To encourage cows to eat low-quality hay, you can consider a few strategies:

1. Supplementation: Providing supplemental feeds, especially those rich in protein, can make low-quality hays more digestible and increase passage rate. For example, enhancing low protein hays with a high protein supplement can provide essential nutrients that might be lacking in the hay [¹].

2. Mix with Better Quality Forage: Mixing low-quality hay with better quality hay can encourage cows to consume more of the lower quality. This method utilizes the appeal of better forage to stimulate intake of the less desirable hay [ ^2,4].

3. Behavioral Management: Try to minimize competition for feed among cows as this can lead to stress and reduced forage intake. Providing adequate bunk space and ensuring that cows have access to hay without overcrowding can improve consumption rates [¹].

4. Ammoniation: Treatment of low-quality hay with ammonium can significantly increase its crude protein levels and improve digestibility, making it more appealing to cattle. This process can enhance consumption by 15 to 20 percent and can make low-quality hays equivalent to better quality forages in feed value [³].

5. Long Stem Hay vs Processed Hay: Offering low-quality hay in long stem form might encourage cows to chew their cud, thereby increasing consumption through natural feeding behaviors during extreme cold weather. Processing hay into smaller particle size tends to increase consumption by increasing digestion rate and passage through the digestive tract [¹].

By employing these strategies, you can improve the likelihood of your cows consuming low-quality hay. If you need more tailored advice, consider reaching out to your local extension office in Oklahoma for specific recommendations based on your situation.

 References:

¹ https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/drylot-beef-cow-calf-production

² https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AN339

³ https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/ammoniation-of-low-quality-roughages.html

⁴ https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/ag-topics/livestock/beef/nutrition-and-feeding/short-supply-hay-may-make-grain-economical