Hay Prices!! OUCH

[O So]

My feed store that had that great hay mid winter last year, finally got some of it back in. So we went down today to buy 10 bales. Got there and looked at it and it wasn't as nice as the last stuff. I am guessing because of what cutting it is now compared to what it was when I last bought it. I still wanted the 10 bales anyway because I liked where they get it from.

After checking it out I went back in and told the guy I wanted 10 bales. So he rung me up and gave me a total! I about fell on the floor! Last time I bought hay (better quality) from him it was about 15 bucks a bale. Now it is 21.60 dollars a bale, and not even as good of quality then the other stuff!

216.00 later I was on my way home with my gold! LOL Good thing this should last me at leas 5 months. So it works out to be about 10 dollars a week.

I figure I will wait a few months and check back with them to see if they have any of that better stuff I got back in mid winter. I don't mind paying 21 bucks a bale for that stuff, it was good stuff. Watch, by then it will probably be 30 bucks a bale!.

The guy said it is a bad year for hay. I was thinking, no kidding! This stuff is not that great and costs a fortune!

I did figure out that I should be able to keep about 18 to 20 bales on hand. We can stack 12 bales under the carport and another 6 or so in the barn area.

 

[Genie]

What size are these bales?

 

[Magic]

It's supposed to be an expensive year for hay here too, because of the floods that have covered so many hay fields in water for weeks on end, and then it rained so much so late into the year that almost no one could cut first crop until just three days ago.

Hay will likely be twice the price it was last year. OUCH is right!

 

[weerunner]

I'd also liketo know the size of these bales. How can you feed two minis hay for 6 months on 10 bales of hay. Here a bale weighs 50 pounds and would last my 10 minis 1 day. You must be talking about those great big rectangle bales that weigh 200 lbs.

amanda

 

[O So]

Here's my stacks!

I am going to ad a half pallet where that bale is leaning on the other pile. Then I can stack 4 or 5 more bales there.

Here is a closer pic of one of the bales. Looking from the front it is 16" tall, 2 foot wide, and 4 foot long. Can't say how much it weights, but I can somewhat handle them buy myself. Although most of the handling is by using leverage more then picking it up, although I can pick it up but not for long!

My guy's only weigh 145 - 150 lbs. O So may way a little more. He weighed 147 lbs when he was gelded back in the fall of this year. He is a little more chubby now then back then but I doubt he is to much more heavier, maybe 180 or so if that. My vet told me he only wanted me to feed O So about a pound and a half a DAY!! That is not much hay at all. So I have been pretty much free feeding them because that is what the majority here said I should do. I do weigh the hay I feed. They get 4 feedings and the feedings weigh a pound each. There is always hay left in the feeders when I feed the next batch. I also periodically throw about a pound or so out in the yard, extra. I spread it all over so they can get a grazing atmosphere out of it. I do this maybe 3 or so time a week. Some times more, just depends on how busy I am. They also get to graze in the new arena area too. That is only once or maybe twice a week though for about an hour.

So that means they are getting a little over 4 lbs of hay a day. I have always heard that one should feed 1 and a half to 2 percent of their body weight. If that was the case ( unless I did my math wrong) they should only be getting about a pound and a half to 2 pounds a day, right? That would mean my hay would last me more like a year if I only fed that much a day!

O So is 28 inches tall and Pippin is 27 inches.

I actually think O So is getting to much hay now. He is looking pretty plump. Specially in his hip area ( the area just before his back legs, can't remember the term for that spot).

The 5 month thing is an estimate anyway. The last time I actually paid attention to how long a bale lasted me, it was roughly two weeks. So that is a give or take number, just depends on how heavy the hay weighs to how much is actually in a pound. If that made since? It should definitely last me 4 months for sure!

 

[O So]

I didn't look to see if you show where you're from, but if you have a TSC company near you, you might check there.

I have been purchasing the most beautiful Canadian compressed Alfalfa bales from them at about $12.00 since last fall. For a non-compressed (light) bales of Alfalfa at the Purina Feed Store I was paying over $18.00 a bale, and having to feed multiple bales to keep everyone chewing.

I'm very happy with the Canadian alfalfa, it smells delightful -- like an open field, and is just FULL of leaves -- it about falls apart as you're separating it into flakes!! The horses clean it right up -- not leaving a morsel. They are always chewing the last few leaves when I put the next ration down.

.

I am in Sacramento CA. I think the closest TSC is about 40 miles from me. I will have to make a drive over there one day and check them out. Hopefully I can refrain from buying to much other stuff with there! LOL

 

[Genie]

They look like our bales that weigh about 50 pounds.

We usually pay around 3.00 a bale for a timothy alfalfa mix. We don't have our hay yet due to the rain that won't stop for long enough to do the job.

Hopefully next week. No wonder you say "ouch"....that's a lot to pay.

 

[~Lisa~]

When I was in So Cal..the bales were 3 strand generally around 100-120 lbs a bale

 

[iowa]

Here in Iowa I will have to pay $5.00 for a 50-60 lb bale of alfalfa, delivered and stacked in the barn. It is up from $4.00 a bale because corn is $6.00 to $7.00 a bushel and they had to raise the hay prices to keep from taking the hay field and turning it in to a corn field. This is what the hay/corn farmer told me anyway. Also we are having major flooding along the Missouri River and it is taking land out of production, some of which was alfalfa. I also usually feed some grass round bales, but because a terrific wind or small tornado destroyed my hay barn last week, I will have to switch to bales. They run about $3.50 per bale. I know my hay is not expensive compared to many parts of the country. Guess that's a good reason to live in the Midwest!

 

[bluerogue]

Bales here in California are usually 100 pounds or so. I got hay this morning, and we paid $11 a bale, but we buy straight from the grower. It's a lovely mostly alfalfa and grass mix. My mares were very happy to see us stacking it!

 

[bevann]

From what I can see in your photos it looks to be very nice. My take on hay is that I would rather pay more for good stuff they will finish than buy cheaper hay that they won't clean up.Then I have to clean up the leftovers , more time for me and more cost to throw it away.We planted a new hay field this year and have no rain so I will be buying hay.got about 30 bales last week of really nice grass for $5.50 a bale weighs about 40-50 lbs.Hoping my supplier about 60 miles away will have nice 2nd cutting Blue grass/alfalfa mix for me.1st cutting was too stemmy for me.

 

[Sandy B]

If you are buying them from a local Sacramento feed store and they are 3 string bales, they are usually about 100-115+ pounds each (bale). It looks to me like you bought a very nice Orchard Grass Hay. I just checked hay prices today in Auburn at Echo Valley while I was there buying salt & mineral blocks and they have a beautiful Meadow Grass hay averaging 110#'s for $15.99 a bale. They also have nice 110-115# alfalfa for $17.99 a bale. If you weigh your truck or trailer, you will get ton price on the hay. The minimum you save on 6 bales or more in .50 cents. I have weighed and saved up to $2.00 a bale recently on Orchard & Alfalfa from there. Also, Ross Hay Ranch(in Lincoln) has nice alfalfa for $12.00 a bale, they are about 105-110 pounds each. He also has a 4 way forage hay for $11 a bale. Douglas Ranch in Roseville always has great hay prices too. I hear River Valley Feed in Rio Linda also is competitive. I would price shop!

 

[lucky seven]

We pay about $4.50 for a bale the size of yours. We get about 10 at a time to put in an amish shed. I feed one mini and one full size horse. It sure is easier to feed the little guy.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Between flood and drought, is anyone having a "normal" hay year so far???

 

[O So]

If you are buying them from a local Sacramento feed store and they are 3 string bales, they are usually about 100-115+ pounds each (bale). It looks to me like you bought a very nice Orchard Grass Hay. I just checked hay prices today in Auburn at Echo Valley while I was there buying salt & mineral blocks and they have a beautiful Meadow Grass hay averaging 110#'s for $15.99 a bale. They also have nice 110-115# alfalfa for $17.99 a bale. If you weigh your truck or trailer, you will get ton price on the hay. The minimum you save on 6 bales or more in .50 cents. I have weighed and saved up to $2.00 a bale recently on Orchard & Alfalfa from there. Also, Ross Hay Ranch(in Lincoln) has nice alfalfa for $12.00 a bale, they are about 105-110 pounds each. He also has a 4 way forage hay for $11 a bale. Douglas Ranch in Roseville always has great hay prices too. I hear River Valley Feed in Rio Linda also is competitive. I would price shop!

Yah, I bought it at Elverta Feed. I didn't price it because I didn't realize it was that much until he told me the total. LOL I wanted to buy from him because I really loved his hay he had before. He gets it from the Tuly (sp) Lake area.

The hay is nice hay, but I think it must be first cutting. It has the tops of the orchard grass and bigger stems. The stuff I bought last fall was smaller stemmed and had no orchard hay tops. (The little seed or flower things.) It is alfalfa and orchard grass mix.

I can't wait till he gets a second cutting hay, I want to see if it is the same as last fall. I will probably buy at least 15 or more bales of that. Even if I have to stack it higher or find another location to store some.

What is the 4 way forage hay? I was thinking of feeding the orchard/alfalfa mixed hay for their main feeds, and then use just plain grass hay for spreading out in the yards for the grazing atmosphere. I was thinking they wouldn't gain much weight that way. Would this 4 way forage hay work for something like that? Course, I could be just faking myself out by thinking they won't gain weight if I feed just a grass hay for grazing? LOL

 

[chandab]

Between flood and drought, is anyone having a "normal" hay year so far???

I'll let you know when we try to start harvesting. So far, spring has been pretty wet, but we are just now starting to creep up on haying season; we start swathing sometime this upcoming week. [unless it rains again.]

 

[kaykay]

I would have a heart attack if I paid that and a whole lot less horses lol.

We pay 3.00 for alfalfa grass mix that are about 50 to 60 lbs each

 

[GrullaBlue]

It doesn't say where you're located, and I suppose location can mean a lot, but in my Midwest mind, there's no way in !@*(&$@! I'd pay that kinda money if I didn't have to!! Have you looked into private growers vs. the feed store? Of course the feed store is making money on that hay that they paid less for...that's how they make their money.

We grow our own hay, and I sell extra that we'll have, same size bales as it looks like yours are, for $3 per bale. I, too, wondered how that little hay could last you so long, but I've seen pictures of Oso...and he's definitely not hurting for food! LOL I imagine they graze in there too...and thought you also gave them a complete feed...so the hay is a bonus if I remember right.

To the person who asked, I'm in S. WI and we have already had 1st crop off the ground for nearly three weeks...with 2nd crop already growing well. Looking like it's could be a decent hay crop for us this year...and unless we get a nasty drought, we could get 4 crops of our fields this year...

What state are you in? I just don't see how they can get by charging so darn much!!

 

[chandab]

It still gets me, that in most other areas people pay for hay by the bale; I buy it by the ton from the grower, feed stores don't carry hay around here (heck, I barely have a feed store, I get feed at the grain elevator and also order from a ranch supply store that delivers monthly to my area). I don't know what it'll be this year, but last year I paid $100/ton for roughly 70# bales of grass/alfalfa mix, so I think it comes out to about $3.50/bale; and this spring I bought two round bales almost straight grass from a neighbor at $75/ton (1300# bales, so roughly $50/bale). With the extremely wet spring, many hay fields are flooded, so what hay is available, I'm sure will be very expensive (at least compared to normal for us).

 

[mydaddysjag]

Im always so impressed when I see that people can buy hay in stores. Here you go straight to the farm to get it, and its usually cheaper if you go the day they bale and either take it out of the field or off of the wagon. The bad part is having to find somewhere to store a winters worth of hay if you have just one or two horses and a small area. The big advantage is I pay anywhere between $2.75 for grass to $5 for alfalfa in 50lb bales.