kylie88
Well-Known Member
It seems that down here in kent Hay Prices have hit the roof already!!! and its only just been cut!
What is going on?
sorry to moan but its ridiculous!!
What is going on?
sorry to moan but its ridiculous!!
Anyone else having trouble with hay already???
- Thread starter kylie88
- Start date
Thistle
Well-Known Member
Do a search on here, there are loads of posts
ebonyallen
Well-Known Member
Where abouts are you in Kent, we have just had ours at a very good price
kylie88
Well-Known Member
Im near Gillingham
ebonyallen
Well-Known Member
That a shame Just to far out for are man to deliver, but to give you an idea, we have just paid £2.80 very good quality, more than last year, he did say that to any new customers he would have to charge £3.00. He is due back with another load soon so will ask him if he knows of anyone else closer to you
Shipley
Well-Known Member
yes I am struggling in essex too I have been quoted £4 a bale off the field
Darkly_Dreaming_Dex
Well-Known Member
My farrier said that some yards are paying £7 a small bale off the field 
my hay supplier sold out the day after he delivered mine and my haylage supplier is down to his last 200 bales..
we are Berks/Oxon borders..
my hay supplier sold out the day after he delivered mine and my haylage supplier is down to his last 200 bales..we are Berks/Oxon borders..
kylie88
Well-Known Member
Thankyou ebonyallen, that would be great!
Ive been quoted £5 a bale, double what I paid last year!
Ive been quoted £5 a bale, double what I paid last year!
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bj_cardiff
Well-Known Member
People are panic buying it at the moment and the farmers are responding by putting their prices up..
Archangel
Normal, 10 cats ago
Exactly bj_cardiff.
Round bales normally go for £15 off the field and this year they have all been snapped up for £45.
Small bales of indifferent hay are going between £4.70 and £7.
Who is paying these stupid prices (in fact who can afford to)?
OK it is parched here in Surrey, but my friend in Cornwall has had 100% crop.
There will come a point when people just won't be able to feed their horses.
Most of us sacrifice things so that the horses get what they need (or what we think they need!) but I really can't see how I can afford the winter keep for mine at this rate.
Round bales normally go for £15 off the field and this year they have all been snapped up for £45.
Small bales of indifferent hay are going between £4.70 and £7.
Who is paying these stupid prices (in fact who can afford to)?
OK it is parched here in Surrey, but my friend in Cornwall has had 100% crop.
There will come a point when people just won't be able to feed their horses.
Most of us sacrifice things so that the horses get what they need (or what we think they need!) but I really can't see how I can afford the winter keep for mine at this rate.
I am in Kent, our supplier has told me he only got 2/3rds of his usual yield ,other people have said this too so they are rationing their customers . Ours is going to be £3.50 small bale. I have three to feed so its going to be tough this year. also no one got any last years left to start winter with so more demand again. Bet it never goes down again. I expect horsehage will be dear too, and straw is definitely going to be expensive. Dread to think what the shavings will be!
kylie88
Well-Known Member
No it doesnt help when people panic buy but it certainly looks like it going to be a tough winter with prices like this, I just hope we dont get all the snow like last year or my bank balance is seriously going to suffer!!!
Hollyberry
Well-Known Member
The situation hasn't been helped by panic stories in the equestrian press. People go mad and panic buy which makes suppliers greedy and so it goes on. We will get the rain eventually and there will be a second cut and don't forget there is plenty in Cornwall and Northern Britain. If people refused to pay over the odds for hay the suppliers would have to ask reasonable amounts, they may not have had as big a cut this year but as I said before, they will get a second cut later in the year. Hopefully it will all even out.
Spottyappy
Well-Known Member
Quote from Chiltern and Thames Rider magazine October 1995;
"...The hay crop has produced a lower yield than in previous years.This has led to prices soaring upto £6 a bale in some areas, and some buyers being refused hay by suppliers turning down new customers,preserving their stock for long standing,regular ones.
Tips on how we can best cope with the shortage:
Avoid wastage by feeding weight not volume
Feed bagged forage
Feed hayledge
Feed short fibre forage feeds such as chaff
Feed hay/gras cubes"
Personally, I can't recall 1995, some 15 years ago, being any worse a shortage than this years threats- and if my memory serves me correctly( and it may not!), by the end of the winter the prices had dropped considerably as demand was not as great as expected. I certainly didn't- and still don't- pay £6 a small bale!
It will, of course, largely hinge on what type of winter we have....
"...The hay crop has produced a lower yield than in previous years.This has led to prices soaring upto £6 a bale in some areas, and some buyers being refused hay by suppliers turning down new customers,preserving their stock for long standing,regular ones.
Tips on how we can best cope with the shortage:
Avoid wastage by feeding weight not volume
Feed bagged forage
Feed hayledge
Feed short fibre forage feeds such as chaff
Feed hay/gras cubes"
Personally, I can't recall 1995, some 15 years ago, being any worse a shortage than this years threats- and if my memory serves me correctly( and it may not!), by the end of the winter the prices had dropped considerably as demand was not as great as expected. I certainly didn't- and still don't- pay £6 a small bale!
It will, of course, largely hinge on what type of winter we have....
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
Yield in some areas is down considerably - that is a fact. We had a cold and dry May which led to slow growth.
Hay costs money to make, believe it or not, and farmers who have their own stock will be reluctant to sell.
My OH was baling a couple of days ago when someone came out into the field to ask if they could have some. They had been sent by the farmer who usually supplies them, but did not have enough to spare this year.
Let's face it - many people waste hay, just feed it wisely! If anyone is really stuck, we have plenty at £3 a bale ATM (price usually goes up after Christmas) in Glos if anyone fancies the trip!
Hay costs money to make, believe it or not, and farmers who have their own stock will be reluctant to sell.
My OH was baling a couple of days ago when someone came out into the field to ask if they could have some. They had been sent by the farmer who usually supplies them, but did not have enough to spare this year.
Let's face it - many people waste hay, just feed it wisely! If anyone is really stuck, we have plenty at £3 a bale ATM (price usually goes up after Christmas) in Glos if anyone fancies the trip!
Sit_Up
Well-Known Member
Prices are silly here already and I have to buy from the livery yard. We have had reports from local farmers of people stealing from the fields!!
No rain, 1/3rd to 1/2 yeild and low grass levels (thinking of painting the dust in the fields so it's not so depressing) so a second cut not guaranteed.
The othr factor is the amount being fed over last winter due to the snow, means people ahve used up reserves. Also lack of grazing means many have already begun to hay in field to supplement.
Lets hope that common sense prevails soon
No rain, 1/3rd to 1/2 yeild and low grass levels (thinking of painting the dust in the fields so it's not so depressing) so a second cut not guaranteed.
The othr factor is the amount being fed over last winter due to the snow, means people ahve used up reserves. Also lack of grazing means many have already begun to hay in field to supplement.
Lets hope that common sense prevails soon