# Round Bale for one horse?



## NicoleS11 (Nov 21, 2008)

At our place we have one horse on a round bale by himself. He goes thru a bale a month usually and it never goes back. Just make sure your hay is good and you will be fine.


----------



## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

If you can get a wrapped one do and just open it a quarter way down as he eats the wrapper will fall down itself cutting down on waste as well


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I don't know what the weather is like in your area, but I have two horses and tried them on round bales. I found it frustrating. If I didn't roll out the hay on the ground, it went bad. If I did roll it out on the ground, snow would cover it before they'd eat it and, although they would dig for it, a lot got wasted. So I tried rolling off sections every day or every second day. That was more work than small square bales. I'm back to my small bales and will never go back.

Oh, if the bale is "wrapped" be careful -- if it's wrapped with twine, you don't want to leave that in the field of course. If it's plastic wrapped, you need to have your horse on shots before feeding due to risk of botulism.


----------



## CinderEve (Oct 26, 2010)

I'm using round bales but I'm getting the smaller sized ones. When I just had Cinder, there was a bit more wastage than I would like but not really enough to worry me. Now I have 3 on the same bale it's less wastage. I rednecked it up and laid a tarp out before the round bale got put down and I haven't had any issues with it.


----------



## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

One 600-800 lb bale will usually last one horse 3-5 weeks. You might check out the "Bale Buddy" bags for round bale feeding. They aren't terribly expensive and they will help protect the bale from weather and trampling.
http://www.bigbalebuddy.com


----------



## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I buy Nelson a round bale on a regular basis. I have it put directly on the ground, I do not have a feeder or anything fancy - and the round bale does just fine. 

He is in a large paddock with 1 other horse, the two of them share the bale and it lasts just over a month.


----------



## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

i would love to have my mare on a round bale, as it would be much easier work for the BO...not sure my mare would fare so well on it though...she'd probably turn into a blimp! 

At any rate, we fed round bales at home, and with 2-3 horses on it, it lasted 3-5 weeks, depending on how cold it got; we didn't have a feeder, and they weren't covered...we've never had any problems with them going bad; but that said, we had more snow, than actual rain in the winter, so I think that was a big factor.


----------



## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

can I also ask a question, it still has to do with round bales.
If you were to buy bulk of them in the winter and put them undercover, they could last for ages, right?
Like they wont go mouldy or anything just sitting there?


----------



## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

RedTree said:


> can I also ask a question, it still has to do with round bales.
> If you were to buy bulk of them in the winter and put them undercover, they could last for ages, right?
> Like they wont go mouldy or anything just sitting there?


As long as your tarp them nice and tight, they will last the year. However, if it rains and they are directly on the ground, the bottom of the bale will get moldy and mushy. I don't really mind that little bit of hay going to waste. I just pull it off after I put the bale out in the field, or make sure that is the end on the ground (we roll them out by hand, no tractory ATM). 

I use tent stakes to stake a tarp down to the bottom of the hay bales, with the stakes angled up. This allows for some ventilation at the bottom of the bales, but keeps the tarps closer to the hay, which prevents the wind from getting under the tarp. I only have one round bale left, with 9 more stored at my hay guy's barn (I pre-pay at the beginning of the season). When I have the rest delivered, I think I am going to buy smaller tarps and tarp each bale individually. My big tarps haven't been lasting very long with our high winds at times, and they are pricey. Buying 10 little tarps is cheaper if I buy them in bulk online!

Also, one horse will go through one 600-700 lb 4'x5' round bale a month, give or take, if there is NO grass to eat and they are on the bale 24/7. During the summer, one round bale would last me 2-3 weeks for 5-6 horses, but that's because they did have some grass to munch on in their pasture (not much, but enough).


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

Look into getting a net I got mine from ebay a seller called the net shed. that will miniumize waste 

I don't like feeding one horse alone a round bale because of the waste but I would try it now that I have seen how well the net works

you can also build a round bale "feeder" out of wooden skids/pallets cut to 32" for a full size horse then "tie" or "wire" the skids around the bale. It takes seven to do a 6X6 bale


----------



## CinderEve (Oct 26, 2010)

Ohh Peggysue do you have a link to that??


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

This is the size I got and it is too big BUT you could make several nets out of it OR do like my friend did adn "roll" the bale up in it and tie it shut  
60% off - - 10'x20' BRN BASEBALL NET, USED FISH NET#803 - eBay (item 280600637407 end time Dec-14-10 11:03:24 PST)


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

"SLOW FEEDER" - 7'X10' ORANGE POLY NET, USED FISH NET - eBay (item 270668050623 end time Dec-22-10 13:09:48 PST)


----------



## CinderEve (Oct 26, 2010)

As usual, Peggysue, you rock!


----------



## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

Usually it is xyz supplement, beet pulp, algae from iceland, cocunut oil from brazil, don't feed corn- feed this majic pellet, weigh all your grain, feed this majic mineral and electrolyte, etc....

But on your hay, buy a cheap round bale put it out in the pasture exposed to the elements, and let your horse eat on it for 4-6 weeks at a time!!!! 

Am I the only one that thinks that is stupid? The most important part of the horses nutrition other than water, and you let it sit outside for 6 weeks at a time? Rd bales are designed for large groups of animals to be consumed in less than about 3 days. They are not an acceptable feeding method for feeding a single animal unless that hay is protected in a shed or is in one of the few areas of the country with less than 10" annual rainfall.


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

RedTree said:


> can I also ask a question, it still has to do with round bales.
> If you were to buy bulk of them in the winter and put them undercover, they could last for ages, right?
> Like they wont go mouldy or anything just sitting there?


Luvs2ride is basically right, but it really depends on the quality of the bale. If it is damp at all, it will mould, just like square bales will. The thing is that with big round bales, you can't see it until you get there. I never had a problem though, if there was a bit of mould my horses just didn't eat that. I put mine on pallets which helped quite a bit by keeping the bales off the ground and more air movement. I used old tires on ropes over the tarps.


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

I am beggining to wonder if PA knows hay as well as he puts out... 

Properly baled round bales are just as good nutritionally as any other local hay being outside doesn' t hurt them if they aer rolled properly


----------



## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I've fed round bales before, but I usually peel them and put out piles daily. I almost fed them this winter, but with all the rain my supplier couldn't get me any good hay. He has a tendency to let them sit out after they're rolled until he bales next time. So I have small squares now.


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

my hay guy goyt curious and tested three bales from three years...

the three year old hay was primo hay when baled everything was perfect that year

the twoyear hay came out of fieild about a week late. 

the year old hay was cut earlier then he normally cuts this field. 

wanna place how the test came back?

Bales are stored outside in rows they have net wrap binding them

remember he tested 3yo, 2yo and 1yo hay at the same time


----------



## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

I have three horses per field and they go through a fairly big round bale in about 4 days with little to no waste. So it really depends on how big an eater you have and what else they have to eat. I have never had a problem with rounds going bad, because they aren't around long enough. If I fed them that much in squares I'd be broke.


----------



## CinderEve (Oct 26, 2010)

Agreed. I don't buy cheap hay, in round bales or square bales. It doesn't last long enough to go bad.

Your argument is moot.


----------



## traildancer (Oct 27, 2010)

I feed 500-600 lb round bales to 5 horses until the pasture gets too muddy to drive in. That is all they have to eat; the pasture is pretty grazed down by this time of year. I've been getting bales on Mondays and Thursdays. That seems to be when they run out. Although one Monday a while back we had snowy rain and wind and they ate the whole thing by Tuesday night! But they have no shelter and lots of hay with waterproof blankeys is the only way I can keep them warmish.

There is some wastage simply because they roll in it and poop and pee in it and therefore won't eat it! But even with all our rain, they eat it up before it gets yucky.

And, yes, they look like little bales with legs.


----------



## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

Peggysue said:


> my hay guy goyt curious and tested three bales from three years...
> the three year old hay was primo hay when baled everything was perfect that year
> the twoyear hay came out of fieild about a week late.
> the year old hay was cut earlier then he normally cuts this field.
> ...


Net wrap is a wonderful invention! In 1 year old hay, you can generally limit spoilage to less than 1-2". And older hay will not be damaged much more - say maybe the outer 4". Twine wrapped hay 2-3 years old would basically be gone - mostly rotten. Barn stored hay would be just fine.

There are a lot of variables that control that spoilage
1. where is the hay stored - under a tree, on top of a hill, in a low spot in the field, etc.
2. how tight or dense was the hay baled?
3. bale wrap, net wrap, twine, etc.
4. your local climate

Protected hay can last for many years. your hay tests have no bearing on the discussion as they were on net wrapped hay!

There are several factors that contibruite to rd bales in general being cheaper quality hay.
1. They are usually mechanically handled thus the operator does not have his hands on the hay like he would in a small square bale operation.
2. The cost of investement for the farmer to make rd bales can be as little as $5000, whereas the cost of investment for large square bales is generally over $100,000. In general the more a person pays to operate the more attention they pay to the details such that they can pay for the equipment.
3. a lot of large square balers have moisture testers on the baler such that the moisture is checked every 3 seconds as the hay is baled. I have only seen 3 rd balers in my life with on board moisture testers, thus quality control is not as accurate.
4. Most large square bales and small square bales are put directly into a barn, thus the moisture must be right; most rd bales in this part of the world are allowed to sit outside to "settle down" or "air out" or "cool down" before they are taken to the barn or stacked in a corner of the field.

A particular farmer may do an excellent job with his rd bales. The package hay is baled in has no reflection on its quality. You can bale hay out of the same field in all three packages and the forage analysis will be the same!

The important thing to realize is that when you rip off the net wrap and start exposing new good hay to the elements, it will start to rot, mold, go bad - fact!!!!

When you allow 1000lb of hay to sit outside(as animals are eating it and continuing to expose more of it) in the elements in a wet climate for 6 weeks, it will not be suitable forage!


----------



## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

When I pulled off the net wrap on the round bale from my pasture it did not rot, mold, or go bad. I fed it for about a month this summer. 

My only problem with my particular round bale supplier is that he leaves them sitting in the field on the ground until he bales again. They definitely have at least one big mold spot on them. When he baled my pasture I had them stacked in my barn on pallets and they were gorgeous hay. The horses gobbled it right up! :lol:


----------



## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

Peggysue said:


> I am beggining to wonder if PA knows hay as well as he puts out...


www.productionacres.com

judge for yourself

We do about 600 semi loads of hay each year for over 1000 customers!


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

PA they are stored outside and honestly looked like ****... but the test showed that the 3yo had better nutritionall values then the 1 and 2 yo hay did


----------



## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

Just because YOU test most smaller farmers don't ... I know about all the hay people in my area and I only know ONE who has tested... and he did it the year we had the bad drought and people were wanting his 3 to 10 yo hay


----------

