Grrrrrr!! Annoyed!! 200+ bales of cr*p hay anyone?!

C

Charlie-Brown

Active Member
Joined
8 July 2012
Messages
45
Visit site
So, after ages waiting and then giving up hope, the farmer we arranged to come and cut our 4 acres of hay finally turned up the first week of September (that gorgeous week of sunshine we had).

Cut it on the Monday, turned it on the Wednesday then disappeared of the face of the planet til Monday this week! Came and turned it a couple times more, insisting it'd be ok (although not as good quality as it would've been) and baled it yesterday. As it was me on my own with the baby yesterday, I had no help to move it and it's been rained all over as it's scattered about the field still! My dad who knows nothing about horses or hay (whose field it is) is planning on stacking it all and keeping it for the winter for my horses. Surely it's going to be ruined now? It looked pretty naff before they baled it!

Any suggestions or is Bonfire Night this year going to be one hell of a party?!! Lol!
 
If it's baled and been rained on then yes... it's pretty knackered...

rained on and dried pre baling, there won't be much in it nutritionally but it would be fine for bulk fibre to munch on :)
 
With my limited experience I would worry about stacking it unless it is completely dry. If you stack it and it is damp it might start to ferment or rot which means it might get very hot. If it hasnt had a lot of rain then it shouldnt have got much wet into the bale. i would have thought it wont be much nutritional value but ok for filling tummies.
 
OMG what a nightmare ! this is what I worry about when we have ours done - your best bet may be to let it dry, stack it - cover it and then sell it for livestock (not horses) be honest about it but you could put it on ebay - one price for someone to collect the lot or per bale with minimum of x bales.

If it isnt too bad you may still be able to feed it but you will need to soak it first as it is almost certainly going to be dusty !!

ps I would not be paying the farmer - you could however ask him if he would like it in return for a smaller number of good bales !!
 
So the farmer left it lying there nearly a fortnight?? Rotten thing. I would be dithering about paying him the full amount. Could he part ex it for something you could use? Would there be any farmers that could silage it (take bales apart..?)

Have you a barn that you could lay bales in to dry out - not stacked? Spare stables.. Could you put some on the yard and cover it with taup to prevent further rain and let it dry underneath?

Are your horses good doers?

Just batting around some thoughts and possibilities to salvage at least some...
 
Honey08 said:
So the farmer left it lying there nearly a fortnight?? Rotten thing. I would be dithering about paying him the full amount. Could he part ex it for something you could use? Would there be any farmers that could silage it (take bales apart..?)

Have you a barn that you could lay bales in to dry out - not stacked? Spare stables.. Could you put some on the yard and cover it with taup to prevent further rain and let it dry underneath?

Are your horses good doers?

Just batting around some thoughts and possibilities to salvage at least some...
Click to expand...

Yep, he did :( I'm so upset about it. Would rather he had left it standing in the field if he wasn't going to do a proper job - that's what I was preparing for anyway and had some hay lined up to order in, with the standing hay to be grazed over the winter. No barn - only a spare stable. Plan was to get as much in there as poss, then stack the rest out on pallets under a tarpaulin.

Don't think the farmer would be interested in having it - my dad asked him if he'd help us collect it in and he said he wouldn't get his machinery in field! Think he's trying to draw a line under it by fobbing my dad off with excuses and my poor dad just believes him.

Horses are good doers - have a cobby ISH and two small natives but the plan was they'd all be out 24/7 so a big pile of good hay stored up would've been amazing......
 
so sorry for you.This happened to me last year with over 800 bales although the farmer bailed it wet and we lost the lot :( i defo wouldnt pay him and this is the reason we have stopped having our own made,i buy it in now much less hastle and i can be picky with what i have.i had our local dairy come and take ours if that helps??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top