large hay bales

happyhacker101

happyhacker101

Active Member
Mar 19, 2007
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scotland
Have been using small square bales for years but managed to get hold of a couple of large bales of hay this week - nice hay and only £26 per bale! Bonus

Anyway, how long does everyones large bales normally last? Bit like asking how long is a bit of string but a rough guess would be great, am feeding approx 3 or 4 times a day at the moment - am putting huge piles out as the snow is at least a foot deep.

Am thinking that for two ponies 13.2 and 14.2 I might get through one in 7 days - poss 10. The goats are eating it as well!

Thanks
 
We have three in a group and they have a large bale in a tombstone feeder adlib. It lasts them 5/6 days. We used to have 4 in there and it lasted 3 days.

The three horses are 14.3hh, 16.1hh, 15.3hh.

I pay very roughly about £50 a month in hay.
 
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Thanks Shockblue - in that case, if it lasts a week I'll be happy. They also get two bucket feeds and haylage during the day.

Have still got 25 square bales to fall back on.
 
I have a very good doer who weighs far too much. He's on two feeds of hay , no hard feed, per day from a big round bale. I can do one bale a month £20. We've had three weeks of no snow, and two with. He was on about a net and half per feed but now around two nets cause of the snow (although I don't use nets so this is very loosely worked out!)
Next door field has two horses, go through about a bale every two weeks. Fed twice daily and have hard feed.
 
You get between 12-15 small bales to a round bale (depending on how tightly its packed).
We pay £47 a round bale (I live in Shetland so hay has freight added on)
A round bale does my lot a week I have 2 x 16h horses and 2 ponies.

They get hay ad-lib 24/7 I spend almost £200 a month on hay :rolleyes:
 
£47 per bale:eek: i know that you dont live in the easiest place but even so thats a bit steep. I thought the £35 friends had just paid was bad enough, very interesting to you think there's 12/15 square bales in a round - i thought it was about 10. Even better value than I'd thought
 
A round bale cost us £20 and lasts about 8 days on average for feeding 4 ad lib 1- 16-2 1- shetland and 2- WC foals. but depending on the weather they can last 7 to 13 days depending and the foals only have access to it during the day.We just have them dropped in the field no feeder so they do waste some but the saving in time filling nets make it worth it for us.
 
I am feeding a 14'1, 13'3 and two shetlands.

In reasonable weather a bale lasts about 8/9 days, in snow/ice about 6 days.

I pay £20 a bale inc delivery.
 
I always use round bales, I got my winter's supply at £18 per bale delivered. I have a 15.2hh and a shetland pony. A bale generally lasts a month as I only feed it in nets rather than putting the bale in the field - did this once and they were so slow at eating it that it rotted in the rain. During weather like this a bale may only last 3 weeks.

ETA: my horse's teeth aren't great as she's 31 now so she doesn't eat as much as she used to and is on 3 feeds a day. The shetland would pig out til he popped - another reason I give it to them in nets!!
 
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