I used round bales this winter for the
first time. ?I have 2 horses, and it took them ~2 weeks to finish one off in
the deep <giggle> of a Tidewater Virginia winter.? To keep them from
trashing it (you can lose up to half of it if you just leave it loose in the
pasture), we built a little wooden box to put it in and put the box in the
run-in shed. ?The box is only about 2 ½ feet high, which is just high enough
for them to not be able to step in it and paw it. ?We made one side of the box
gated, so we can push the bale off the truck into the box and then close the
gated side. ?We put it in the run-in shed because we tried it for 2 months
outside with a roof on it, but it got so mucky and nasty from them standing
around it, that grass won’t grow there now and they got thrush from
standing there all day eating with their feet in the poo-filled mud. ?With it
in the run-in shed, the hay stays dry, and even if they stand there all day,
the ground is dry (as long as you muck it out) and they won’t get soft,
thrushy feet.
Just my experience.
Good luck!
Sarah Seashols
Virginia
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Diane Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 9:24
AM To:ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Round Bales
Our hay farmer is going to round bales because of his age
and the lack of good help. We have been with him for about 4 years and
his hay is wonderful. So, it is time for us to make a change. The
bales are only 500# and two people can push them around. They are the
equivalent of about 10 sq. bales. We have only 4 horses
presently. Is using a pitch fork the most effective way of removing
the hay you want from the bale? We have an electric shrub trimmer and are
going try to 'trim' some pieces off of it. Has anyone tried that method?
