Approx. how many bales of hay a month?

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sazzle44

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking at renting a little yard (just two boxes) for my new girl and getting either another one to back/break or a companion pony. It would be the first time I've kept a horse away from a livery yard and I'm trying to figure out costs of keeping them.
The one I'm least sure of is hay.So the mare eats about 9kgs of hay a day (sound about right? maybe 9lbs?) so probably 3/4's of a section of big bale hay. Being on a big livery yard, with large bales I couldn't really say how much this equates to for small bales. Could anyone tell me how much this would be?
Already on shavings, about one bale a week when she's deep littered but thinking of swapping to aubiose, so hopefully gardeners will want some. Any ideas how much you get through for a fairly clean horse in over-night from around 7pm to 6am.
Also, cost-wise, I'm factoring in forage, bedding, hard feed, shoes/trimming, muck heap removal - is that everything? Obviously after rent :)

Any advice and help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I don't work things out by weight but by size of horses and I always over estimate.

I have quarter horses which are, on average, 15h and weigh in at about 1000lbs each, I work on a bale of hay each per day - my bales are 55-65lbs.
For larger or smaller horses I go up or down in quarter bale amounts.

You also have to take into account the quality and amount of grazing you have, whether your horse is in or out, good doer etc, etc.

Play it very much by ear and feed by eye.

Always better to have too much hay than not enough :)

Factoring costs, add another 20 or 30 pounds if you can, then unexpected costs can hopefully be met. Don't forget insurance.
 
Our large round bales are meant to be equivalent to 10 normal bales. I reckon if I was feeding my boy 9lbs of hay a day a little bale would prob last 3 to 4 days?
 
I dont weigh my hay just stuff a hay net (i alway like tosee some left in the morning so i know that they had plenty) i use 2 to 3 small bales a week, if that helps, thats per horse.(15hh arab)
 
It' very difficult to estimate depends on your grazing, good doer/bad doer, wet/cold/dry winter etc. A good rule of thumb is to feed your horse 2% of its bodyweight (inc. grass, hay, hard feed) per day to maintain its current weight.
If you feel they are losing weight increase the hay. Obviously in winter you don't include the grass in your calculations, unless it is very good and you have lots of it,

I have a 15.2 tb and a 14.2 welshxtb, both good doers, and I get through around 250 bales a year. I have to feed hay in the field in winter as I only have small (1 acre) paddock for them. I also cannot turn out 24/7 in summer for the same reason so hay is fed all year round at night.

My shavings are £5.50 (I buy in bulk with friends) and use about 6 bales a week in summer and 9 in winter.

Also keep a contingency fund for unexpected expenses like vet visits, fence mending etc
 
Thanks, just looking to see if I can find an average price and make a vaguely educated guestimate :) she has two medium sized nets each night which I'd say is a couple of sections of a small bale but having only had large bales in the past I can't tell.
Atm I think I'll be able to afford it if I've got a livery or even a pony living out. Thanks everyone.
 
cant really say monthly but i have a 15.2 warmblood cross and during last winter when she was in at night and out during the day, i got through 50 bales of hay. hope that helps...
 
My 15.2 fatty used to get through 10-12 small bales a month when in overnight in winter. That was one net of about 12-14lbs.
 
my land is very wet so in winter my 2 (15.2 and 16 h) are on arena/yard/shelter every night and some days if its really bad - they have ad lib haylage in depths of winter - and get through 1 big bale of haylage between them every 10 days approx - this costs me £25 delivered - I take wrap off - put tarpaulin over with rope round and chuck it in their hay bars for them.

If I was feeding small bale hay I would need to allow for 2 bales per day between them which would cost loads more ! Start and end of winter I do feed small bale hay when they ony need a bit (luckily have about 100 made off own land which is just enough. So in total prob 100 bales small hay and 10 ish big bales haylage) although this year with the wet weather I had to buy in 20 small bales haylage (they didnt need enough to get through big bale haylage quickly enough) the small bales cost me another £100

Sorry for the in depth but thought it might help.
 
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