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Discussion on Lovin' the round bales!
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Member:
majoda92
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Posted on Friday, Dec 14, 2007 - 6:57 pm:
With the hay crisis in full tilt this year, I took the plunge and tried the round bales. The horses LOVE them!!! I LOVE Them! Each bale (approx. 800 lbs.) last 6-7 horses about 4 days(little piggies!) The cost of each bale is $50. The horses don't even want to come in the barn any more for grain. They eat every last morsel out there. So far, I am happy as can be. Only trouble is, my hay guy is going to run out in just a few more weeks, and then I have to find another source until next year. Now that my dealer knows I want the round bales, he is going to put more up for me next season. Anyone in the NJ or PA area know of any sources for round bales? I hate to go back to putting out the expensive kicker bales after being spoiled by the big bales!
Di
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 15, 2007 - 8:51 am:
I would never go back to little squares. We own 20 acres of timothy/clover mix that is put up in large rounds - 1200 pounds - the biggest bales I've ever seen. All the work at hay season is eliminated. To feed, the bales are stored on their sides, I remove the string and just peel off layers from the top to weigh out the amount each horse gets. I'm not constantly having to climb to the top of a stack of bales or having to worry about DrOpping a bale on a critter. It took almost a full winter to figure out how to feed them but what a labor saver they are.
Cheryl
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Member:
dove2
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 15, 2007 - 3:49 pm:
Cheryl, I've always been under the assumption that round bales are typically left out for free-choice grazing. Having done that, my horses are now FAT! They really prefer the hay in round bales over the stuff our barn has in square bales, so can you please explain what you figured out on how to feed your horses? Also, what type of a scale do you use to weigh the hay?
Diane, where in the NJ or PA area are you? Is New Berlin, PA close to you?
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 16, 2007 - 7:43 am:
Dove 2 years ago when I fed my horses off a round bale I put a good size box on a kitchen scale...zeroed it out and filled it with hay. I used the same box every feeding and knew what it weighed (approximately) when full of hay that way I didn't have to weigh it every time.
That was one of the few winters the horses didn't get overly fat! so it worked pretty well and was easy. I would love to feed like that every year, but I can't find good quality grass hay in big bales.
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 16, 2007 - 9:04 am:
Dove 2 - our hay is stored in the barn on pallets laying on the side - when I need a bale I remove all the string and just start peeling it off from the top - I use two tarps with string tied across the two ends - fork off what hay I think is close - use a hanging scale to weigh it. The tarps each weigh 1 pound. I feed them in hay boxes - just wooden boxes we made - dump the tarps in the boxes and refill them for the next feeding. The only struggle with the process is getting the core of the bale out. If my husband isn't around I have to pry- pull and push - with two people it's easy to just lift it out. The other half of the bale is then left laying out almost flat - really easy to feed.
Cheryl
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Friday, Dec 21, 2007 - 9:18 am:
I discovered that the bales are rolled in layers. If you start a layer you can peel hay right off the roll in amounts as you need it without struggling with the tight core.
Of course this only works with the ones that are small enough to roll a bit to get off the bottom hay.
BTW, Diane, I am the one who called you with the source I use in NJ. Hope it worked out for you. I know a couple more farmers that make them but they are all in the same area (Sussex, Wantage). If you want more phone #'s, let me know. Maybe someone can deliver?
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Friday, Dec 21, 2007 - 9:53 am:
The first year I fed round bales wasn't by choice - it was all we could get - I struggled all winter trying to peel the layers off all the way around the bale - in -30 degree temps with 20-30 mph winds - did a fair amount of cussing. By just removing hay from the top half - it peels off just as easily - the bale doesn't have to be rolled - very little hay loss - and after the core is out - the bottom half is really easy to fork out. The labor saved using round bales is unbelievable - love them.
Cheryl
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Member:
leslie1
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 - 1:21 pm:
I just got a small round bale to try out.
Uh...I cant seem to figure out how to peel the layer off, like you guys suggest. I tried using my hands...not working... do you cut it somehow to get it started. like with a reciprocating saw ?
my bale is on its side.do you put it on its flat part or?
thanks a bunch
L
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 - 2:32 pm:
I found out the hard way that if you try to roll a round bale across the barn in the wrong direction, it will start to unroll on you. There's no definite end, but once you get it started, the hay peels off in layers like ribbon off the spool.
You can just claw at it until you get to the point where it reaches the bottom of a layer, maybe a few inches deep, then find out which way to unroll.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 - 2:53 pm:
Leslie it is much easier if you have it on the flat side...that way you just go round and round, very easy usually. I use a pitch fork.
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Member:
leslie1
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 - 7:04 pm:
I still cant seem to peel the darn thing!
Anyways, I did dig into it and managed to get deep enough to get past the icky outer stuff. But I still unsure of using it.
It is an timothy/alfalfa mix. I don't know anything about round bales.
When neighbor/farmer cut it, he only left it to dry in the harrow(SP?) for one day then rolled it. Its been curing around a couple of months. Is it normal to put up the round bales wetter than squares? Ive never smelled timothy, so it smelled different to me, not necessarily bad, just different. Its soft to touch (I would sleep on it), but the alfalfa leaves in it looks sorta dark brown . My mare will eat it if I am standing there with her. Obviously she would rather eat green grass.
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Member:
majoda92
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 - 10:25 pm:
I went and got 2 round bales today from my local hay guy. I made the mistake of parking my truck up by my house instead of going right down to the barn which is out of sight from the road. I heard a knock on my door and there was a guy who had pulled up in my driveway. He wanted to know where I got the hay. Got to admit, I really didn't want to tell him!! I want to keep the limited supply all to myself! My conscience wouldn't let me do that, so I fessed up. I just hate to think of how expensive the hay gets come winter time.I just don't want to turn nasty and not want to help out my fellow horse folk! We're all struggling, so we might as well help each other out.
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Member:
imogen
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 - 4:58 am:
Leslie - it's probably haylage not hay. If so, it will go off within a week.
Imogen
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 - 8:39 am:
Leslie - I use a pitch fork -- if you look at the end of a bale you will be able to see the layers - just stick the tines under one or two layers - pry up and the hay will come loose -- it should pull loose easily after you get it started - I tried putting it on the end - the flat part - but find it much easier on the flat side - it you have the bale where you can get to both sides it's a piece of cake. You do have to be careful with round bales - a lot of people bale stuff that I don't even consider hay - I'm not sure why cattle people think they don't need good hay but that seems to be the consensus.
Cheryl
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