Round Bales- My horses are PIGS!- Any opinions on the "big bale buddy"?

[Ritaroo]

Last sat. I put a roundbale in the field for my 3 horses- well 5 days later they have decimated it! Does anyone else have this problem? How can I slow down thier eating? a muzzle? a roundbale feeder?

I guess I could go to throwing flakes, but the TB mare that needs it, is lowest in the pecking order. She wouldnt get anything before the other beasts devour it!


Anyone else have this problem or know of a good solution?

TIA!

[Daydream Believer]

I won't set out roundbales for the same reason. I put it on a pallet beside the fence (out of reach) on the flat side and unroll it and fork it over in normal portions! It's the only way to feed them if you have easy keepers or horses that gorge themselves.

[TransitionsGalore]

I feel your pain. My mare is pasture boarded with a giant round bale, plenty of grass, and she gets grain 2x a day. She looks like she's about to foal. (sigh) I've increased her excercise, which seems to be helping. :D

Good luck with that one!

[CoolMeadows]

http://www.bigbalebuddy.com/page/page/2674952.htm
Worth every cent. I put mine in the center of the run in sheds (one is 56' long by 14' for 4 horses and one is 20' by 14' with two horses). My boys used to be unbelievable pigs but this has slowed them down plus made daily picking up so much easier. I've always been too scared of the regular feeders, even plastic because I know my horses would find some way to kill themselves with one. The worst they do with this is drag it the last day before refill... like waving a flag, "Hey you! More food!"

[12hooves]

The first time I bought a round bale my 3 did that also. Now I put the round bale in a stall, and pull it off for them about 3 times a day. You also have to be careful, some horses will colic if they eat too much all at once. You will have to find a way to seperate your horses so the TB will get enough to eat.

[12hooves]

http://www.bigbalebuddy.com/page/page/2674952.htm
Worth every cent. I put mine in the center of the run in sheds (one is 56' long by 14' for 4 horses and one is 20' by 14' with two horses). My boys used to be unbelievable pigs but this has slowed them down plus made daily picking up so much easier. I've always been too scared of the regular feeders, even plastic because I know my horses would find some way to kill themselves with one. The worst they do with this is drag it the last day before refill... like waving a flag, "Hey you! More food!"

What is it made out of? Looks like canvas or some other type of bag? Oh, polypropylene. I wonder how long it will last? Like a giant hay bag! Sounds like a good idea as long as they don't tear it up.

[CoolMeadows]

What is it made out of? Looks like canvas or some other type of bag?
The site says it's woven polypropylene. Supposedly water will pass through but I keep mine under cover and on mats anyway. Putting them on bales the first couple times is insane! They stretch a little eventually though and it gets easier. They're really cool, as the horses eat the bale down, the elasticized top collapses down onto itself to continue holding the hay in. They've saved me a lot in money and time since my boys used to like to tear the bales apart and pee in them (well just one was the pee-er but he ruined it for everyone) ;)

[Ritaroo]

http://www.bigbalebuddy.com/page/page/2674952.htm
Worth every cent. I put mine in the center of the run in sheds (one is 56' long by 14' for 4 horses and one is 20' by 14' with two horses). My boys used to be unbelievable pigs but this has slowed them down plus made daily picking up so much easier. I've always been too scared of the regular feeders, even plastic because I know my horses would find some way to kill themselves with one. The worst they do with this is drag it the last day before refill... like waving a flag, "Hey you! More food!"

That bale buddy looks like a great idea! Is it tough?- I just know if there is a way for my mare to rip it, and eat it - she will!

Its either that or the two big fatties are being put back in their summer muzzles.

And I am aware of the colic dangers- I have been watching them like a hawk and they have reduced hay/feed when they come inside now.

[CoolMeadows]

So far they've been really tough. My girls are princesses and don't mess with it or even poop in their shed. The boys.... they're gross! The pee-er will drag it around when it's almost empty and paw at it but it doesn't have a nick yet. Has saved me sooo much in hay and time. I used to have to use my little kawasaki dumpbed to clean their shed everyday because they'd mash all the hay into these giant gross pee wads. At least now I just use a wheelbarrow to pick... not like they don't have bedding in there. Just pigs!

[Hollywood]

I have three horses too, and my two TB's know when to walk away. The draft cross, OTOH, will stand at the round bale ALL day. So I asked his owner to buy him a muzzle. I am getting new round bales delivered today, so he'll wear the muzzle for part of the day. I hate to do it, but it's for his own good.

[pintopiaffe]

Ok, that bale buddy thing COMPLETELY intrigues me, but I cannot "flip" my bales. They are the really big rounds, 750-800lbs. I can not move them, generally, if they land flat side down...

Have you used them in that kind of situation?

[jubilee43]

it works really well too! My bales weigh around 500-600lbs and my husband and I move them all around by hand. I think if they are bigger then that you would need a tractor with a bale spike. I have had mine since last feb and it is wearing like iron even with my bale buddy attack geldings. there is a 1 year guarantee on it too. I would buy another in a heartbeat!

[Daydream Believer]

How does it actually slow down their eating? I can see where they'd waste less but what is to stop them from standing there and eating all day? As they eat the hay also, do you have to fold it back out of the way? I'm trying to picture 4-5 horses fighting over the privilege of sticking their head in a hole to eat and it's not a pretty picture...but I may not understand how it actually work either.

[Ritaroo]

How does it actually slow down their eating? I can see where they'd waste less but what is to stop them from standing there and eating all day? As they eat the hay also, do you have to fold it back out of the way? I'm trying to picture 4-5 horses fighting over the privilege of sticking their head in a hole to eat and it's not a pretty picture...but I may not understand how it actually work either.

I have the same picture in my head! but in the pictures on the website it looks like there is enough room for my three to fit around.

How much would you say it slowed down their eating??

[jubilee43]

It doesn't slow them down really but they can't grab pieces and throw them the way they would if you just had a bale ring on it. I had 5 horses on it last year and 4 this year and they are all very content to eat this way. They bicker more with each other when they are grazing in the summer then they do with the feeder out there. ( they have 15 acres available at that point) My horses are eating 2nd cutting timothy/clover and get no grain at all since eating is all they do in the winter. yes, my little paint mare gets chunky but works her butt off in the summer and starts out with a nice figure in the fall. No one has colicked doing this and I have fed them round bales free choice for the last 12 years. The bale buddy keeps the hay from blowing away in high winds, keeps it dry in the rain and I have always figured 5 days for 4 horses on the bale 24/7 in the winter. I love the ease of putting hay up and feeding it this way.

[pintopiaffe]

well, when I put a bale down flat, they all eat out of the center anyway. My 'big' group is four... so... <shrugs>

I have rings, which are not rings anymore since the bolts have all given or broken or the bolt holes have bent... but rather 3 pieces I lean/tie/arrange... which *helps* but they are already frozen in place, I don't suspect I'll get them free until May. :sigh:

The rings cut consumption or waste or both by about 1/3. Paid for themselves in the first year. FAR less waste, since they adore nesting in it--which is healthy--but then they don't eat it.

[Jasmine]

We have four of them. LOVE them. They don't slow down the eating rate, but they do prevent the horses from wasting half the bale. So a bale lasts longer.

We use the skid loader to flip the bales. Our bales are easily 1000 pounds or more. We got the Giant size bale buddies, and we still have to peel a layer or two off.

They're super durable. My big herd hasn't even made a dent in any of the three they've been using for nearly a year now.

[ThirdCharm]

Okay, I'm ordering some of those suckers.... I used hay feeders designed for horses, but they are way more expensive, the bolts break, they're hard to maneuver, etc. That bale buddy looks awesome.... i move my roundbales with a Bobcat, and with that I could keep changing the location of the hay without a problem....

Jennifer

[amdfarm]

IME, if they've not been offered a round bale all year long, then they will gorge themselves on it when they get one, as the OP found out. But once they learn that it's not going to be their last meal on earth, they start to regulate and slow down.

For my groups... five and seven. They each get two round bales at a time and they last two weeks or so. They have 24/7 access and get fed pellets/grain once a day. These are huge round bales, 1800-2000lbs/ea. When it's warmer it lasts about the same, but at first they go through them crazy fast.

The ease of feeding round bales makes it worth it w/ this many horses and in this winter yuck.

The big bale buddies look interesting, but my ponies wouldn't be able to reach the hay. :)

[Woodland]

I use "Hillbilly" Bale Buddies - or in other words I have my bales net wrapped and set the out open end up. That way they do not make a mess of them. Eventually when the bale gets low enough I pull out the net so they can finish it up. They eventually get use to the round bales and stop gorging themselves on them. I do fee substantially less grain when i round bale free feed in the winter months - and they are SO HAPPY! The only down side is they hate to come in because they are simply not hungry at dinner time.

[GGW]

Last sat. I put a roundbale in the field for my 3 horses- well 5 days later they have decimated it! Does anyone else have this problem? How can I slow down thier eating? a muzzle? a roundbale feeder?

I guess I could go to throwing flakes, but the TB mare that needs it, is lowest in the pecking order. She wouldnt get anything before the other beasts devour it!


Anyone else have this problem or know of a good solution?

TIA!

It seems they always find a way to mess up any feed they're not ready to eat. To keep it fresh, and eliminate waste, I break big bales apart and feed only what they'll eat in about 24 hrs. That way I'm checking on them at least daily. Also check Whinny Acres Mfg, they might be able to help.

[davistina67]

If you can I would try to get away from using round bales. The risk of colic goes up feeding round bales. There has been published papers on it in vet journals.

[CoolMeadows]

I think most of those have referred to lower quality, stemmier hay along with bad storage practices that promote mold. There is no increased risk if the hay is baled well and is of high quality to start with. If someone doesn't have the situation to store them properly and to feed them from a covered area, or isn't knowledgeable enough to buy quality enough hay, then of course they shouldn't use them.

[goodmorning]

Ok, I'm curilus, I've seen them plopped out in the middle of fields. Nice barns, healthy horses. Granted, they are delivered into the field by the distributor, quality hay, and stored properly prior to getting plopped in the field. Should they have been put in a building? I've seen this at many barns...just curious...I live in New England, if that matters....and come to think of it, I've driven by many farms with the big bales in the field & horses circled around, eating it up...

Square bales have me curious. Some local farmers have gorgeous 2nd cutting/alfalfa in these huge square bales...

[davistina67]

I think most of those have referred to lower quality, stemmier hay along with bad storage practices that promote mold. There is no increased risk if the hay is baled well and is of high quality to start with. If someone doesn't have the situation to store them properly and to feed them from a covered area, or isn't knowledgeable enough to buy quality enough hay, then of course they shouldn't use them.

I think there is the problem. It's very rare that your see round bales or large bales stored properly. Usually they sit in the field a few days. Then are moved n covered with a tarp. Then sold, then maybe covered with a tarp, then fed in an open field. They should be in a building all the time or covered very well, then fed indoors. Also during feeding and storage they need to be kept off the ground.

[naters]

Im scared because the barn I am boarding at uses round bales in the winter. EVERY barn I looked at uses round bales in the winter.

All I can think of to do is make sure I have plenty of Timothy hay to feed him in his stall at night.....

I am still scared.

[davistina67]

Im scared because the barn I am boarding at uses round bales in the winter. EVERY barn I looked at uses round bales in the winter.

All I can think of to do is make sure I have plenty of Timothy hay to feed him in his stall at night.....

I am still scared.

U should b fine as long as they r stored n fed correctly.

[naters]

I am assuming the plan is to drop them in the field. No cover.

I don't see any structures in any of the fields around here for covering round bales...

[dbts]

I used the "Big Bale Buddies" all last winter without any problems. I absolutely loved them. My horses never looked better and had feed ahead of them 24/7. Everyone maintained ideal weight. I used the 900 to 1000 lb. bales. Of course the hay was high quality and properly stored before it arrived. I fed mine in the open field. No problems with moisture. My plan is to use them again this winter. They are highly durable and very safe too.

[Merry Fox]

So how exactly do you put it on and secure it to the bale? Is it a one person or two person job?

[CoolMeadows]

It's way easier with two people, especially the first few times. I put them on while the bale's spiked on the tractor. I snip the bottom strings and start it, and then continue on snipping and pulling the bag up and then plop it in the shed, tip it up and slide it onto the mats. You could start at the top with the bale on the ground and then maybe use chains to drag it but I think that would involve a lot of kicking the thing and swearing.

I'd be worried about feeding them uncovered but if the fields have a bunch of horses and go through them in less than a week, you're probably ok. I have 2 horses per field right now and one loner so they take a little more time to finish a bale.

[naters]

I am hoping that since my guy is kind of on the bottom that he won't get to eat much of it....

Oh, to live in a horsey community again would be so lovely right now!

[dbts]

It hasn't been a problem at all feeding them out in the open. I am in Colorado and it does snow and rain once in a while, but never enough to spoil the hay. It takes two to three weeks to go through a 900/1000 lb. bale depending on how many horses are eating off of it. In that amount of time everything has remained OK. It is a two person job to get the bale bag on. I have done it alone and it is possible but not as easy.

[Shine]

My mares wasted a lot of hay - they could tear apart a round bale in about 3 days. They used it for bedding and a place to go to the bathroom. You know those mares, they don't liked to get splashed!

DH built a 4x4x3 box that I can tip up, place the bale, then tip it back down.
He also built a shelter to keep most of the rain off the bale. That is just a 4 pole structure with a tin roof that is about 8 feet high. This drastically reduced wasted hay.

[Roxx]

Another vote for the big bale buddies!! My mare and her two paddock buddies love that thing. My BO does cover them if it's raining a lot.

[davistina67]

It hasn't been a problem at all feeding them out in the open. I am in Colorado and it does snow and rain once in a while, but never enough to spoil the hay. It takes two to three weeks to go through a 900/1000 lb. bale depending on how many horses are eating off of it. In that amount of time everything has remained OK. It is a two person job to get the bale bag on. I have done it alone and it is possible but not as easy.

I'm in Colorado too. My elderly neighbor feeds her horses round bales so she doesn't have to go out all the time, I check on them from time to time for her. Depending on the weather, the hay seems to go bad in about 10 days. And the bottoms of the bales are always moldy because what farmer is going to store round bales on pallets. Luckily, she hasn't killed off one of her horses yet! It really worries me.

[Merry Fox]

Hey Shine--can you post a picture of the box you had built?

[mustanglover]

I have had my bale buddy for close to 4 years and now its just starting to get teenie tiny hole in it. I LOVE it safe, easy and it does well. I lose about a bale out of a round bale, unless I get out their daily to pick up the hay that gets pulled out.

[katyb]

I'm considering a bale buddy. I feed roundbales and haven't had any problems (knocking wood). My horses are never hungry enough to eat hay that isn't good, so I don't worry about the nasty bit that's been sitting on the ground. I've fed them in open fields before, but now I put the roundbale in their run-in. Their current one is almost four weeks old, but we still have grass, so they only visit it occasionally. I go out every week and rake up the nasty bits and put them in the poop pile. I made a HUGE mess feeding squares last winter, because my horses would leave so much behind.

[Shine]

Hey Shine--can you post a picture of the box you had built?

You have a PM.:)

[mpsbarnmanager]

I am assuming the plan is to drop them in the field. No cover.

I don't see any structures in any of the fields around here for covering round bales...

Most horses, even most little piggies, are smart enough not to eat moldy hay, unless they are literally starving. There are a few who will, but I used to board at a place that plunked down round bales and no one ever had a problem. You should be fine.

[coloredcowhorse]

Square bales have me curious. Some local farmers have gorgeous 2nd cutting/alfalfa in these huge square bales...

Almost all the hay ranchers here in NV are baling in the "big" bales (3' x 4' x 8'.....weigh about 1250 on average) for a number of reasons....they are desired by the dairies and that is where much of the hay raised here goes....and they are impossible to steal from a stack if your stack isn't at your house and under watch. No one drives up in a station wagon and steals one...not even in a pickup!!

As a result I've fed the big bales for several years. They are put up in flakes just like smaller bales but each flake is equal to about 6-8 flakes off of the "small" bales (125 lbs each) depending on thickness. I just pull a flake down and use the pitchfork to break it into 6 nearly equal pieces and feed them. I have to drag hay to the other half of my place (across the road...can't store hay there as the mustangs get to it!) so have a sheet of heavy steel about 6 x 8 and pull it up to the bale, drop enough flakes to feed all the horses over on that side and just drag it across the road.

The only problem I've had with big bales is if one is rain damaged you loose a lot more hay than if one small bale is damaged. My hay guy delivers them to me and drops them where I want so that's cool...the small bales I can get I have to haul myself as the harrow bed that hauls them is too big to go through the underpass under the freeway and isn't allowed on the freeway so he can't get to me with it.