The hay shortage isn't a myth..

[henryhorn]

Today I went to a farm sale and there were lots of people bidding for silage/haylage and hay.
The big bales made £30 upwards for hay, £28 to £34 for silage/haylage.
We bought 35 at £28 so by the time it's delivered well over a thousand pounds for 35 bales of hay that last year would have cost us £525 plus a bit of diesel to make.
If you buy small bales I would seriously start buying now before they become in short supply, we are hoping for a second cut here but even then the rise in prices of everything from diesel to wrapping will make it more expensive than previously.
I think there may be a lot of thin horses about or very cheap ones for sale round the bottom end of the market this winter, the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth is full to bursting with up to 13 a week being handed over as their owners/loaners can't afford to feed them.
Yes there may be plenty of hay made in the North of the country, but here in the South West it's in short supply and damned expensive!

 

[TicTac]

I must admit that I have stock piled my winter hay and haylage allready. I got my hay off the field for £2.00 a bale in june ( and it is very good stuff) and had my small bale haylage delivered a couple of weeks ago at £6.00 p/bale including delivery. I have enough to see me through untill the end of march plus about 20 bales of last years hay to use up first.

 

[ischa]

i agree grab what ever you can while you can because prices are going to be stupid , luckly ive stored up i brought 50 big reels for under 25 each but intotal it cost me and oh 1150

 

[MochaDun]

I was on the M4 on Thursday and was astonished at how many huge lorries carrying big hay bales were heading south and west - never seen so many - so for the parched south west with low yields I guess they are paying to have it brought in.

 

[L&M]

Totally agree - I was speaking to a friend who makes her own, and only got 150 bales off her acreage where she usually gets 300 plus.
The shortage will affect us all, as although there are regions who have had no problems, those regions will then be selling to regions who have none, so we will all suffer in the long run.
The sad thing is that loads of hay and straw has been cut last week around here, but is now lying rotting on the ground due to the heavy rain we have had over the last few days.Hopefully the farmers will be able to save some, but can't imagine it would be any good for horses.

 

[springer1021]

I've got 300 bales on order, it as £2.50 a bale last year but when he dropped the last load off in May he was saying how everyone else charges £3.00/£3.50 per bale so I'm pretty sure it will go up.

I've got none left at all, I've tried Horsehage but it is sending my two loopy, tonight is the first night in 5 years they've been left out, they usually come in as one gets mild sweet itch but I've just had to leave her fly rug on and hope for the best!

 

[Divasmum]

I'm paying £5.25 a bale in Hertfordshire.

 

[Penny Less]

Watch out for incidences of hay rustling this winter!

 

[DiggerandWill]

I envy those of you with hay in the barn. I have none (well 3 bales left from last year!). The contractor who was to make our hay this year (who did a super job last year)has let us down. Keeps saying he will get to us when he can but the weather has changed and the likelyhood of getting anything useful off that field is slim. Now starting to ring round to try to buy some in but not going to be easy. At least I don't have to stable my lad, we have plenty of grass to strip graze and he is a good doer but I need some for bad weather, snow, emergencies etc. When I think of all the good hay making weather we had........

 

[SKY]

we got out hayin 3 loads, some thurs and some today and whatever day is dry this week, we will collect the rest. £2.50 a bale, but i am sure it is going up, so going get some more in case we have a really bad winter like last year or worse. i'll stock as much more as i can afford, but my shed will be full this week, so thats the other thing, my shed holds 300 bales we used 360 last year, so will have to buy some more as we use it.

 

[flowerlady]

I've not even looked yet for haylage!! Normally pay £6.00 a small bale picked up by OH in his van. Think I might have to start looking and stock up on some

 

[Penny Less]

Trouble is its an ongoing thing, no last years hay about, everyone wanting this years, this years low yield, so prob wont be any around for start of next winter. Therefore, price will keep going up until we have a couple of really good years on the trot.

However, there seems to be a lot of straw about so will have to substitute for hay on occasion.

 

[Serenity087]

The hay shortage we've been buying in excess for since 2002? That one?

£30 a round bale was the going price for our YO in february/march... fairy snuff, it was end of winter, but the stuff was half rotten. £40 for decent haylage the horses could eat!

Our yard has just been delivered some nice, quality big bales, and although I don't know the cost, the YO is quite happy with them, aside from the fact they're not wrapped so are now hogging the barn.

There may still be some good weather on the horizon, so don't write off hay completely for this winter.

But do bare in mind that farmers see a bunch of mugs when it comes to us horse owners. This hay shortage comes around every year, and every year they reap the rewards of it.

The amount of hay we've bought and had to leave rotting due to these rumours every year...

 

[Rache]

I rent a small yard from a local chappie, never had horses before and it came with the small holding he brought so rented it to me.
He's a lovley man and he'd spent ages on the phone trying to find some good hay at a sensible price, so glad he got 300 small bales in the store for mine and a mates horse. Plus bless him he's doing us a "pay as you use" which means that i dont have to pay ahuge amount now, and bless him he's not charging us any more than what he paid, £2.75 per bale, but some farms where asking £5

 

[Enfys]

I'm paying £5.25 a bale in Hertfordshire.

and that's before winter sets in.

I can see why some people are worrying.