How much hay you getting through?

[Limbo1]

Looking at my hay barn and trying to work out how long it will last. Mine are 1 wb 16hh 15 years old, 1 connie x 22 yrs old, 1 exmoor x dartmoor. Also eating in same feild 17 hh 23yr old. Only ponies in work. We now have very little grass so hay is main feed plus hard feed for all but moorland.

Got about 90 bales ideas on how long it will last?

 

[Mari]

Depends on size of bales.

 

[DD]

if they are conventional bales then i guess you'll use around 6 a day so about 2 weeks.

 

[Pinkvboots]

if they are conventional bales then i guess you'll use around 6 a day so about 2 weeks.

6 bales a day for 5 horses that's a lot of hay even my greedy horses don't eat a bale a day.

 

[Leo Walker]

Mine is only 14.2hh and a good doer. He was going through 1/2 to 3/4s bale plus being out in daylight hours picking at grass. So with yours I'd reckon roughly 2 bales a day if theres still grass to pick at, if theres nothing then it will be more to make sure they always have something to eat in front of them.

 

[Wagtail]

I would work on 1/2 - 3/4 of a bale per day per horse. So up to 3 bales a day. 90 bales will last around 4 weeks.

 

[ihatework]

It will depend on size/weight of bale, condition of the horses and weather you experience over coming weeks.

Assuming none are poor and we dont have a very cold snap I’d plan for 3 bales a day. If we get some bad weather then I’d allow for at least 4 bales a day.

 

[Spottyappy]

I have 3, am using a bale and a half of hay per day, plus big bale Haylage for 2 of the 3 when stabled.
The big bale Haylage lasts 10 days.

 

[meleeka]

I’m feeding 1 x 17hh 1 x 14hh 1x 12hh and a mini shetland and is use approx 2 bales per day (I use round bales normally).

 

[Limbo1]

Golly thanks all. Thought would last a bit longer. I do put the little pony in the starvation paddock a bit as adlib hay and a moorland equal a very fay beast. I think we are getting through about 1.5 bales a day but difficult to tell as 2 of us feeding them. All looking well/fat for the time of year. Just know feb can be horrid.

 

[buzyizzy]

Too much!!! lol

Large round bales are lasting me 12 days for just two of them and I'm still going up to empty haynets.

 

[coss]

I have one horse getting through approx one square bale a day (bales weigh 11-19kg so nearer half a bale for the heavy bales!), 2x 14.2 ponies on more grass than the horse are getting one bale between them per day, sometimes 1.5 in the really snowy weather. Though we've hit a "nicer" spell of weather so they've gone down to about half a bale between them per day. I'm using 30bales every 2-3 weeks for 3 horses/ponies.

 

[Beth206]

We have a 15.3 cob x, a 14.3 cob and a 15h tb and we go through about a bale and a half per day. Horses are turned out 24/7 but there is hardly anything in the field.
We bought 200 in September and that is usually ample to last the winter. We had about 40 left over from last winter too.

ETA: these are just average sized large bales.

 

[DD]

if they are conventional bales then i guess you'll use around 6 a day so about 2 weeks.

sorry! cant add up I meant it to be 4 bales a day

 

[Lintel]

I get through 1 large round bale in around 16 days. Feeding 1 Shetland and 1 highland.

 

[cavalo branco]

Lots! 16hh good doer ID and older 16.2hh TBx get through 1 1/2 very large and heavy small bales per day(if that makes sense!) they are out during the day but there is not much to eat now out there.

 

[eggs]

2 large round bales a week feeding 8 large warmbloods

 

[Auslander]

2 8ft bales a week, for 10 horses - 7 living out, and 3 stabled at night. Hayed in their pens morning and evening, and have 24h access to fields. All in good condition - some of them a bit too good!

 

[xDundryx]

I've a 15 2hh and 16 2hh TB, they've been getting through about a bale and a half a day, two haynets each at night when they're in uses a bale and I toss a half bale in the field for them. zero grass left now. I've just bought a large rectangle haylage to put in the field hopefully that keeps them happy for a while. Neither are huge eaters and have so far held condition but I'm starting to worry about cost of the next couple of months!

 

[gingernut81]

One large round bale a fortnight for a Connie and a Shetland as very little grass in their patch at the moment. I'd rather feed too much than too little.

 

[Pinkvboots]

a large round bale is lasting 10 to 11 days for 2 Arabs and one looks fat but there is not much grass and his doing some work now so will come off.

 

[buzyizzy]

Thank goodness. I thought I was going daft getting thru a round bale in 12 days for a Connie and an IDxAppy. I'm now coming down to some left in Connie's nets, but still nothing in ID, so will have to up his hay from tomorrow to three large haynets a night

 

[mandyroberts]

6 bales a day for 5 horses that's a lot of hay even my greedy horses don't eat a bale a day.

I can only count 4 horses so 6 a day even more excessive!

 

[OldieButGoodie]

In today's 'normal' winter weather I will use 1 bale of compressed timothy haylage a day (20Kg) for 1 x IDx (on a permanent diet / very greedy) and 1 x Connie (not on diet / doesn't gorge).

There are 4 sections in bale - 1.5 gets shared out in field for them (separate fields otherwise IDx would scoff the lot), then 1 section gets put into connie's overnight net, 1.5 section goes in IDx overnight but then he also gets oat straw (1 section of a VERY compressed bale). Connie usually leaves quite a bit of haylage in net whereas IDx has hoovered up every strand.

More haylage/oat straw is used if snow lying on ground or there is frost. But during ice/snow spells I notice the IDx puts on weight due to not moving about AND eating too much! Connie's weight doesn't seem to fluctuate as much he just eats his fill and mooches about.

Both horses currently are a really good weight & both are in light work (work is a bit sporadic because of weather at the moment!).

 

[_HP_]

2 large cobs(15 and 16 hh), a Welsh A, and two miniature shetlands living out on 5 acres 24/7, are getting through a round bale of haylage every 3 weeks ATM with some wastage.

 

[Merrymoles]

We are lucky enough still to have a decent amount of grass so no forage in the field unless snowing/very frosty and one large round bale of haylage (which is more like hay and not going off) is lasting a 15.2hh cob, a 15hh Welsh D and a 16.2hh ID a fortnight or more and they are all, including the ID who is an old man with iffy teeth, looking extremely well on it - the two smaller ones are probably on the fat side of good!

 

[honetpot]

If you think that a small bale should weigh 20kg, if it doesn't it should, I feed 1.5% of their body weight, add x that and divide by 20kg. Mine get a round bale of straw to pick at as well. I have just been to put their evening nets up and they were still grazing so probably there is more grass than it looks.
Mine apart from one are really far too fat. Two are not getting anything, out with no rugs and a haven't lost any any weight, so I have had to halve their grass. It was 15 C here yesterday, if it get to the end of February and they are still as porky the clippers are being dusted off.

 

[Charlie007]

I have a 16.2 tb and a 17.1 wb. I go through 2 round bales a week.