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[RC] How much hay do you feed and what kind? - Sharon Hahn

With all this talk about where people buy hay and prices, I wonder how much hay people in other areas feed, especially where hay is expensive?

I guess I'm spoiled being in the Midwest, but I have my choice of local farmers and have never paid more than $3.75 for a small square bale, and that was delivered and stacked!  It's been as little as $1.50 per bale some years.  If I had to pay $6 or even $11 a bale, I might have to rethink my feeding strategy or stop having horses altogether for economic reasons!

Currently I feed grass hay and may put out as much as two bales a day for my 2 horses and 2 llamas (the 2 llamas together = less than one horse for hay consumption purposes).  I strive to put out enough hay so they have a just little left over by the next feeding.  They will eat more hay in the winter when it's below zero and less in the summer when they have pasture, but there's always some available.  I also feed each horse 1-4 cups (as in baking cups) a day of pelleted horse feed, but that's it.

Do you people in California and Arizona give your horses a single flake of hay and a big vat of beet pulp or complete feed instead?  Or do you just spend a large portion of your income on hay?


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