How long would a 4ft round bale of hay last?

[Benefice1]

Hiya,

Just curious as to how long roughly a 4ft round bale of hay would last two horses (one is a cob who doesn't need too much!)

Thanks

 

[mulledwhine]

I have not measured mine, they are just standard round bales, but I am getting about a month out of them

 

[mulledwhine]

Ment to add, that not fed ad lib, that is nets filled

 

[teresagarsden]

1 pony + 1 horse ad lib
Lasts approx 10 days

 

[Enfys]

I work on a 4' round equalling about 10 small bales.

Are you feeding it in the field or just filling nets with it?

It depends on how many horses you have eating it (Ok, you said 2) whether they are pigs and even sleep with their heads in it (some of mine do), whether they waste a lot, what the weather is like, if they have grass.

I feed rounds but I unroll them on the ground in a long strip that way there is absolutely minimal wastage...10 horses can feed from a bale whereas no way would you get 10 around the same when it was still a round.

1 bale will last one 15.2 7-10 days, depending on the individual.
1 bale feeds 6 geldings from 12h-16h for 3 days.
1 bale feeds 10 mares for 24 hours.

Mine live out and have no grazing worth anything.

 

[Hippona]

In summer one would last my 3 horses for 3 weeks- in a net, stabled overnight.

Currently lasting me 2 weeks- haynets at night and some out in paddock through day. Not ad-lib or they would be the size of a shed very quickly.

 

[clip_clop]

Mine had 1 of these out in the field last winter in a round feeder, for all 3 of them out 24/7 it lasted two weeks

 

[scarymare]

Depends on loads of things - including quality. I've got some cracking haylage atm. My fat pig mare and 2 youngsters went through one in 3 days. bet I know who ate all the pies though - and they've heaps of grass!

 

[Lisamd]

One week

But I have 5 horses that come in each day at 3.30pm ish.

 

[Archangel]

About 10 days - this includes a couple of days forcing them to clear up the bits.

 

[Enfys]

About 10 days - this includes a couple of days forcing them to clear up the bits.

Wasteful blighters aren't they?

I used to waste so much feeding the bales just as rounds, they'd lie in it and use it as bedding, drove me nuts! Unrolling them as I do now I get almost zero wastage...why I didn't do it this way years ago staggers me.

To feed the mare herd I would have to put out 2 or 3 bales at a time, and even then there would be one bossy mare on each bale and the timid ones would be chased off. Now I have a strip of hay about 100m long and everyone can get their fair share, no bitching, no fighting. Love it! It takes a few minutes and two people to do it, but what the heck!

 

[superted1989]

Good doer 15.1 traditional cob, lasts just under 4 weeks at the moment. There's still plenty of good grazing, so, he only has his nets at night, roughly 7kg. As the grazing goes downhill, his hay consumption will go up!
Last year, through all the snow etc, bale lasted 14.2 not so good doer cob and good doer 15.2 WBxTB just over 2 weeks.
Our 'retireds' have a round feeder with a bale in, it gets replaced as soon as they've stuffed it, and it's currently lasting them (ancient cob, huge ex dressage warmblood and 2 NFs) just over a week. They have quite a bit of good grazing still, but seem to prefer standing round the bale!

 

[Evadiva1514]

I get through 1 round bale of hay every 5 days, that's for 6 horses coming in at lunchtime and being stabled overnight...