Hay supplies

[Sarah B]

Just wondering with the no doubt increase in feeding hay with this horrible weather, how are people's local stocks of hay coping ? I have heard of a local supplier having only 16 bales left! Luckily we produce our own at our yard and don't sell to others - only those at our yard. But with the horses in, and the ground frozen and covered with snow we are getting through it quicker than I have ever known. Everyone else managing ?

 

[mon]

We are getting very short all our farmstock eating forage and didn't get to overfil haybarns last year, think we can buy hay in but to make hay go further just bought £700 sheep feed blocks for sheep that shouldn't be fed for another month definately not taking on any new customers and might have to limit some of the originals but bagged alfafa not a cheap option either.

 

[Lollii]

My hay supplier has run out of hay!

He has his home produced haylege left so I have stocked up on that, he says he is buying some hay in from somewhere but it will be limited to his customers and expensive

 

[Sarah B]

Our yard only produced less than half the amount last year as they were left with so much left over from the previous year, so luckily some of the liveries used that for this winter, but of course once that ran out they are now using last year's crop. We still have a fair bit left but of course how long it lasts depends on how soon the weather improves. I would imagine alot of people are having the same problem.

 

[TicTac]

I have got some hay that was late cut. My horses won't touch it as they are on haylage. It is not brilliant but good enough for the less fussy eater/ greedy pony if any one is interested. PM me

 

[Jericho]

I ran out and farmer who usually supplies has let me down very badly after promising to come out for 2 weeks and then ignoring my calls for 2 weeks. I have been buying horsehage at £7 a bale for the last week.

Thorogoods battled through the snow this morning for 8 large bales of haylage so am hoping that will keep me going for 6 weeks or so. Horses have gone right off their food, just picking out their hard food and leaving the older hay that I was resorting to. Am hoping this batch of haylage will get them eating again - think they are just bored of having no grass.

I think there is going to be a struggle for hay / haylage this year. Lets hope we get a good hay harvest this year!

 

[Dubsie]

We sold most of our own hay last year - OH has the equipment and does hay as a hobby. We were not intending to start pony shopping till about now... but of course we got 2 just when it started to rain lots, then it snowed, and all our lovely grass is still under 6-8 inches of snow so I've bought in some for us and some for neighbour without much storage, so what we have between us should last a while. Peeves me to pay more than double what we sold ours for, particularly as we have quite a bit of grass!
Hay man is now selling his April stock so is buying more in for only about the 2nd time in 40 years.

 

[scally]

I bought in far too much this year goodness knows what I was thinking off at the time by ordering the amount I did, but am now glad I did as can let other people local to me have it at a good price.

The longer this weather goes on the shorter the supply will be I guess.

 

[PennyJ]

I am getting lovely dryish haylage in big bales from a local farmer. He has said they will continue selling to us until the end of January then they will review the situation...

Its the nicest stuff I've ever found for them to eat, so I will be really disappointed if I have to find an alternative. Yes I'm worried, and I think we all should be.