managing round bales - help and advice please

coffeeandabagel

coffeeandabagel

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I am going to have to use round bales during the winter since I have two big and hungry horses. However I don’t have any way of moving them around the yard and paddocks – no tractors here!

How do other people manage these huge things? I have rolled one previously but it was only a very short distance! If I have to just take hay off them and feed it loose I know it will be wasteful. I want to use one of those Big Bale Buddies once it is in the field, but not even sure how I get one on!
 
We leave ours in the wrappings and let them eat it down that way no faffing, free spook busting! and minimal wastage.

How/where have you got them stored?
 
dianchi said:
We leave ours in the wrappings and let them eat it down that way no faffing, free spook busting! and minimal wastage.

How/where have you got them stored?
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This would work but the netting is risky, I think Janet George lost one after it ate bale netting.

We fill a builders sack and carry it over to the horses, they feed off the floor. I do keep mine in two's so there is no real trampling and arguing so little waste. Heavy work if you are on your own though.
 
Havent even started to sue them yet - just planning how to at the moment. Last year when broken horse was turned away we fed three from loose hay on the ground, carted it in a builders sack. Yes heavy work and lost loads! Not doing that this year.
 
We roll them all over the place. Can be hard in the mud in winter but with a few hands to help it's doable.

I take the netting off and shrug at the wastage (prefer losing hay than a horse!)
 
If using a bale buddy you should be once the netting is off. I knew of someone who dragged hers with the 4x4 to where it was supposed to be then just flipped it onto a pallet.

How are they getting delivered?? Surely you could just ask person delivering if its on a loader to just dump it over the fence for you :)
 
Will need to get more than one at a time to save delivery costs. Imagine they will just be tipped off the flatbed where ever I ask. Obviously that cant be the field the beasts are in since they will shred the wrappings in a trice so as close as we can to a gate. If I take the wrapper off, and the netting can I still get the bale buddy over the bale or will it collapse? Loads of people use round bales in fields I just cant see a way I will feel is safe - but then I am a worrier! Why re-invent the wheel if a clever HHOer has sorted my problems already. Maybe I will end up getting a round feeder and cartlng loose stuff into that but just seems hard work!
 
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Yes the bale buddy will go over one you take the wrappings and netting off if the bale is packed correctly and not a false economy (IE deliberately loosely packed by a dodgy farmer) bale then it should stay together enough for the bale buddy to go over the top without too much fuss, all my bales do anyways.
 
I roll mine from the lorry where it is delivered across the yard into the 'hay store' which used to house around 100 bales in tight when I had small ones, make sure I leave enough room to walk round then do haynets over a dustbin for the steamed hay horse, the other gets it peeled off in a slice like a swiss roll, into wheelbarrow, straight onto the floor of stable with 1/2 bucket of water (normally left from last time in stable) chucked over it. Not that easy but I can't leave a whole bale in the field as COPD horse can't have it dry
 
The round feeder is the light and easy part lol! We roll out the bale (last year we made haylage) put it up on one side, unwrap. Then roll the feeder along and drop it over. Easy.
 
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