Do 10kg Haylage bales exist? Any other horsebox haynet standbys?

[sidewaysonacob]

I'm upgrading my mini horsebox and will have a little extra space and payload for 'just in case' items. I was hoping to add a very small bale of haylage for those times when you are out for longer than you planned (e.g. staying for the Championship at a day show) or have slightly miscalculated how much haylage you need over a weekend away.

I'm really struggling to track down a 10kg-ish sized bale - the 20kg are a bit too big and heavy for what I have in mind, I just want a decent haynet full worth, shrink wrapped so it will last the season if it doesn't get opened.

Any ideas? I wondered about a pet shop's 'big' bale for rabbits but I don't know what the hay quality would be like or where the hay has come from!

Thanks

 

[Pinkvboots]

I dont think anyone makes one that small, how about those little munch brick things you buy in a packet and get a small haynet to feed them from, you could store a few of those quite easily.

 

[sidewaysonacob]

Oooh, good idea Pinkvboots, I do take one of those anyway when I go away for a weekend so he has something to occupy himself for an hour or two when his morning haynet is finished (obvs no grazing at a show unless inhand and can't let a native eat adlib 247 in summer or he'd balloon).

 

[TS_]

With haylage the bales have to be a certain size for wrapping. If they were baled loosely and then wrapped they'd be full of air so the haylage would be mouldy. If you want them supplied from a farmer, so that you know where they are from you won't find them any smaller than a standard hay bale as it's not possible. Also small balers produce the size able they produce, there's no setting for a half bale etc. Hope that helps.
May be easier to just take some extra hay in nets if you're worried about weight.

 

[Goldenstar]

I would use hi fibre hay and oat straw blocks in those dinky little Haynets .
You can store them in a plastic Box with a lid.

 

[jakkibag]

We can get 10kg vacumn packed haylage and hay from our local supplier ( NE Scotland) so they do exist, we use them when staying away and get two pallet loads delivered at the start of the season, easily handled and take up little space, one bale lasts our show ponies 24hrs if fed constantly, when stabled away.

 

[FfionWinnie]

We sell mini rounds which are approx 52x56cm.

You can't easily wrap anything lighter than about 15kgs as the film roll just pulls it off the rollers as it's too light.

 

[Dry Rot]

With haylage the bales have to be a certain size for wrapping. If they were baled loosely and then wrapped they'd be full of air so the haylage would be mouldy. If you want them supplied from a farmer, so that you know where they are from you won't find them any smaller than a standard hay bale as it's not possible. Also small balers produce the size able they produce, there's no setting for a half bale etc. Hope that helps.
May be easier to just take some extra hay in nets if you're worried about weight.

Not entirely true as it is possible to shorten the bale length almost as much as you like, the problem is when you come to stacking and handling. I'll happily make you 10kg bales but you buy them from the field and carry them home! The logical bale length is twice the width so the stack holds together. Try stacking bales that are as long as they are wide and you won't get far. I agree about farmer made haylage bales, but see vacuum packed in another post.

 

[WelshD]

A couple of years ago when hay supply was bad I used pet shop tiny packages of hay (5-10kg ish) and it was fine

Place near me decants round bales in to pet bales, its a soft meadow hay as opposed to a more usual coarse horse hay but mine ate it no problems for weeks

 

[Dry Rot]

I'm upgrading my mini horsebox and will have a little extra space and payload for 'just in case' items. I was hoping to add a very small bale of haylage for those times when you are out for longer than you planned (e.g. staying for the Championship at a day show) or have slightly miscalculated how much haylage you need over a weekend away.

I'm really struggling to track down a 10kg-ish sized bale - the 20kg are a bit too big and heavy for what I have in mind, I just want a decent haynet full worth, shrink wrapped so it will last the season if it doesn't get opened.

Any ideas? I wondered about a pet shop's 'big' bale for rabbits but I don't know what the hay quality would be like or where the hay has come from!

Thanks

Just re-reading your post and from what you say, you'd be happy with small hay bales. If you know a farmer near you who makes small bales, have a word with him and I'm sure he will make you as many bales at whatever length you want. But don't be surprised if you have to pay full price for your mini bales!

We manually "trip" a baler when we've finished baling. That is a matter of pulling a lever so the baler threads and ties the string forming a finished bale at whatever length is in the chute. Then we can clear he baler of any remaining hay so it doesn't attract mice over the winter. That can literally be done at any length of bale. Of course, the lever has to be locked into position if you want a run of bales all the same length. Wrapping for haylage is a problem as others have said because putting tension on the wrap will pull the bale off the table if the bale isn't heavy enough.

 

[sidewaysonacob]

Thanks everyone, I need to find a friendly farmer

 

[Dry Rot]

Thanks everyone, I need to find a friendly farmer

Or move to Easter Ross. I'll make them three inches long if that's what you'd like.

But, seriously, just cut the strings of a normal bale, divide it in half, and put the strings back on. Anyone who uses small bales will have no shortage of string! I do that all the time. Stand the bale on it's end, put the hay net on as if you are putting pants on an infant, cut the string, and remove half the bale WITH the two strings. Refasten the strings by tying them side by side (if you follow me), thread the other two strings through the loop you've just formed, tighten up and tie. Voila! One filled hay net and one half bale neatly tied.

 

[Zebedee]

Why don't you try buying a couple of those small vacuum storage bags - the one where you make them airtight by sucking all the air out with a hoover. Then you can split a standard haylage bale in to two and store both until they are needed (within reason).