Feeding big bale round hay out in the field

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SpruceRI

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I normally wet all my hay before putting it out in the racks as one of my ponies coughs on dry hay. I literally just pour a bucket of water through half a bale per feed, she doesn't need it dunked.

The farmer from whom I buy hay off has offered to deliver big round hay bales straight to my field.

This would be wonderful as I hate wetting the hay and lugging it about.

So do you think the bale would get damp enough in the rain and dew to mean I don't have to chuck water all over it, or is feeding a round bale a bad idea for a pony that coughs a bit?

Also does anyone know how many small bales a big round bale is equivalent to - estimate as I know you can't be exact? And how long it would last a couple of Cobs and a Shetland.

Many thanks
 
Um well we have big round bales out in the fields, 2 foals, 1 welshie and 1 NF get through about a bale every 10 days i would say
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The 3 bigger boys (16hh+) get through a bale a week ish.
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That's a similar amount to what mine would eat in small bales I suppose? 7 bales a week.

What should I expect to pay for a big bale?
 
Ummmm not sure of the answer to that one as we bought 30 big bales at the beginning of Winter (we're down to 11 now - 12 horses being fed on the big bales altogether) !!

Probably between £10-£15 per bale? A rough guess?
 
The big round bales are between 200-300KG in weight, so will last up to approx 20 days per horse if they're wintered out. (15kg/day/horse)

However our neds won't eat their hay if it gets wet - odd isn't it!
So the problem for us is to keep it dry when it's out in the field and we're very much looking forward to receiving our new mobile hay feeder for 300kg balls!! (will post pics of course!)
 
If the cough is caused by dust then having the bales outside will actually help. Once they are opened and horses start pulling bits off them the wind carries quite a bit of the dust away anyway.
 
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The big round bales are between 200-300KG in weight, so will last up to approx 20 days per horse if they're wintered out. (15kg/day/horse)



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Really??! Ours never last that long! Maybe our lot are just greedy beggars!
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The big round bales are between 200-300KG in weight, so will last up to approx 20 days per horse if they're wintered out. (15kg/day/horse)



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Really??! Ours never last that long! Maybe our lot are just greedy beggars!
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That's just for an imaginary single horse. When our lot were with 2 others, they used to devour a 300kg ball in 4-5 days between the four of them if it was very cold weather - greedy things aren't they !
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Oh i see!!!!

For one horse maybe... i think the big bale we've got in the back field between 2 welshies has lasted around 14 days, think it will need replacing tomorrow though!
 
big bales tend to be less dusty than small bales anyway. i'd guess that a big bale would last 7 days ish, depending on how cold and how greedy they are!
you do need to put something around it though, otherwise they tend to trash the last third, in my experience.
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I tried big bales. 1 15.2hh and 2 17hh scoffed it all in 2 days!!
it would be so much easier if I could use them without breaking my piggy bank!
 
yorkshireyearling, don't you have problems with the horses bashing their heads on the tops of the inlet-bits round the feeder, if they snipe at each other and one tries to pull its head back fast? i've been trying to find a tombstone feeder instead, but they're not easy to find.
 
Big bale haylage is £20 round here. This lasts my 16hh and 16.2 14 days. When they where fed hay it cost me a fiver a day as they eat a bale each at 2.50 a bale so much cheaper. Also give them less bucket feed now, then when on hay and they look much better. Don't think you will have any probs with coughing feeding hayalge outside.
 
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Albertina, i'm worried they'll get their feet stuck in the sheep feeder, as the gaps are smaller than on the cattle feeder.
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The gaps in the sheep feeders are plenty wide enough for horses I can't see any way that they can get stuck in them. The sheep feeders are lower than the cattle ones allowing horses to eat with their heads over the top of the rather than putting their heads through the bars. they are also light enough that you can lift the feeder over the bale when putting a new one out.
 
Would love to feed one of mine 100% haylage as it's hard to keep the weight on her but the other two are 'large', and the Shetland would eat it until he went pop!

Right, think I might phone up my farmer and get a couple delivered.

The bales will have to stand on their lonesome as I can't afford a cattle feeder, nor would it be a good idea because the Shetland terrorises the youngster!

Are the bales tied up with baler twine like normal small bales? When I chop ths strings will it all go flop?

Thanks for answering my 20 questions!
 
Lol no won't go flop as you put it, will most likely be ok until you get to the last third of it like someone said above, when it gets lower is when they are more tempted to make a bed out of it
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