How to Get a Cow to Eat Hay

Choose the right type of hay. Hay is simply cut sections of a type of grass or legume that has grown tall and is bound together in a square bale or a round bale. There are numerous types of hay grass that is grown and sold in baled form. alfalfa is one of the more popular types to use to feed cattle. Other options include bermuda and buffalo grass. If you are having trouble feeding your cow one type of hay, you may want to switch to another.

Inspect the hay for mold, or signs that the hay is rotting. The mold will appear as a green or black growth on the individual straws and will have a damp, slimy texture to it. Sometimes when a cow doesn't eat hay, there is a very good reason for it. Hay rot will appear often in the center of the bale and the scent will discourage cows from eating the bale. Sometimes small animals like rats, mice and birds will get trapped in the baling process and will be somewhere in the bale decomposing. This scent too will prove not too appetizing for the cow.

Add a flavoring to the hay that will attract the cow to eat. Some farmers use plain salt sprinkled throughout the bale. Other farmers mix one part molasses to two parts water and pour this mixture onto the hay.

Confine the cows to one area where the hay is. Sometimes the cows will eat while grazing, or if the area is large enough, they will eat whatever green leafy plant they can find, leaving you with useless bales of hay. If they have no other options but to eat what is in their pen, often they will begin eating the hay when they get hungry enough.