Looking for advice...free feeding hay

[GlacierRidge]

Hi,

I know it's fairly common in my area for people to throw round bales or large squares out to their big horses. I have done it too, but I reserve it for certain circumstances, if we are going away, or real cold snaps when I want to make sure the horses don't run out, and to help save on my small bale stash, since we have to store our hay off-site, and haul in a months' supply at a time.

However...I have a bit of a predicament here.... I have more critters in my mini paddock than I've ever had....three mini donkeys, two mini horse geldings, and two pygmy goats. They pretty much have hay in front of them all the time in these cold, snowcovered winter months, but fed in two meals a day. They usually don't quite run out. I don't feed them real rich, alfalfa hay, its grass hay.

My husband earned a trip through work that is really hard for us to pass up. REALLY hard. It's only 4 days we would be gone. We're still in the thinking stages, but an opportunity like this probably won't come up again.

I would like to make it as easy as possible for a caregiver. I would put a big square out for my big horses....which is not a big deal. But I would like to be able to have someone just come out once a day if possible. I have people to ask, but the morning feeding would be pretty difficult for them to come out here for.

Does anyone have their minis feeding off round bales or large squares? I do large squares myself, and they are the best there is. I would actually need to see if he had some that weren't so nice. I know you gotta watch who they come from, you never know what's on the inside, but I've never gotten a bad bale from my guy yet....he's awesome to do business with, and a personal friend of the family, I trust him.

But I would need to see if he had anything that's as rich as what I've bought from him in the past. I'm just wondering if people have fed round or large squares for their minis? I know these guys wouldn't finish it in a good amount of time I"m sure, but I'd be willing to, when I get home, start breaking it apart, and bringing what I can into the barn. Or seeing if I can find a smaller round bale, or smaller "large" square, or something.

Just looking for ideas here. We don't have a feeder. I told my hubby, if we did take this trip, and we didn't do the big bale, he would have to make a feeder, and QUICK!

ANgie

 

[muffntuf]

I gave in this year and are using 4X4's in two of my pastures. It's been too cold and too much snow! They have been doing very well with them. I do not have feeders either. I make sure I cut the twines that hold the round bales together.

There will be some mess to clean up in the spring, but I am happy I have done this. I don't think I could make it through this winter without them. Keeps hay in front of them on the colder days. i have not seen them get overly fat either.

I wouldn't worry about putting 1/2 big square out for them in their pasture. I would make sure the person who takes care of them at night gives them fresh water every night and makes sure they have enough to get through the next day.

Go ON VACATION!

 

[Boinky]

i feed round bales every winter and love them. can't believe i didn't go to round bales a lot sooner (have been doing it maybe 5 or 6 years now). I currently have 6 mini's that i'm feeding hay and they go through one 4X4 bale a week. it's so much easier and like you are planning to do, I can go away on trips if i need to. I just fill my 100gallon water tank with a heater in it make sure they have plenty of roundbales for the estimated time i'm going and no one really has to do anything. I usually have people drop by to do a head count and make sure no one is mortally wounded..but otherwise there is not much care involved... I've never had a horse overeat on them..it's no real different than what your doing right now.if the horse has hay 24/7 even if it's from squares they are not likely to eat anymore than they are now and i think in a way it's more occupying to graze from a roundbale that they have to actually pull and work slightly to get they hay off of it.

 

[Leeana]

If you would rather not let them eat at the bale 24/7, how we have ours set up is we have a roundpen panel that blocks the hay off...we let them in to eat on the bale a few hours in the AM and a few hours in the PM and then close the panels to the bale, that way they are not eating 24/7. Round bales are sooo convientiant.

 

[Marty]

I hate round bales but I do have them! I cut the strings and go around them with bungies so they don't fall apart easily.

Mine are in a paddock. When I want them to have it I open the gates and in they go.

When they have had enough I run them back out and close the gate.

Works for me but they are still messy and a pain to keep together.

 

[h2t99]

Use a hog panel!! You can bunge the panel around the bale, they work great!! Go on vacation!!!

 

[GlacierRidge]

Thanks much for the input! I just feel bad asking someone to come out and do my barn chores in the middle of winter, ya know? While I'm vacationing on a beach somewhere really warm! But....jeez, we never get to do this.......and I thought if I could do things to make it easier on my caretaker...

My farm is situated around my family....my grandfather, who really isn't physically able to do the chores comfortably (shhh...don't tell him that), drives by several times a day, so the critters would always have an eye on them. Just would be needing someone to check on them close up, make sure the waterers are working (heated auto waterers), etc.... I have house pets too...but my mom can do that...she's just not a horse person, and with her allergies, I'd never ask her to be around the hay anyway.

But I believe I will look into this for my little guys, just for this occasion. Just so I can monitor, I would probably start them off much sooner, so I can supervise, see how it's going to go...

The hog panel....great idea there! Do they bend pretty easily? (as far as bending it around the bale?)

Angie

 

[Sassy'sMom]

So, those of you that put round bales out in the winter time, is it just out there, or do you have it in a shelter?

Marty, I know you had said you cover yours when it rains, but I was wondering if everyone covers theirs when it rains or snows? Or is it okay out there all winter long?

 

[Minimor]

Snow doesn't hurt the hay, unless the bale is still going to be sitting there in the spring when that snow melts.

Just be cautious about using the bungees to secure anything in an area where horses can get to it--remember the thread not so long ago about horses getting bungees stuck in/through their nostrils (or eyes) !

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Just a thought but in some hardware shops you can buy the bungee elastic by the yard (or metre in my case!!) so you could use it and tie it rather than having the hooky things on the ends, you could also tighten it everyday...just have to make sure the lowest strand was high enough to be out of the way of little impatient pawing hooves!!!

Whatever can happen, after all, will happen, and Minis test this saying to the limit every single day

I am happy to have my animals eat ad lib, they only ever pig out for a couple of days, anyway, and I would rather know they are not ever without food, especially at this time of year!!

I do, however, use traditional bales.

I have stock fencing and I attach the bale still in it's strings, to the opposite side of the fence to the horses, so they eat through the fence.

There is very little mess and I just sat down this evening and worked out that a 56lb bale lasts two stallion ten days!!!

The same bale lasts five yearlings ten days as well.

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

I HATE round bales.

We bale all our own hay, and have 1,200# rounds and 60-75#s small squares. I have 25 mini mares and 3 donkeys in the pasture. I would much rather take the time to feed the small squares, and put the squares in the feeders, then to feed a round bale and clean up the big mess I always end up with. I have fed on a few occassions a round bale, and have untied the twine from it completely, and unrolled it. Another fear I have is all the minis eating from the bottom of it, and it tipping over on them! I wouldnt use a bungee with my horses..I am sure they would think it was some new play toy for them! I dont have a round bale feeder, so I end up with a mess.

Our horses have hay 24/7. I do agree, feeding rounds is sure alot easier then hauling out 6 small squares every day, especially in this cold and snowy WI weather. Angie, enjoy your trip..I am sure your horses will be fine and your caretaker will take wonderful care of them for you. I will be thinking of you basking in the sun!

Corinne

 

[Marty]

Marty, I know you had said you cover yours when it rains, but I was wondering if everyone covers theirs when it rains or snows? Or is it okay out there all winter long?

I cover mine because my horses are not outside 24-7. They are in the barn during all nasty weather and at night and so the round bale is there for turn out times so I can keep my square bales for stall time. This is saving me lots of time, money and hay waste. The tarp is only covering them at night and I take it off every day to air so it doesn't mold, unless of course its raining or snowing. About the bungies, I have to adjust them daily and keep making them shrink and be careful about them too for sure. They are up pretty high, plus its on a pallet so even if they paw they can't paw that high to get a foot hung up in it. I check on them all the time just to be sure and it is a pain at times but I'd be more worried with a traditional holder. Corrines right also when they eat the bottom down you get the top heavy mushroom effect so you have to keep pushing it down from the center to prevent that so it doesn't topple over. I will still have a little mess come spring time but for now its serving the purpose during turn out time.