Feeding Cows Like they did in the 1800s

In the 1800s there were times that it was hard to keep your animals fed during harsh winters in the north.  Fortunately, someone smart determined that Mammoth Red Mangel beets was an answer to help feed livestock until the Spring grasses came in.  Farmers would plant fields of these things. They are called 'mammoth' for a reason.  They grow up to two feet long and up to 20 lbs!

I bought some seeds just to try them out and each year I plant a row of them.  They grow large and have an enormous, sweet beetroot and lots of edible leaves that both the cows, chickens, and goats enjoy.  I picked this one just to give the cows a little snack to go along with their nightly ration.

Behold the Mammoth Red Mangel beet

Now this one didn't get two feet long and it didn't weigh 20 lbs when I picked it.  It is time that I pull the beets up and feed them to the cows to make room to plant okra in the garden, so I'm pulling the beets before they are full grown.  Maybe this fall I'll plant them earlier so that the beets have time to reach their full growth potential.  I'd like to see if I could grow one that weighed 20 lbs. or so.

Sweet Snack for the cows

In similar fashion to the way we do with turnips, I slice the huge beets into 1 inch thick disks and then slice them into quarters.  The cows are gluttonous and will eat the things whole if you let them, and I don't want them to choke.

Sliced up and ready to eat

Tricia gave each of the cows bite-sized pieces of the mammoth red mangel beets and they were very happy.

Daisy is enjoying a sweet snack!

The beets are very sweet.  I didn't try to eat them, but I did lick one of the pieces and it was sugary sweet.  No wonder the cows love to eat them.  Fortunately, the grass is growing, enabling the cows to have grass to eat, but they are eating it almost as fast as it grows.  All three of them are pregnant and those girls can flat out eat lots of grass.  The beets provide a little sweet dessert for them.