hay in abundance!??... Really!???

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pony&cow

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according to this weeks h&h hay is a reasonable price as there is an abundance of it and "farmers need to clear out space for this years crop"....
if only!
are any hay makers on here the lucky ones?
were keeping our fingers crossed that 2011's hay stocks will last until this years hay can be fed. We managed to get silaging done in the few dry spells and had to 'bale out' on hay making and bale it as haylege so didn't make any hay last year.

and there was me thinking were all in the same boat.
 
Yep - my supplier has still got a couple thousand small bales and he's usually run out by this time of year. It's still £4 a bale though which is what I paid last September :rolleyes:
 
I don't know of many (if any) farmers with any left round here. Most people have only just got their cows out so have fed a lot more than normal.
 
I'm in Dorset and picked up 80 bales for £2.50 each a few weeks back. Not the best quality but perfectly edible. More than I need if anyone nearby is really desperate.
 
Don't think there's much left round here according to some fellow liveries - I'm on haylage and there's still plenty of that about!
 
Stupid question that I should know the answer to but how long does new hay need to be left before it can be fed. I live on a farm and it is never normally a problem but at one point 2 weeks ago the only forage left on the farm was my half a big bale of hay :eek:, until we bought in a lorry load of haylage for the cows so I have been feeding that to try and keep my hay for through the summer for shows etc but may need to buy some in to make ends meet.
 
lets all move to dorset : ) irishbabygirl I think alot of farmers done the as us... cut for hay saw those big black clouds again and sent the balers in wuick time!
 
really! theres none.here, one supplier selling small bales for £6.50 and big for £50!!!! absolute nightmare to get anything atm and they are having to ship it in from England.
 
H&H print an article about this every year, they are in danger of causing the prices of hay to raise, if you were a farmer reading this you would say that hay is short and put your prices up.
I have never in all the time ive owned horses ever had a problem finding hay, and at sensible prices, my only complaint is i feel that the quality of hay is not what it used to be have farmers lost the knack of making good hay?
this year i very much doubt there will be a shortage of hay as the grass is growing well with the weather we have been having its just whether the rain will hold off long enough for the farmers to get it in.
Last year the farmers round here had to back the bailers off a bit as the bales were to heavy to lift they dont want us rich horsey people getting to much hay in a bale!
This does sugest that last year they had a bumper crop of hay
We need to be more worried about straw as the other crops ie. wheat,barley and oats are struggling less of these crops means less straw and feed prices will raise
 
I've not had a problem getting it and also got some pretty alright hay for 2.50 a bale recently or can have better for 4 quid. I thought Cambridge would be more expensive than some places but I guess as we have so much agricultural land here it is pretty handy!

I can't imagine paying 6 pounds a bale!
 
Don't have a prob getting it here (glos), though like a previous poster, finding good quality can be more of a struggle. One small supplier we use is totally out, but she pretty much cuts the fields to order depending on how many bales her customers want at the start of the season. So isn't much of a surprise that she doesn't have any left.
Our other supplier is a bit of a drive away but they still have plenty and it is superb stuff. Well worth the drive!

We pay £3.50 for a small bale (small supplier) or £4 for an incredibly tightly packed small bale (other supplier). It's been that price for years.
 
No prob with hay round here in NW Surrey
Local farmer still has a good amount of good/reasonable small bales in his barn & still selling for same price as last year - so not bad for those who buy piece-meal as farmer has stored it over winter for them :)

I topped up in March & having counted yesterday, have around 35+ left over to see me through trips out this summer & to start the winter off for 2 good do-ers :)
 
Loads round here too my supplier has been shipping it out to Ireland as he needs the space for this years. grass has romped away so as long as we get a dry spell next month for the cut there should be plenty again
 
Our farmers got a good quantity cut last year (quality perhaps not as good) and the price of small bales went DOWN £1/2 and the large bales went down around £10 from previous years. There's no problems getting hay round here at the moment and some farmers have just taken their first cut off the fields this week.
 
We have run out for the first time ever. We made a good supply last year but are still using it. We have just bought a big bale for £40 and have reserved another , he is only letting us have it as a favour and has none left for sale. There is no small bale straw left around here in kent, local suppliers ran out month ago.
The grass is starting to grow but we have some years cut our haylage in the first week of june. We will not be doing that this year !!
 
lots of it round here, too. I bought 12 large bales of dry haylage last April and still have 9 bales. Most makes store theirs stacked outside and the ones I drive past have barely gone down.
 
I've just skimmed this thread and considering not many have posted their location, I can only say you really don't help yourselves, do you?:D

I usually have hay/haylage for sale but also wonder at those who buy fodder over the phone (yes, it may be verbal but it is still a legal contract) and then do not bother to come to collect when they say they will.

I "sold" 20 bales of top quality haylage a few weeks ago. The purchaser has not turned up to collect, let alone telephoned to tell me he doesn't want them any more, and in the meantime I have turned people away. Guess who won't be supplied by me next year!;)

Edited to say that I still have enough haylage to last me next winter as well. Up here in the Highlands we are never sure we will get our hay and so make sure we have fodder in the barn. Isn't there something in the Bible about virgins running out of oil??
 
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We've got plenty, not the highest nutritional value, but it will do as roughage. I ran out of home grown haylage, but my supplier tells me there is absolutely no problem with selling to me as much as I could possibly want. I do pay top prices for top quality, though, and don't grumble.
 
I'm in Rossendale Lancashire and am struggling to find hay. We cut our own haylage last year and have two bales left but would like to sitch to hay so we can leave the horses out when it's nice without worrying about using the haylage up before it goes off. So if any on knows of any selling for less than 5 pounds a bale, I would love to know.
 
My current supplier has just run out so I'm on the hunt for some more small hay bales. If anyone can recommend some near Stamford, Lincs, please pm me!! Thanks! :-)
 
Plenty of hay in my part of France the Loire. I have just been offered last years hay small bales good quality £1 per bale. This years cut will be £1.50.
I also buy fresh small bales of Alfalfa they get about 4 cuts in a year I pay £2.00 per small bale for that.
I don't buy a huge amount 140 bales of hay and 90 bales of Alfalfa is enough of my boys for the winter.
 
Hayley.t

How long hay needs to be left depends on how fresh and green it is and the horse it will be fed to!

Do cows get fed haylage then?
I though that was for horses and cows had silage.
Shows what I know!
 
They would normally get silage but we've bought all we can locally from people who had some left over. I was a bit surprised when this lot turned up as it is very nice haylage, hence I thought the ponies could have some for a treat as they are normally rationed to hay. I think its come a long way up to us but it works out cheaper buying that delivered than going for pit silage on the tractor if its not very local to us.

So with the hay do you just have to wait till it looks and smalls like hay? I've never had to feed this years hay before I've always been a year behind if that makes sense.:)

I've just re-read that and it sounds stupid but I kind of know what I mean, like not as fresh?
 
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