Round bales in field

[ILuvCowparsely]

What are the pros and cons please? Currently putting hay out daily for my boys in their individual paddocks. OH has offered to bring the forklift and bucket to scrap out all my old hay. Once that's done and the weather is better, I'm putting my boys out together. I was hoping to put a big round bale out di they could help themselves. One is shod, one isn't.

I won't hay my fields for any reason.

1. Makes a mess
2. causes deep mud trenches
3. looks awful when trashed
4. blows everywhere
5. when on the ground the grass cannot grow so leaves burnt patches.

But then none of our horses live out


If I was to hay in the field say grass livery which I won't do I would get haynets on the fence or make a coral and concrete it and hang the haynets in there. Something like this

 

[AmyMay]

Roll it out flat and let them graze along it. Or you could roll out half initially then the 2nd half. You will get a bit of 'waste', but don't view it as waste. View it as adding organic matter to your soil, improving soil conditon, grass growth and drought resilience for future years.

Look up videos/articles on out wintering cattle and round d bale grazing.

Feeding this way means you don't end up with muddy grassless circles, and you don't need to invest in a feeder and all the injury risks they present.

Christ, who could afford to do that?

 

[tda]

Roll it out flat and let them graze along it. Or you could roll out half initially then the 2nd half. You will get a bit of 'waste', but don't view it as waste. View it as adding organic matter to your soil, improving soil conditon, grass growth and drought resilience for future years.

Look up videos/articles on out wintering cattle and round d bale grazing.

Feeding this way means you don't end up with muddy grassless circles, and you don't need to invest in a feeder and all the injury risks they present.

No way..... the first thing they would do is pee/poo on it !

 

[YourValentine]

It depends entirely on your set up and number of horses etc. But it is not impossible and I put it out there as an option to be considered.

But all the reasons 'not to do it' listed above in reposnse to my original post are exactly the same as what many cattle farmers said when the the idea first started to gain traction. But there are now quite a few people doing it very successfully.
Sure it doesn't work in all situations but it shouldn't be dismissed out-of hand.

There is a lot the horse industry needs to learn (or forget) about grazing management and feeding to catch up with best practice in other grazing based industries.

 

[MagicMelon]

Definitely suggest putting hardcore or hard standing down to keep mud away. I have a hardcore yard outside my stable block (which is open to the field) so they can stand around on it round the hay. I put a bale onto a pallet to keep it off the ground, then put a big haynet over it, then have a metal cow ring which is in 2 halves, tie it together round it. Works great. I have a bale in it all year round (I lack grazing so even in summer they have a bale).

 

[ponynutz]

Sorry to barge in on the thread but just wanted to ask people in the know, how long does a bale last for you? We have 2 at home and this thread has made me start thinking of suggesting it.

 

[dorsetladette]

Sorry to barge in on the thread but just wanted to ask people in the know, how long does a bale last for you? We have 2 at home and this thread has made me start thinking of suggesting it.

A bale last mine 7 - 10 days. We have 3. A 14hh cob, a 2yr old welsh D and a 3yr old Welsh C. When we had B (14.2hh welsh cob who inhaled hay) we would be talking 7 days at a push. A couple of years ago we had huge bales delivered and they would last 10-14 days with 2 cobs and a yearling.

 

[nagblagger]

1 bale lasts a field of 4 a week,they have poor winter grazing, however 2 bales last the field of 13 a week, this year it has been 8-9 days in good weather, slightly less in frost/snow etc, but they have access to 30 + acres of grazing. All look slightly too well though, this year.. .

 

[ponynutz]

Thanks, both. Probably not as long-lasting as our current set-up then although can still see the benefits.

 

[musk]

1 bale lasts a field of 4 a week,they have poor winter grazing, however 2 bales last the field of 13 a week, this year it has been 8-9 days in good weather, slightly less in frost/snow etc, but they have access to 30 + acres of grazing. All look slightly too well though, this year.. .

Do you net?

 

[dorsetladette]

Thanks, both. Probably not as long-lasting as our current set-up then although can still see the benefits.

But maybe you'll use less feed? I only have 2 youngsters now. They are out 24/7 and only receive a treat ball with pony nuts on a morning. They are both looking ok. One a little too well. The other was lean when he went into winter has faired pretty well and only dropped off recently after a traumatic time post gelding. I'm pretty pleased with both to be honest.

 

[nagblagger]

No i don't net, I leave them in the mesh type wrap they come in and pick it up after.

 

[Maxidoodle]

No i don't net, I leave them in the mesh type wrap they come in and pick it up after.

Haven’t you had any issues with them accidentally eating the me, I think it’s quite fine the mesh? Sorry don’t want to be that person that pops up with a sad tale but my friend lost her horse to impaction with mesh off a bale a few years ago. .

 

[nagblagger]

No ..I never have had that issue. (Touch wood) . I think there is always a risk with any type of netting, mesh around horses, even haynets or fencing where a horse gets its leg caught in it. I just do what works for me which may not work for others.

 

[moorhillhorses]

Round feeder definitely will save you a lot