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Post by cybercat on Mar 1, 2007 17:22:09 GMT -5
OK, I want to pick your brains...is a giant bale worth it? Can it be stored without it getting moldy? Do you put them up on pallets to help the air circulate? Do you roll one out into the corral and let the critters snack on it and then make it off limits when done?
How many 2 string bales would you guess a roll is equivalent to- (and yes, I know about weighing the hay- not!) I believe I recall local grass hay rolls going for about $20-30 each last summer, while local grass 2 string bales were roughly $7 each...
I can store only up to one ton of strung bales indoors, but can get more if I store hay outdoors under canvas or tarps...I am looking for different options in order to be prepared when the new hay crop comes on the market. Thanks!
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Post by rhythmbeads on Mar 1, 2007 17:26:55 GMT -5
Depends... climate, shelter, soil type, hay type, animal type...
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Post by beckybee on Mar 1, 2007 17:34:17 GMT -5
Around here they shrink wrap the rolls in white plastic and store them outside. They look like fields of giant marshmallows - fun to mess with kids' heads! I assume they are just for cows though (must get pretty moldy inside??)
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Post by earlybp on Mar 1, 2007 17:45:42 GMT -5
I know that Hytyme uses them for his horses and they seem to like it.
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Post by penny/pals on Mar 1, 2007 17:48:31 GMT -5
Okay the ones that are in plastic are just for cows its silage(SP?) the large bales usually run about 750 lbs and I get them for about $30 in the summer. I have 7 horses total and I just roll one out to the field and let them munch free choice until gone. The +'s are larger amount less money, you don't have to feed hay daily its done for days at a time. the -'s are you have to store it somewhere dry and covered, unless you have a round bale feeder the animals step on the hay and use it for a litter box, and if you get a bad bale unless your supplier knows you, your out $30. I don't know where you live but in W. WA storage can be a problem in winter because of the rain, I feed these in the summer mainly and have it delivered. The people who deliver mine with stack it on my pallets for me when they deliver.
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Post by cybercat on Mar 1, 2007 18:27:17 GMT -5
I'm in Western Oregon, so rain is definitely an issue in wintertime. I would be feeding my three miniature horses and 5 llamas...both species are pretty efficient in their food needs, so local grass hay is OK for them. (And they get their supplements and pellets-no grain-too). They are also on an orchard grass/fescue pasture that is over-grazed and will be re-seeded this spring.
I am definitely going to use round bales in the summer- they should only need a few because a flake a day each is about what they get...I have been thinking about putting a roll on pallets with a tarp on top (tented for ventilation) and since my critters get tubby so easily, keeping the roll in the small corral and opening the gate at mealtime for them to gain access.
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Post by penny/pals on Mar 1, 2007 18:47:25 GMT -5
Sounds like it could be a benifit for you to get the round bales. If you put it on pallets where the horses/animals eat then make sure you use mats on top so feet don't get stuck. This also helps so if they drop any it will not be ruined.
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Post by Admin on Mar 1, 2007 19:46:18 GMT -5
If anyone knows where to get round bails here in the Kent area PLEASE let me know!
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Post by penny/pals on Mar 1, 2007 20:08:24 GMT -5
Well right now my supplier is out due to hay shortage but for the next season they may deliver to Kent area The name is Kimball's out of Yelm, WA 360-458-5251 they stack it if you want it stacked.
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Post by carolyn on Mar 1, 2007 22:41:53 GMT -5
I feed round bales, it's about 8-10 square bales to one round bale. you can put it out to feed and leave it, on the round side, if put on end they soak up any moisture. money wise, they were selling about $20-$30 a bale to $2-or more for square. as for storage, you can put it outside with plastic over top and they stay good. I have some on pallets under cover still good, and some on the ground (round side down) under plastic still good. if it does get wet you still don't loose all of it. this was my first year with round bales, I bought a round baler and love it. my bales can be rolled around or pushed with a tractor, don't have to pay hay help. there is a special plastic for hay that works great but it runs about $180 a roll.
some of the bales in white can be used for horses, depends on how soon after being baled it was wrap.
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Post by galaxy on Mar 2, 2007 0:25:06 GMT -5
I heard that the hay that is put put in the large round bales is of a lower quality than the string tied square bales. I do not know if this is true- just what I heard from a hay supplier.
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Post by cybercat on Mar 2, 2007 0:56:03 GMT -5
That is possible, I would think, that round bales may be lower quality just because of the type of process used..lots more stems, etc...however, that said, with the hay shortage this year, a couple of my square bales were a huge disappointment with barberry sticker branches and debris in them. Somebody baled up his hedgerow!
Carolyn- thanks for the estimate on how many equivalent square bales may be in a round bale, and I also appreciate the tip about keeping the round bale on its side. I had forgotten about that. Maybe the llamas will roll it around the pasture and actually get some exercise!
When you cover those bales, do you cover them all the way to the ground or leave partially open on the sides to let them breathe?
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Post by chatty on Mar 2, 2007 10:07:38 GMT -5
I love rounds (grass, oats, alf mix)..They graze at will..Waste, some as with any feed..Depends on the quility of it..
Now storage, I've seen so many ways, from in the field (covered with panels around them) to in barns....We go from wet (fall/spring), snow and froze..And the hot dry summers...When pastures are gone due to the weather, round are great....
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Post by atticus on Mar 2, 2007 10:37:06 GMT -5
I wish I could do a round bale, but our donkey would eat until he burst. He has an obesity issue.  LOL But I would love Atticus to be able to just eat at will. |
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Post by carolyn on Mar 2, 2007 13:02:33 GMT -5
the quality of the bales is in the field, if you hay a bad field then it will be in either bales. I have even pulled round bales apart to feed out to a single horse or cow. as for the covering what works the best is plastic to the ground held down with tires draped across.
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Post by leosolis on Mar 6, 2007 12:46:57 GMT -5
my experience with round bales is, if you have alot of horses in a big pasture, they are great when you roll them out. IF you only have a few horses, then the horses tend to lay & poop in them making a huge mess. Often round bales are blue grass, BUT they dont' have any seed on them, its basically blue grass straw with very little nutrients in it. So be sure to ask what the protein content is. I feed big bales, Orchard grass/Alfalfa mix. I have about 5 feeders in each of my fields, put a big bale in the back & go around to each feeder & flake off the hay, I waste less & my horses can't get to fighting with each other. I have put a big bale in the field for them to eat off of, but I have found they waste alot more of it. Hope this information helps, it is just my experience.
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Post by Tate on Mar 6, 2007 18:56:22 GMT -5
I found dead birds in a bale once.....
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Post by cybercat on Mar 6, 2007 19:38:45 GMT -5
Oh gee, nice...Tate! Added protein!
Actually, a few weeks ago I picked up 4 extra bales (square) at the feedstore and threw them in the back of my poor misused mini van... They stayed there for a couple of days because of schedules and rain...but they got pulled out as soon as the 'dead thing odor' appeared! I don't know what it was, cause I never found anything as the bales were opened...and the odor disappeared from the bales too, as they got some fresh air. BLECHHH!
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Post by shelberttk2 on Mar 13, 2007 1:07:38 GMT -5
Leanne, the round bales really don't work in our climate....They usually get moldy in the inside and do not fair well being 'left outside' for animals to free-choice on....The quality depends on who is putting it up, as is the type.....Even if you have it stored in a barn and on pallets, once it is outside it doesn't take long to turn bad. Jim E. has a ton of horses eating off his bales, so I am sure it doesn't take long for them to go bad. I get my alfalfa in the huge bales from Madras, keep it on pallets etc. but the bottoms and sides usually go bad. I pluck the yuck off and feed it to the cows. Tireddog has some of this alfalfa too, we just take one flake and quarter it up to feed out.... We usually put up between 400-500 ton a year of grass hay. You would not believe the junk I have found...One time I found a teddy bear!!! I have found lizards, mice, birds, snakes, a pair of jeans.....(We used to rent a house next to our hay field and the tenants children would play in the hay field). How much hay do you need Leanne? You only have Llamas and a couple of minis right? I could probably set ya up with a few bales....
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Post by cybercat on Mar 13, 2007 1:40:37 GMT -5
Thanks, Chel...we're okay on hay, and several of our neighbors bale their hay and sell it to us. We just didn't get around to stocking up this year...I kept reminding my husband to buy a ton but just didn't want to nag and he kept putting it off. He's a suburban guy and doesn't realize that farmers can run out of hay until next season!! So now he finally understands that stocking up is not just a matter of convenience, but a necessity.
The real answer is, of course, to take care of the matter myself!
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