Round bale of hay

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I have two that will be living out 24/7 this winter, bad weather permitting but they do have a field shelter. One horse and one pony. If I put a round bale of hay in the field for them, how long do you think it will last please, not used them before?

 

[tda]

I'd say at least two weeks, but you must get a round bale feeder, if you don't it might last a few days then they will pee and poo on it then sleep on it ?

 

[Poingsettia]

I’d say one week, based on past experience: 14.2 cob and 13.2 pony. That was with a bale net.

 

[Parrotperson]

yes. you must out it in a feeder. otherwise half of it will go to waste. then one of these too https://www.equus.co.uk/products/el...O1CtPV3x5jZXcuFzaOgyXGwb7cbUgMLIaAhi_EALw_wcB

 

[Brownmare]

It depends on the size of the bale, the ones we have made last my 3 big horses a week but they are very tightly packed bales. Most round bales sold for the horse market don't have as much in them so probably 2 horses will get through one in a week.
Eta a bale net or ring feeder is essential to prevent waste. I use a tombstone feeder with a cargo net over the bale.

 

[Melody Grey]

Mine come in during the day with ad lib hay and have generous piles of hay out in the field overnight and I’m getting a fortnight out of a round bale at the moment (15hh, 14.2 cob and 12.2 pony)

You might get less waste if you keep the bale separate and feed them twice a day? I find tonne bags from the builders merchant great for moving it around.

 

[fidleyspromise]

Between one and two weeks. I've gone through a bale in one week and I've gone through one in2 weeks. Same ponies - both 14.1hh.
There's a lot of waste without hay bale nets i find.

I put hay out daily for 1 horse and the two ponies mentioned above and it lasts about 18 days.

 

[Winters100]

Mine lasts a month for 3 of them, but they are inside at night. I use the giant haynet over it, and then cover with a haybell like this to stop them getting tangled in the net as the hay gets eaten. https://www.jsw4jumps.co.uk/shop/fi...s-troughs-buckets-shovels/hb01-haybell-large/

I don't put in in the shelter, but have an area of hardstanding in the field so that it does not become a quagmire around the hay.

 

[meleeka]

I put a round bale out once and it lasted 3 days ?. That was a 14hh cob a 12hh Welsh and a Shetland! I think, if you have normal horses it would be a about a week. I use the large builders sacks and feed in crates. That seems to work better and they are still almost ad-lib.

 

[Carrottom]

I would keep the bale separate from the horses and take some off twice a day. If the weather is bad you can put some in the shelter and put the piles of hay in different places to avoid one area getting churned up. I would expect a large round to last 2-3 weeks fed like this.

 

[chaps89]

It’s an expensive way to feed hay I find!
When my mare was on grass livery we went through 2 round bales a week for 5 horses, none above 15hh. It was an expensive winter and the horses were all knee deep in mud. Never again!
I used to use rounds and hay daily, for a 14.1hh and 12hh it would last about 6 weeks in summer (the bigger one came in each day) and about 3, maybe 4 weeks in winter. I did feed straw alongside though

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My 2 would eat it in a week so I feed it myself and then it lasts about 2 weeks.

One of my horses will literally stand and eat hay day and night his not that interested in grass especially in the winter.

I have a bit of hard standing behind my stables which is in the field I drilled holes in the back of the stable wall and put rings up so they get nets on there, it's so easy as you can sweep it everyday and they can get off the mud.

 

[SpotsandBays]

It’s abit of a slog but I have round bales in the barn, and I take sacks of hay out twice a day in winter. They don’t waste any that way, and I put it in different places each time so nowhere gets boggy.
My friend puts round bales out without nets/feeders and the wastage she gets is crazy. She must lose 1/3 of the bale to wastage. And also you’ll lose it a lot quicker in the wind if you don’t have a net/feeder!

 

[Carrottom]

Another problem I have seen is a horse getting filled legs from standing at the bales for hours on end.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Thanks for all your replies. A lot to think about after reading all your experiences, perhaps I wont leave one in the field after all.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I think the main question to ask yourself is are you willing to go through more hay for convenience?
If money wasn't an issue then I'd put hay out to mine as a bale as rolling one bale once a week is easier than filling haynets/bags and then putting out daily either once or twice a day.
If I just had my two ponies then I'd roll out a bale but having three does make it more expensive so I'm opting for a little more work but saving some money. I'm getting 15 days out of a packed bale for 3 of them when I fill bags and if I put that out the loan horse stands and eats all day so it'd be gone in a week for her and one pony (the other pony was on haylage but is now on hay).
I have enough bags that I fill a weeks worth of hay on a dry, non windy day.

 

[spotty_pony]

Depends how much grass you have. I used to go through one be every 10 days with 4 so I would say 2/3 weeks with two.