Haylage Bales in the fields ....

[MinnieDuke]

I am on a small DIY yard - we try and help each other out and are because of small grazing down to half days turnout ...

We are putting haynets out but we all hv diff hay and they fight for the haylage! were thinking of getting haylage as a group - my question:

Does it work to just leave a bale in the field and save the endless haynet filling / emptying / tiying up / taking down

If yes how long will a bale usually last???

other solutions welcome

PS thanks for my last post - I am LOVING my dickies overalls .....

 

[wattamus]

when a group of horses on our yard got ringworm (mine included) last year, they had to stay out and there was very little grass out there. so we all chipped in abnd bought a Haylage bale off the YO (rectangle one) the horses loved it and used to get soo excited about the tractor coming into the field!
a bale that size spread among 7 horses (i think) lasted around 3-4 days but they were literally just eating the haylage. However a couple of bad points. 1) a few of the horses treated it like a stable and laid in it as well as using it as a toilet Haylage would have lasted longer but we had to get rid of some as it wasn't fit to eat. 2) it ruined part of the field because the horses stayed round the bale all the time even through all the rain and the beginnig of the snow, the field took a long time to recover.
But it is a good idea a certianly better than letting horses argue over nets. none of ours argued over the bale when they realised there was enough for all

 

[Boulty]

My old yard used to have big bales out in the field fed out of big rings that fitted round the bales so the horses couldn't spread it all over the field / roll / wee / poo in it! The ground around them used to get VERY churned up when it was wet though! There were around 30 horses in field (with around half of them coming in on a night) and I think they used to go through around 8 of the massive bales a week.

 

[LazyS]

I have round baled haylage delivered. A whole one sits perfectly in a sheep ring feeder (new about £90) and that helps keep it all together and stops them sleeping on it and usually 'messing' in it - though my youngster backs up to it and lifts his tail!!!! It works great with my stallion, tried just making a hole in the top of the plastic, but he insisted on ripping it all open and jumping on it!! (We'll say no more about that!)... but he is much better with the sheep ring feeder around it and happy as larry to stand there munching, and he is sensible and goes off and picks at grass too, so gets exercised. On the down side if you have a pig of a horse (my older gelding) they stand there all the time and just eat, and the area does get poached, despite me moving the feeder around between deliveries, but that just spreads the poached area somewhere else (you just can't win!!). I had to reseed the areas that were poached last winter, and having got them looking good again I could now cry as they are back to square one!! Remind me again, why do I love horses.....?

 

[MinnieDuke]

yeah - they just chomp chomp chomp so could work out to be quite expensive .... and i have seen in other areas where the horses end up useing it like a stable ... we used big trugs last year - they still made a mess but it wasnt as bad ....

they are on half days so if we do something like this then hopefully it will last longer and there are only 5 in the field

cheers - keep the thoughts and experiences coming

thanks
M

 

[mainpower]

If they're only out for half days I'd be inclined not to put anything out at all, or get square bales and put out sections or half sections each day. I don't have much grass so tend to let them have a net while I'm mucking out etc before turn out, and they come in between 3pm and 5pm, depending on owner's routine.

 

[Mince Pie]

We put one out last year, but we also have a sacrificial field, aptly named the "trash paddock". I think we went through 2 a month with a big horse and 2 small-ish ponies, but they were out 24/7 last winter as the road to the yard was so bad we never knew when we would get there.

 

[pinkypug1]

I feed round bales, we have a bale feeding trailer which is handy as they cant trash the bale and not much gets wasted. I have 2 16.2hh horses & a foal going through 1 bale every 10 days. There is still grass to pick at but not much they are out on 1.7 acres.

 

[honetpot]

I have round bale haylage but couldn't put a whole bale in the field as they would eat too much.
How about making feeding stations out of pallets( 3 or 4 )tied together and using a wheelbarrow to fill them once a day.Or tie pallets round the big bale and buy a bale net too put over the top.
One year I used round bale hay, the ponies ate the middle out of it, it was on its side, then when it collapsed lay on it like a sofa. So comfey.

 

[Mrs B]

We've got one of the large round haylage bales in a ring feeder with a net over the top. There is also grass to pick at (3 or 4 acres).
Four horses out 24/7: two 15hh cobs, two 15.3hh TBxs get through the bale in about 4 days.

 

[MinnieDuke]

I have round bale haylage but couldn't put a whole bale in the field as they would eat too much.
How about making feeding stations out of pallets( 3 or 4 )tied together and using a wheelbarrow to fill them once a day.Or tie pallets round the big bale and buy a bale net too put over the top.
One year I used round bale hay, the ponies ate the middle out of it, it was on its side, then when it collapsed lay on it like a sofa. So comfey.

Sounds like a great idea - dont suppose you have pix of your feeding stations?

Cheers
Minnie

 

[MinnieDuke]

If they're only out for half days I'd be inclined not to put anything out at all, or get square bales and put out sections or half sections each day. I don't have much grass so tend to let them have a net while I'm mucking out etc before turn out, and they come in between 3pm and 5pm, depending on owner's routine.

Mainpower : thanks for this sanity check - ran it past the girls and we all agree not to put too much effort in - so we've decided to put in a slice a day - gives them something to pick at but not enough for them to gorge themselves on and will make em walk around the field (the whole point of them being out!!!!) before they come in after lunch

thanks again - really like the idea of the net wround the bale too - keep things tidyer and they cant wolf it down ....

till the next time amigos
Minnie