the horizontal mixer using tub-ground hay
With the Jaylor vertical mixer it will take about 3 minutes total to load the bales as the first ingredients. During the remaining processing time, other ingredients such as silage, grains, supplements and/or premix will be added to the mix.
The horizonal mixer, in turn, must also be running at speed while it is loaded, first with grains, supplements and/or premix, then silage (if any), and finally with the ground hay. The loading time for all the ingredients will be similar between the two mixers, except the ground hay, which will take two to three times longer to load due to its physical characteristics.
If we say it conservatively takes 10 minutes to load the horizontal mixer, it only takes a net, 5 minutes of extra processing/loading time to complete the Jaylor mix, as final mixing time should be the same for both mixers.
Finally, if we say it costs $100 an hour for a tractor to run the mixer, the net cost to process the bales with the Jaylor mixer is only $8.33 per load ((5 min)/(60 min/hour)x($100/hour), or $4.17 per bale. As there is essentially no waste (shrink) when processing bales with a Jaylor TMR mixer, it could save the equivalent of over $30 per load compared with tub grinding, and that’s a nice return on time, Because Nutrition Matters™.
| Category | Tub Grinder | Jaylor TMR Mixer |
|---|---|---|
| Processing cost ($/bale) | $10.27 | $4.17 |
| Waste (shrink) (10%, $/bale) | $10.00 | $0.00 |
| Total cost ($/bale) | $20.27 | $4.17 |
| Savings ($/bale) | – | $16.10 |
| Savings (2 bales, $/load) | – | $32.20 |
