Another round bale question! :)

[wingnut]

I want to experiment with round bales this winter. I like to essentially free feed hay during the colder months here (Nov-Mar).

I like the idea of the Bale Buddy brand covers because I really don't have a good option for "protecting" the bale otherwise (i.e, no covered area to keep it from the elements). At the same time, I really like the idea of the slow nets to go over the bales. I thought of possibly buying both and have sent off an email to the manufacturer to see if that's possible. Between the two though, I'm looking at a pretty expensive proposition just to see if its something that works for me ($300+ before shipping).

Has anyone else done this, using both products at once? Or did you find the Bale Buddy did the job of slowing them down a bit? I'm also considering using some round pen panels we have (bargain on Craigslist...just need 4 more to actually have a useable training round pen) to create a way to close them off from the bale if I think they're eating too much at once.

Your thoughts?

P.S. I'm feeding 4 horses, ages 14, 4, 3 and 3.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

This will be my first year with letting the horses eat directly from the round bale (in the past I just hand fed several times a day) and what I plan (still need to make the tarp cover) is to use the net on the bale so they can't eat to much too fast and remove them after a bout 3 hours (I'll be timing it by how long it takes for 2 geldings that are not permitted to share with the rest to eat the weighed net they are given) When the horses are not eating I plan to have a tarp with a small rope sewn into it that I can pull over the bale and snug up at the bottom (like a draw string bag) to keep the snow off. On the subject of bale buddies, I have not tried one but one of my neighbours used one all one winter for his saddle horses and I watched how that went.The horses walked on it as the bale got smaller and it (the net) was often stomped into the snow/mud. I watched him struggle to pull it out when it was frozen into the packed snow when it needed refilling etc. and decided that altho it is possible that a person could find solutions to the problems it presented it sure wasn't a perfect system and I wasn't inclined to try it, he never used it after that one winter either. Just my observation.

 

[wingnut]

That is an interesting observation...definitely something to consider. Our winters are generally milder than you probably experience in BC so I might not run into that problem as much, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility either. Thanks!

 

[ohmt]

Not sure where you are located wingnut, but do you have cold winters with snow? If so, snow is the best cover there is. Putting a tarp over traps moisture and can cause melting which in turn can cause molding. With so few horses eating from it, I would skip that. The panels are a great idea to keep the hay somewhat in one area. There is always waste from round bales, you just cannot bypass it. I use cattle feeders which saves the most hay, but they are expensive aand again, with so few probably not worth it. With our cold temps, we do not restrict the hay at all and our horses do great. The mares come out of winter a little heavy, but that is perfect for me I Anyway, back to the snow-you usually can't use the very outer layer of the hay anyway. We let the snow cover it and it is the best protection .

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

ohmt, not to argue with you but here it gets and stays so cold that snow will not melt under a tarp. Things that are frozen stay that way for months unless heat is added so our bales will not, have never molded. The tarping makes it possible to keep the bale from being lost if we get a heavy snowfall after it is half gone or so (I have seen it happen) We too used round bale feeders (cattle feeders) when we had saddle horses/cattle but found the minis could not reach the centre so couldn't use the whole bale unless we were willing to struggle with getting the hay from the centre to the outside. Since I am attempting to simplify my winter work load I decided that wasn't the answer for me. Also since we store our bales in a shelter as soon as they are ready most years they stay dry and we don't have to waste the outer layer (there have been years where we can't put them in until they dry and then, yes the outer layers are not horse feed) Things are different depending on climate tho, here it is cold and dry most winters. Even our snow which is plentiful tends to be powder not heavy and wet.

 

[Jetiki]

I know someone that used a hockey net with much success, much cheaper than the ones labeled for horses.

 

[Ashley]

I always used to put a hog panel around mine. Never covered them and let them have 24/7 access. At first they go through a bit more but once they realized they werent going to run out they ate at a more normal pace.

 

[ohmt]

Living in ND, I'm betting our winters are rather similar. Just what we have found here and we also store ours inside until ready to use, but still feel as though the outside is not horse quality. If a cattle feeder does not work (though it has worked with ours 26.5"-34.5"), tire feeders work as well and the bales fit perfectly inside if put on their side.

 

[hoofhearted]

I live in the Piedmont of NC..we have snow and ice, but can have warm days (50-60s) between..snow melts after a couple of days. I don't need to heat my water, just break the ice with a stick, though the hose have from house to barn (don't ask, LOL) freezes unless it is in the sun for a long time. Many of our hay providers have switched to round bales..the square balers need more upkeep, and cost a fortune to buy new. Round bales can be done by one person from a tractor, from mowing to raking, to baling and loading. It's a big help when there is no help around, or the kids have left for school or marriage.

There are bales of horse hay out there, but you have to really, really know the grower, or know how to check for yourself to know if the hay is good, mixed with weeds, or had been rained on before being rolled, or was rolled wet. Locally, they tell you what you want to hear. Want horse hay? Sure, it's great horse quality! Feeding cows? The same $45 bale will be $25. lol.

The best answer is to watch the fields your hay comes from, if you can. I stake out a field that looks clean, watch the weather, and watch it being rolled. As with square bales, buying from the field is cheaper, plus you can usually count on the hay being from that field, unless someone has thought to mix older bales with the new, just to sell them (lots of work for no return though, but has happened)

When we found our horses, they were being fed from round bales, which here means cow quality hay, with unknown stuff included. Laid on their sides, they shed water fairly well, but once eaten into, or left on end, they absorb water. When a warm day comes along they can mold..and they do..no problem for the cows, not so for horses.

We have used round bales as a filler mostly, because after a bout of rain/warm/rain/snow/ melt/warm..the nutritional value is gone. Whet they are doing is getting nutrition from the regular twice a day feedings, and keeping full and mouths busy with the round bale.

I have in the past put the round bale in the barn..what I end up with is safe hay, no one stuck in a net or crossed up in a bale feeder, but a barn passage full of frozen manure. Not happy, but I knew what they were eating. I will add that our horses were in a lot with at least 50 others..all but one round bale were under cover, be it a run in 'barn' or one of several car ports throughout the pasture.

I don't know the health of his horses over the years..none had ever seen a vet, or farrier, been bathed or groomed. Ever. They are sweet, because that is the way they are, though we work every day to get them socialized. We put a lot of sweat into helping our little herd become healthy and happy, and we love them all. I would be hard pressed to put them on a round bale in our conditions now, unless I had no choice. If we ever have $15 square bales again, I will likely feed round bales, but under protest. Though even they were so high that year($100), people dumped herds of cows into the market.

Know your hay, know your hay supplier, and do what you can to keep it dry for equine.

Just what I have learned over the years, I am not an expert as are many of you good folks!

 

[jacks'thunder]

Living in ND, I'm betting our winters are rather similar. Just what we have found here and we also store ours inside until ready to use, but still feel as though the outside is not horse quality. If a cattle feeder does not work (though it has worked with ours 26.5"-34.5"), tire feeders work as well and the bales fit perfectly inside if put on their side.

Could you please tell me what a Tire Feeder is? Would you have a picture? Thanks!

 

[wingnut]

Lots of great info!!! Thanks everyone.

Maryland weather is closer to the North Carolina weather that Hoofhearted described, though we probably have less 50-60 degree days than they do because we're further north. Some years we have a pretty regular amount of snow but many years, like last winter, we had no major storms and only a couple of times where we got a "dusting". It's definitely wetter here that what Reignmaker describes for her area of BC. When we have snow, it's usually very wet. We're always worried about big storms not because of how many inches (though that's a concern) but how the wet snow will weigh down trees and bring down power lines. Which also means we can have issues with ice too. We're more likely to experience the mold issues Hoofhearted mentions as a result.

We have talked about putting the bale into one of our stalls, but our stalls are 6x12 and 5x12. I can easily envision my one horse standing at the front of the stall and now allowing anyone else near it. They couldn't get around it either until it was eaten down. I guess we *could* pull out the dividers but then I lose the stall space and having that space makes things easier for me when I need to separate them.

You've all given me many things to consider...thanks!!

 

[chandab]

Could you please tell me what a Tire Feeder is? Would you have a picture? Thanks!

An inverted tractor tire. Here's a link to a picture:

http://www.agriculture.com/livestock/cattle/health/maintain-tire-feeders_280-ar25564