# do you burn your old hay?



## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

just curious
i get the big round bales for 3 horses and a pony
it lasts them 2-3 weeks
but by the end it is trampled, pooped on, peed on, and in general pretty nasty

so when i am getting ready to get a new bale, i set it on fire
burns up the strings so if i happen to run a lawn mower over it, it doesn't get tangled
also keeps it from decomposing and getting slick so the horses don't slep when i ride them over that area


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I know people that burn it. We use a hay ring and they eat the bales down to the pallets with very little waste.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

wow $250-$430 for one of those

can buy 12 round bales for that price where i am


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## dkb811 (Oct 15, 2013)

I took the hay that the horses pulled out of the ring and ruined to the compost pile in the back of the pasture. Drove me crazy, all I saw was wasted dollars.

Invested in a round bale net and have never looked back. Now, the amount of wastage is practically 0! The net will pay for itself.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

jmike said:


> wow $250-$430 for one of those
> 
> can buy 12 round bales for that price where i am


They are pricey (I think we paid about $300), but in the winter we go through 7 round bales a month so it doesn't take too long to recover the cost.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

I have a round bale feeder and little is wasted. They pick through a lot and the other stuff is tromped into the soil and decomposes, making nice, black soil :wink:

The square bales in the barn are fed once the round bales are gone, and after I've fed them there is extra hay that fell between the pallets, etc. I sweep that up and put it into a 40 gallon metal drum for later. This is burned for a smudge when the insects get bad. My horses love to stand in the smoke.:lol:


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

PaintHorseMares said:


> They are pricey (I think we paid about $300), but in the winter we go through 7 round bales a month so it doesn't take too long to recover the cost.


today i got my 7th bale of the winter
it will probably be the last until October/November


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

jmike said:


> wow $250-$430 for one of those
> 
> can buy 12 round bales for that price where i am


YIKES! Where you looking at bale feeders for those prices? I bought mine for about $125 each from our local co-op.


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

dkb811 said:


> I took the hay that the horses pulled out of the ring and ruined to the compost pile in the back of the pasture. Drove me crazy, all I saw was wasted dollars.
> 
> Invested in a round bale net and have never looked back. Now, the amount of wastage is practically 0! The net will pay for itself.


What brand of a bale net do you have?


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## dkb811 (Oct 15, 2013)

ChitChatChet said:


> What brand of a bale net do you have?


 I have the Hay Chix brand. Also, I have 2 of the square bale nets


Plastic Round Bale Horse Feeders & Hay Nets for Round Bales


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> YIKES! Where you looking at bale feeders for those prices? I bought mine for about $125 each from our local co-op.


just looked at Tractor Supply to get a general idea on price


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> YIKES! Where you looking at bale feeders for those prices? I bought mine for about $125 each from our local co-op.


My local Co-Op (in Alberta, Canada) also sells them for $300.00. You're lucky they are so reasonable in your area.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

You can also check Craigslist for used ones, with so many people getting out of horses in certain areas they can be had for $150 or less sometimes for a basic hay ring. Also check Facebook as they have local equine Swip Swap or trade/ barter type groups that have items for low prices.

I'm not big on burning anything so leftover hay get's composted.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

Horseychick87 said:


> You can also check Craigslist for used ones, with so many people getting out of horses in certain areas they can be had for $150 or less sometimes for a basic hay ring. Also check Facebook as they have local equine Swip Swap or trade/ barter type groups that have items for low prices.
> 
> I'm not big on burning anything so leftover hay get's composted.


i don't mind burning stuff
i don't want to rake it up and move it to a compost pile because that is a lot of work
but i also don't want it to ompost in place because those spots turn slick
i have seen the horses slide and fall in them without a rider
so i expect it would be worse if i was on one of them


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

This is kind of a goofy idea, but we don't have round bale feeder, when we would feed round bales they would just be fed loose and I would pick off all the loose hay off the bale and off the ground for the day and put it in to a feeder like this:







(not the exact model but you get the idea)


The horses that got picked on would walk over and eat from this one instead of the round bale. There was almost no waste if it was done once a day. I cant stand the thought of hay being soiled on and wasted haha

I guess I never thought of burning the hay because my horse isn't kept at my house but that seems like a pretty quick solution too.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

jmike said:


> i don't mind burning stuff
> i don't want to rake it up and move it to a compost pile because that is a lot of work
> but i also don't want it to ompost in place because those spots turn slick
> i have seen the horses slide and fall in them without a rider
> so i expect it would be worse if i was on one of them


 
I usually try to reuse stuff in some way so that's why I compost.

If you don't mix it with anything else like garbage you could use the ash for gardens as well if you have any.

I had homemade compost bins three of them 4x4x4 each, it kept the hay from rotting down in place and getting that slimy thing going.

I've just always done it so it doesn't seem like a lot of work for me, but I'm horseless right now, so that might change once I've got a new project, LOL.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

Horseychick87 said:


> I usually try to reuse stuff in some way so that's why I compost.
> 
> If you don't mix it with anything else like garbage you could use the ash for gardens as well if you have any.
> 
> ...


i leave the ash where it is -- i would rather have it add some value to the pasture

i got a 2x3x2 bin in the garage where i put my vegetable scraps, bought a container of nighcrawlers and put in a bag of dirt

the worms do a good job of composting that for me -- and i can take them fishing or drop some in my garden

also raising baby chicks --- so when i clean out their brooder, i just toss their shavings/poo directly into the garden -- will have to rake it in before planting my seedlings


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## jimmyp (Sep 5, 2013)

For $125 i assume yo are looking at a cattle feeder. Horse feeders are typically more expensive. Cattle feeders are pretty dangerous for horses.

Jim


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

Yup, I like to use the ash in my veggie garden. I don't have pastures to amend right now so no need to do anything really, LOL.

I want a worm garden but just haven't gotten around to setting one up yet.

Mmmm, chicken.

JimmyP, in my area you can get horse safe rings for $150 from people getting out of horses, especially small boarding operations.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Even if a horse doesn't hurt himself on a cattle round bale feeder, he will rub his mane out.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

When hay is $20/bale year round there is no such thing as old hay. 

Hay is so expensive out here I've never seen a round bale in person. Just in pictures on this forum.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

It takes 3 yrs before grass will return to where the bale was. In spring, rake it and pile it near a large barrel. When the bugs are bad, add some of this to old hay or paper and get it to smoke as much as possible. The ashes are excellent for the garden.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

tinaev said:


> When hay is $20/bale year round there is no such thing as old hay.
> 
> Hay is so expensive out here I've never seen a round bale in person. Just in pictures on this forum.


Heck, I didn't even know what round bales were until I saw one on the forum when I joined. Still have never even seen them offered in my area. When cruddy 80# bales of cow hay are selling for $16+ a bale, all that hay in a round bale seems like a luxury...especially at the price.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Burning is often prohibited where I live, so I clean up the area around the bale feeders and put it with the manure to be spread where I decide to later.


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