No hay!

pistolpete

pistolpete

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Anyone else unable to get any hay? Still plenty of grass in the seven acres for four horses but although I’m not massively worried as I have a greedy fat highland. The other horses aren’t as well equipped in our field. Anyone else unable to even buy hay at the moment? We can’t seem to find anyone selling small or large bales. South central England.
 
Unfortunately some people don't have the storage to stock up that much (I am lucky to have a hay barn but not everybody is). I think there is still quite a lot around us in Lincolnshire but prices are higher than usual.

pistolpete is there any way you can borrow a trailer and go on a road trip and get some? We make our own but if we run out I'm already planning to go and pick some up from wherever that may be if there isn't any locally towards the end of the winter.
 
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pistolpete said:
Haylage yes but very rich for laminitics.
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Horsehage is often lower in sugar than hay so don’t discount it and if you can source large bales of haylage you won’t need under cover storage as they are wrapped.

My usual supplier has raised his prices from £60 to over double that for a 6 string bale. I have space and managed to get hold of enough small bales to see me through the winter which saved me about £50 on usual suppliers price.
 
I'm in the midlands, still able to get hay atm but my supplier has said they will run out in Jan and when they start buying it in the cost will be £90 for a large bale. I've got some stocks of small bale haylage, chaff, sugarbeet, grassnuts and alfalfa pellets but one horse has had ulcers and needs a large haynet though the night so it's going to be a very expensive and stressful winter.
 
The Marksway timothy horsehage and blue rye horsehage are meant to be ok for laminitics. Otherwise I would potentially look at borrowing or hiring a horsebox and fetching hay in, even if I had to store it at home. It could be stored outside on pallets and under tarp or damp-proof membrane. Or buy wrapped hay.

I do feel for you, it's a horrible situation this year.
 
There is still hay available here (South Coast) but it's expensive. Our local feed shop is selling small bales at £9.50. My friend got a text from her usual supplier to say he was out and she did manage to get a couple of huge ones for £120 each. Ive no idea what she'll do when that's gone, but I presume chaff and Speedibeet if it comes to it.

Mole Valley High Fibre haylage is ok for laminitics.
 
For context there are four horses on seven acres. Yard owner is not a helpful person won’t allow any strip grazing etc. so no options of feeding to requirement. Just to show how ridiculous it is there’s a massive shire cross cob a thoroughbred ex racer a highland and a 15.2 cob. So needs different for each. Sectioning field not allowed as owner doesn’t like it! Collecting hay or straw for mine I would do but not for four! No barn and not much space to store even with a tarp over. Very ridiculous situation!
 
We don't have much (shared) storage but relieved that we have a long term supplier relationship who will deliver ad hoc and see us right. Others have stocked up on mahoosive, practically unhandleable square bales.

Let the others sort their own supplementary feeding, its not your problem. They're also the ones that started feeding hay early without apparently having secured a supply for when it's really cold and wet?
 
If you can get hold of a local farming paper, in Northern Ireland we have the Farm Week, you could find there are advertisements selling hay…
Or even your local paper might have adverts…
Do you have a local village shop?
 
I bought in enough cheap mash to last until after Christmas, the week after it went up 50p and now I think there is another £1 on top. Before I had the sheds I stored as much as I could in the garage, because who keeps a car in the garage, and took out a bale at a time. My car were bought on the basis of how many bales in the back and I could get four in a Renault AX .
I think I may have enough hay but I have bought round barley straw, so they can fill up on that. I think you can buy small barley straw for £3.50, and if you grass is still growing I would start weaning them on to that before all their diet is dry.
i just wonder how long it will be before people start stealing it.
 
Marshpiper said:
If you can get hold of a local farming paper, in Northern Ireland we have the Farm Week, you could find there are advertisements selling hay…
Or even your local paper might have adverts…
Do you have a local village shop?
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Nope. The local feed merchant has no info either. She’ll sell us the odd small bale but no deliveries and not keen on taking on new customers. Not surprisingly.
 
Traks said:
Buy a pallet of haylage, you can store it at home (that’s what I’ve done) if you shop around you can find quite dry, low sugar options suitable for lamanitics. Keep it covered with a tarp and take a few up at a time to the yard
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I don’t want or need to buy haylage. The others may choose to but going to be very awkward if they want to feed it and I don’t.
 
pistolpete said:
I don’t want or need to buy haylage. The others may choose to but going to be very awkward if they want to feed it and I don’t.
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Misread your post and thought you needed it!

But yes we have little locally too, seems to be more further afield in wales but depends on which bit!
 
SEL said:
At least with a good doer you can wait and see if the others who are more desperate find stocks.
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Exactly. I’m able to give him beet or grass nuts and he’ll manage fine. As long as he can pick about. I’ll happily give him two big fibre feeds a day. If I could separate him it would be ideal.
 
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SEL said:
At least with a good doer you can wait and see if the others who are more desperate find stocks.
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Isn't it more having to pay £10/bale when your horse doesn't need it? I think under these exceptional circumstances, the yard manager will have to allow individual grazing - it's ridiculous to expect people to subsidise other people's animals, no way will a Highland need as much as. TB or a Shire, surely she can see that?
 
honetpot said:
i just wonder how long it will be before people start stealing it.
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Already happening here in the SE.
An RC friend had 12 small bales taken on Monday between 8am and 5pm.
She's fortunate the rest at yard is wrapped big rounds and having been stacked in the summer well away from main gate (a complete arse to get to even when ground is dry!). Ironically they had only just bought the dozen to the yard on Sunday, from home. She has another 36 stacked in their garage and husband's classic car is outside. The small bales are for the little ponies. She's now bringing their hay in the car daily.
 
rextherobber said:
Isn't it more having to pay £10/bale when your horse doesn't need it? I think under these exceptional circumstances, the yard manager will have to allow individual grazing - it's ridiculous to expect people to subsidise other people's animals, no way will a Highland need as much as. TB or a Shire, surely she can see that?
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You’re presuming she’s rational 🤣
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Already happening here in the SE.
An RC friend had 12 small bales taken on Monday between 8am and 5pm.
She's fortunate the rest at yard is wrapped big rounds and having been stacked in the summer well away from main gate (a complete arse to get to even when ground is dry!). Ironically they had only just bought the dozen to the yard on Sunday, from home. She has another 36 stacked in their garage and husband's classic car is outside. The small bales are for the little ponies. She's now bringing their hay in the car daily.
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That’s awful!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Indeed.
Currently small bales at big feed merchants are £9.95 collected.(plenty in stock). These were from her own fields, made in June.
People are getting v inventive to secure fodder and bedding.
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Such a shame. We can probably store 20 or 25 small bales maximum in our rubbish little storage area. Only has a waterproof tarp because I bought one! Periodically try to find somewhere better but it difficult as location of this field is perfect.
 
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