Winter bales

[JBM]

This is the first year I have horses home for winter and was wondering how many bales I’d need for winter for two 16hh horses
Poor/average at keeping weight
On hard feed too
in at night

 

[AmyMay]

Unless you’re feeding hay in the field, I would guess you’re going to need at least one bale of hay a night between them.

 

[Carrottom]

It depends so much on bale size, I have reckoned on an average of a third of a bale per day per horse horse if they can stay out all of the daylight hours. I have enough acres for there to be grass in the fields, and bucket feeds help keep weight on.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Depends if they are small square bales or big round bales?
every year for 1 tb I use about 9/10 bales at unlimited hay Thats calculating from sept oct to march ?

 

[Palindrome]

If you go by 2% of body weight, a 500 kg horse will need 10 kg of forage per day. Then it depends on how much grass you have.
I have little grass and my 3 horses go through 3-4 round bales per month fed ad lib in a big bale net (no wastage).

 

[JBM]

So on average around 2 bales (big bales) a month?
They’ll be out in the field but can’t be out 24/7 as the older one drops weight and I’m guessing tb will too ? (both not clipped)
And older one will rob all available food so best to fed separately
In winter I’m guessing they’ll run out of grass as won’t be growing so will be on bales only for some of winter

 

[ponynutz]

We order as and when needed but we go through an average of 2 of the big round bales a month in Winter.

 

[JBM]

I stand corrected just caught them eating off same hay pile so it’s only hard feed Judy will murder for

 

[Palindrome]

So on average around 2 bales (big bales) a month?

Yes, that's what mine would go through, similar types as yours.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I've got 2 big horses. If I was feeding small bale hay they would go through nearly one a day each. They have hay 24/7. Fortunately I use big rounds so a bale lasts me 10 days or so..

 

[JBM]

Thanks so much guys! Very helpful at least I have an estimate now cost wise and if I need more shouldn’t be much of an issue!

 

[meleeka]

I was using 1 round every 10 days.

 

[ycbm]

If this is for feeding when in at night think carefully before using big round. It's a complete pain to get the hay off a big round compared with a big square bale. I found them irritating, messy, time consuming and wasteful.
.

 

[Archangel]

My grass/fogage usually lasts until Christmas then for a 15.2 and 14.2 I get through 6 x 6ft bales lasting until the grass comes through. Last year they were £35 a bale, this year I am budgeting £65 a bale. When feeding small bales I would get through 9/10 a week depending on whether I was putting a net out in the field when frosty/snow.

 

[JBM]

It’s like 30/40 euro over here for a round bale

 

[Barton Bounty]

It’s like 30/40 euro over here for a round bale

Im getting mine for 45 this year

 

[Pinkvboots]

I've got 3 on large rounds they last just over a week in winter much cheaper than small bales they cost £35 - £40 here.

I don't find them too messy and mine are outside on pallets covered in tarp, I peel off the hay like a toilet roll then just sweep up any left on the floor and cover up then use a bungee around the tarp to stop the wind blowing it off.

 

[JBM]

Im getting mine for 45 this year

That a lot more than last year?

 

[Barton Bounty]

That a lot more than last year?

Yeah but still not as much as my last years hay supplier is charging!
he is going to be 50 this year per bale, instead of 35 ffs ??‍

 

[Flowerofthefen]

If this is for feeding when in at night think carefully before using big round. It's a complete pain to get the hay off a big round compared with a big square bale. I found them irritating, messy, time consuming and wasteful.
.

I bloody hate them but OH won't do me small squares

 

[JBM]

Yeah but still not as much as my last years hay supplier is charging!
he is going to be 50 this year per bale, instead of 35 ffs ??‍

Jesus ?
This is kinda stuff near me
Hard finding hay that isn’t yellow

 

[Barton Bounty]

Jesus ?
This is kinda stuff near me
Hard finding hay that isn’t yellow

Tht top one looks quite green inside, it looks fresh!
Its a hit or a miss, i still have a full bale from march! Bb will eat it i hope hes quite fussy ?
I put two haynets in the field shelter yesterday for last night and today in case he was standing in out the rain! I hadnt even left the field shelter and he was wolfing into it ?

 

[JBM]

Tht top one looks quite green inside, it looks fresh!
Its a hit or a miss, i still have a full bale from march! Bb will eat it i hope hes quite fussy ?
I put two haynets in the field shelter yesterday for last night and today in case he was standing in out the rain! I hadnt even left the field shelter and he was wolfing into it ?View attachment 98807

Haha bb knows winters coming
Bulking up!
I think I can only store like 2 bales at a time so that’s a problem too ?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Haha bb knows winters coming
Bulking up!
I think I can only store like 2 bales at a time so that’s a problem too ?

He doesnt need to bulk up … omg ?moved to a field with less grass and he still looks amazing lol
Yeah i dont have too much storage for more than two bales either. So will just be two at a time

 

[meleeka]

Jesus ?
This is kinda stuff near me
Hard finding hay that isn’t yellow

It may well be ok beyond the outer layer.

I’d rather use small bales, but the saving in cost makes it better to use round. Mine are in a barn so I don’t find them particularly messy. I just clean up all the loose and put in the field before I open a fresh one.

 

[JBM]

With big square bales like this how many would you say you’d use a month?

 

[Peglo]

I bloody hate them but OH won't do me small squares

OH won’t help me with stables if I don’t buy small square bales of straw ? fortunately we get our hay made into square ones so storage is easier.

 

[Palindrome]

Jesus ?
This is kinda stuff near me
Hard finding hay that isn’t yellow

It looks like good hay. There might be green inside, the outside is often yellowish. Bad hay is weedy and/or dusty.

For feeding rounds I use a big bale net from Kramer. it's fab. You roll out the round, remove string, pop the net on and that's hay sorted for 7 to 10 days. My horses are barefoot but if shod I would have to have a feeder too to avoid shoes getting caught.

Photo from Kramer's website :

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You are looking at the weathered outside of the bales. I would expect both of those bales to be fine for horses once opened

 

[SEL]

Jan / Feb when the grass ran out each of mine were getting a slice from a large rectangular bale per day. There were nibbles of grass to keep them occupied

When they had to be in for a week after storm damage they got through more just to keep them eating overnight really. I saw the Appy's waistline grow before my eyes!

That was for 2 650kg horses (pony had more but she was on box rest)