# round bale feeder



## shelly (Mar 4, 2009)

I am looking into starting to feed in my big pasture with a round bale...I will have 3 mares and hopefully 2 or 3 foals in there around May or June. What I am thinking of doing is putting a round bale on a pallet(to keep off the ground) and putting a kiddie swimming pool on top(to keep rain out)...my question is what to use around the outside to keep them from piggin' out constantly all day long!!!!!




I thought of chicken wire, white snow fencing, etc...WHAT WOULD YOU USE AND WHY??


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## shelly (Mar 4, 2009)

ANYONE Got any ideas?


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## Reble (Mar 4, 2009)

shelly said:


> ANYONE Got any ideas?


Do a search with name: Marty

She has pictures to show how she did her's

My latest Round Bale holder invention

28th January 2009 - 02:46 PM


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## shelly (Mar 4, 2009)

Reble said:


> shelly said:
> 
> 
> > ANYONE Got any ideas?
> ...


thanks Rebel!!


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## shelly (Mar 4, 2009)

Yup, that looks like what I am going to try except for the tarp...I am going to try and secure a kiddie swimming pool over the top. I am a little concerned with the 4"x 4" mesh though...could/would someone get a foot or head(foal) stuck? That is why I suggested chicken wire or rabbit fencing that has 2" x 2" holes!


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## Marty (Mar 4, 2009)

Hi Shelly, this was my first round bale holder little invention: Its up on a small pallet so the hay covers the pallet and no one gets their feet stuck in it. I have two rounds of bungies going around the hay to keep it together and as the bale gets smaller, I just remove a bungy and keep it tight. That will work pretty good until they eat about 2/3's of the hay, then it will just all collapse and thats when I remove the pallet and heep the loose hay up on a pile. I have lots of kiddie pools; I use them by day for playing and drinking and then at night I toss it up on top of the hay bale and the night mositure doesn't get it wet. I do the same if it rains also. Works good for me.






#2 invention is once again up on a pallet and I have a circle of field fencing going around it. No problems with it at all; no one has been stuck. I have to keep pushing the hay down to keep the holes filled up that they make and it works well also. Easy to cover with a tarp for rain.






I did look at snow fencing and the holes were really small, same with chicken wire and that stuff is sharp so that's when I tried some field fencing we had laying around. However, I would not recommend this at all for having a tiny foal around. Call me paranoid, but I can easily see where they could get a little tiny head stuck inside the fencing holes get stuck and smother. I would probably try invention #1 with the bungies if I were going to stay out there and moniter it with a foal around because the horses can push the whole thing over when they get it small enough if they were so inclined. Has not happened here but I think your best bet is not to feed tiny foals from a round bale for safety sake. I'm expecting a foal this year and I don't plan on having the baby exposed to the round bale. I"d be worried all the time.


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## shelly (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks Marty...I will definitely give it serious thought! Maybe I can secure it to a corner of the paddock so they can't push it over!


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## The Simple Life Farm (Mar 5, 2009)

I pass by a farm that has a round bale in a hay rack similar to the square bale racks, just bigger. I would think it could be easily made from pipe or wood.


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## RKG miniatures (Mar 7, 2009)

shelly said:


> I am looking into starting to feed in my big pasture with a round bale...I will have 3 mares and hopefully 2 or 3 foals in there around May or June. What I am thinking of doing is putting a round bale on a pallet(to keep off the ground) and putting a kiddie swimming pool on top(to keep rain out)...my question is what to use around the outside to keep them from piggin' out constantly all day long!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> I thought of chicken wire, white snow fencing, etc...WHAT WOULD YOU USE AND WHY??


I have found minis will overeat if you give them a round bale. Mine look like they are about to give birth and this includes the geldings. I had to switch to daily hay instead. It may work for you but watch them carefully for unhealthy weight gain after you start.


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## shelly (Mar 7, 2009)

RKG miniatures said:


> shelly said:
> 
> 
> > I am looking into starting to feed in my big pasture with a round bale...I will have 3 mares and hopefully 2 or 3 foals in there around May or June. What I am thinking of doing is putting a round bale on a pallet(to keep off the ground) and putting a kiddie swimming pool on top(to keep rain out)...my question is what to use around the outside to keep them from piggin' out constantly all day long!!!!!
> ...


Thanks...I will be watching for sure! Hopefully putting the fencing around it will limit them from overeating too much!


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## Laura (Mar 7, 2009)

RKG miniatures said:


> shelly said:
> 
> 
> > I am looking into starting to feed in my big pasture with a round bale...I will have 3 mares and hopefully 2 or 3 foals in there around May or June. What I am thinking of doing is putting a round bale on a pallet(to keep off the ground) and putting a kiddie swimming pool on top(to keep rain out)...my question is what to use around the outside to keep them from piggin' out constantly all day long!!!!!
> ...


We don't have that problem with ours. They gorge at first, but once they realize it's not leaving, all of ours settle down.


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## rabbitsfizz (Mar 8, 2009)

I have had the same experience as Laura, I have always used ad lib hay and I have never had any problems.

I switched over to this method of feeding when it became hard to do all the work with the Arabs, in the morning, allowing them ad lib hay meant I did not have to do all the hay racks in the morning.

Yes, they ate heavily for two days, then they settled down and in fact ate slightly less than usual.

I do know some animals _will_ just eat for the sake of it, I have one at the moment, but even she has settled a bit and wanders off to graze where she would normally just stand and eat hay all night!!

I think it depends on the mental attitude of the horses concerned


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