What's the going rate for ad lib hay/haylage per week?

[tankgirl1]

Hi please could you let me know what you pay for adlib hay/haylage per week from YO so that I can make an informed decision. Many thanks in advance

 

[ihatework]

Depends on the quality and quantity eaten.
Decent stuff bought in for a big horse wouldn't surprise me to cost £20pw in the worst of winter.
Currently my good doer sports mare gets Adlib good meadow hay for about 18h a day. Costs approx £12 a week but in fairness it's yard grown and sold to liveries at a reasonable cost

 

[jumping.jack_flash]

Ad-lib hay, haylage . . How do you know your horse is actually getting enough . . Better to buy your own and supply . .?

 

[Mrs B]

To put it in context:

I am on DIY in SW i.e. East Devon/West Dorset: own field, 12x12 stable, lighting, water, school etc @£25/week with great off-road hacking.

2 good-sized nets of top quality haylage a day is £60 per month so about a pound a net, or £14 per week @ 2 nets a day.

Hope that helps

 

[be positive]

Ad-lib hay, haylage . . How do you know your horse is actually getting enough . . Better to buy your own and supply . .?

I buy in big bales and charge it out at £14 per week, £2 per day, it is ad lib but I expect liveries to be sensible and not waste it by chucking in huge quantities that the horse does not eat, trust works both ways, to buy in bales to use individually would cost more, need extra storage space and at times mean wasting some if it is not used quickly enough.

 

[booandellie]

We don't have ad-lib but pay for what we use. Based on using large round bales at 30 pound a bale, a horse getting 10kg a night costs about £7 a week but this is a horse that is turned out for half the day. True ad-lib hay in both stable and field ie, a supply that never runs out I would expect to pay £15-£20 a week depending on size of horse

 

[Bertolie]

I pay £210 per month for DIY livery including unlimited hay/haylage and straw. I think the hay and straw element is £90 per month. Horses are in at night all year round with BIG straw beds in 16 x 14 stables and as much hay or haylage as needed.

 

[jenni999]

I am on DIY in West Berks and we are charged £50 pm for adlib haylage (produced onsite) and £60 pm for adlib hay (some is bought in). That's a winter price when most horses are in. It's obviously less in summer. It's a trust basis, take what you need, don't waste it. We can buy our own bales from the yard - £35 for a big bale of haylage and £60 for a big (6ft) bale of hay.

 

[conniegirl]

It's £8 a week where I keep my horse, doesn't matter if it is hay or haylege.
All beautiful weed and dust free organic stuff produced by my YO's husband.

 

[meesha]

Blimey most seem to be paying a lot but I guess you are paying for yo to get it in, store it etc. I have 3 between 15.2/16h and they get through one large bale haylage in ten days but if in 24/7 (out in day at moment) might eat it quicker. Bale costs me £25 delivered so £75 a month to feed all 3! They are pretty much ad-lib

 

[be positive]

Blimey most seem to be paying a lot but I guess you are paying for yo to get it in, store it etc. I have 3 between 15.2/16h and they get through one large bale haylage in ten days but if in 24/7 (out in day at moment) might eat it quicker. Bale costs me £25 delivered so £75 a month to feed all 3! They are pretty much ad-lib

I would love to have horses that only eat 1 bale of haylage per month, that seems very little, most of mine will eat at least 1 bale every two weeks so 2 per month which is pretty much what I charge it out at, they are out all day and on very little if any hard feed so savings made there over some that get loads of feed each day.

 

[MrsNorris]

We buy one round bale of hay a week at £20 delivered, for 3 horses. They're out all year round, but with free access to a large barn and yard, containing the bale. We're actually going about 10 days between bales now, as we've just opened another field, but that won't last long.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have five horses and two four foot rectangular bales of haylage lasts me seven or eight days they are £35 each .

 

[AdorableAlice]

2 x 16.3 and 1 x 15.1 young horses, adlib at a round haylage bale that is netted before being dropped into a cradle feeder in the barn they have free access to, they also have small field to mooch in with no feed value in grass at the moment. Bale is £30 and a new one comes in every 6 days at the moment.

The net has saved me a lot of money, there is no waste. Without the net the bale was lasting 3 days and I was throwing a lot away.

 

[MissTyc]

At this time of year it's £40/horse for ad-lib hay (we don't do haylage). It's good quality hay. By "ad-lib" I mean liveries take whatever they want off the roundbale and there is always another roundbale ready to be rolled into place and opened. There is a lot of waste but we look the other way as have found this to be the easiest way to keep everyone happy - horses and humans. Charge is the same whether small pony or horse (but yard height limit is 15.2hh so there are no enormohorses on site).

 

[tankgirl1]

Thanks for your replies, let me clarify. How much would you expect to pay for 'ad lib' for 2 ponies who are out for 7-8 hrs a day on grass only, every day, and eat less than 2 standard sized nets when in at night together, so some days I fill 2 nets, and some days I only fill one and they eat the previous nights leftovers. They always have some left in the morning, its generally very good quality and the YO buys in. Ponies in question are both very good doers, a 14hh cob and a wee shetty. Thanks again

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I'd expect to pay the same no matter the size of horse/pony. Yards in my area are around £30-35/wk with hay/haylage restricted to 2 nets daily, other yards are around £20/wk and you buy your own. This is for DIY livery with arena and road hacking.

It works out cheaper for me to be on a yard without hay/haylage included because I have good do-ers and feed some straw as part of the ration.

 

[Ali27]

I have a 14.2 good doer who has to have adlib hay due to ulcers. She is out in paddock with grass for between 7-10 hours each day. I use quadrant bales which cost £25 and one lasts her between 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. I would expect to pay around £10 to £12 per week max for amount you are using.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have 4x 16 hh horse kept at home, abig round (£35 delivered) bale of hay lasts 5 - 6 days with horses given as much as they can eat, some in stable, some in field. So I would say £15 per week would cover it per horse, easily

 

[tankgirl1]

I am paying £30 a week for both ponies to share a stable at night and graze together in their own paddock by day. No electric, water on tap down at the main yard, but I need to fill bottles to bring them to their stable. Yo buys haylage/hay in, mostly excellent quality, the one time it was mouldy it was sorted quickly. Excellent hacking, no school at the moment, but is in the pipeline (grass arena) Lack of storage is my main worry as I usually stockpile bedding and forage over the summer but this isn't possible here. I am currently paying £16 per week for hay/haylage which equates to about 10 nets usage a week for mine. All other horses on the yard are actual horses, so I imagine will eat more. I can get a big round of haylage for £25 or a big round of hay for £35 which would cut costs substantially, but there is no storage and I am not allowed to fashion storage for a large bale next to my stable. Any ideas?

 

[conniegirl]

We all pay the same regardless of pony size. Ours are out 7 hours a day.

 

[catroo]

I don't think that price is to bad to be honest.

If doing it yourself then you'll need to go hay, haylage will go off before you use it.

Do you have a Horsebox or trailer?

If no storage at the yard then can you get it delivered to home? Then take up nets on bulk each weekend?

Sounds like far more hassle than you'll save to be honest.

 

[tankgirl1]

Fair dos, the last 4 years I have either bought my own or paid an extra £40 per month or an extra £6 per week

 

[amandaco2]

my 4 go through a big round bale every 10-14 days. £20 per bale.