Thanks to everyone who commented on the feeding of round bales. Wanda -- oh man, that's some gorgeous looking hay you've got there. Whatever you and your hay man are doing, keep doing it. It works!
I see a lot of people feeding their horses with round bales by me. I think this is because so many of the hay "farmers" in our area are not full-time farmers, and work full time jobs elsewhere. They do their hay as they can around their real jobs. Putting hay up in small squares presents a challenge, in this respect, because it's so much more work-intensive. Even if they have a kick baler and can bale the hay alone, they still need help putting it up in the barn off the wagon, and sometimes they run out of wagons before getting it all off the field before the rain comes. . . .Also, many of those still "farming" near us are getting up there -- in their 50's, 60's, 70's. Their sons and daughters have left the farm and it's getting harder for them to lift and deal with hundreds of 50+ lb. bales. If they bale with round bales, the hay is handled all by mechanical means (tractors). So, while I can still find small squares and probably will for a few more years, I think I may eventually have to switch to round bales simply because that is what I see a lot of the hay farmers near us doing. . . One sideline point I'd like to make here: Sometimes, when a subject comes up, it is not as educational to learn how someone manages within a "perfect system", but more helpful to see how someone manages within the less-than-perfect system. For example, Susan mentioned needing to feed alfalfa because it's what is grown in her area, Janice has mentioned she's on sand and never had problems with sand colic, Wanda feeds round bales kept under a tarp. Hearing how everyone manages with what they have is good information I think, because NONE of us have "perfect systems". And I hope we will continue to report on how we make things work without fear of lectures or condemation. It's good information. -- Renee M. in Michigan
