Round Bales Hay- No tractor- Any suggestions?

Question

I live in E Tennessee.
I have 2 horses. I usually get square bales, but hay is nearly impossible to get this year.
I have a friend that is having to sell their cattle (can't feed them), and they have some round bales that will be left. I can get their bales, get them to my pasture, but I don't have a tractor to move them around. Need suggestions of any other ways I could move them? I need to put them out one at a time because my horses are gluttons and the bales would not last all winter... any suggestions?

Thank you to all of you, I got SO MANY good answers. I am now having to try to figure out which answer is best. Wish I could pick a few!

Answer 1

If you don't have a kind neighbor with a tractor, your best option would be (assuming that when you move the bales to your place you would have access to your friend's tractor):

When you unload the bales at your place, have them unloaded and set on their ends in an area close enough to your horse's pasture fence that you can pitch hay over it for them, yet far enough away from the fence that they will not lean on it to reach the hay (at least ten feet). Have the bales spaced apart so there is about six or eight feet between each. This will allow you to open one bale at a time and unwrap hay from it and pitch it over the fence with a fork.

I realize it's a lot of work, but it will save you a LOT. Horses will go through bales about four times as fast if they have free access to them. They will also develop large hay bellies. You are better off pitching them hay each morning and night, and as a result they will eat a lot less, stay in better shape, and your bales will last four times as long through the winter.

If you don't have a way to set them up on end with a tractor, it will be very difficult to open them up and pitch hay from them. So see if you could get them all set up at once if you can locate someone with a tractor. The downside of setting them on end is that they won't preserve as well if rain or snow melts on them. Good luck.

Edit to the answer above mine: Sorry, but these large bales cannot be rolled by "a couple of guys"....maybe with a four wheel drive pickup.

Answer 2

I use round bales all the time as the cost is almost half price. But they are a real pain, and you'll have to be prepared to work.
I feed my horses in the winter twice a day. I just cut the string on the bail and leave it on it's side and peel off what I need with a hay fork. For the first week or two the hay will peel off fairly nicely, then it gets to a certain place where the bale simply needs to be rolled. My husband and I can push them a few feet and that's normally all it takes to get them to pull apart again. At the very end I can roll the bale myself (If I grunt hard!)
Most round bales end up with some wastage as the outside are often dry, or moldy. Even if I end up wasting 10% the cost is still way lower.
I do NOT put out entire bales at a time, my horses would waste a huge amount. I know many people who use round bale feeders (tombstone are the best for horses, the other types tend to give them rub marks and bald spots on the top of their necks) but my horses will go through way more hay that way. I like to feed twice a day, anyhow, it gives me a chance to monitor my guys in the winter and make sure everyone is doing fine.
Lastly, if you are ingenious you will find ways to move the round bales a fair distance. Several people can roll them, you can push them with an old truck, or perhaps you can borrow a small tractor or bobcat.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Round Hay Bale Mover

Answer 4

I feed with round bales too. But I don't put the bale out in the paddock with the horses. I found that when I did that they would pull it apart and half would get wasted. So I un roll the hale bales like a cinnamon role and bundle it up in hay nets. Then I hang the hay nets up high from their run in shelter. It is more work, but there is almost none wasted which is nicer on my check book. I also like to do it that way because round bales are great if they are stored and baled right, but if they aren't the outside looks good while the inside is full of mold. Pulling them apart before I put them in with the horses has cut down on respiratory problems I used to have when I just put the whole bale in.

Answer 5

Round bales, can be moved a number of ways with out a tractor, None are to pleasant though. If you can get them to your barn roll them off the trailer using logs for levers. (I have used my truck to pushem to where I want them wouldnt recomend that unless you like abusing your trucks like I do :)
When I use round bales I set them at the front of the barn and unroll them by hand as needed cutting off the hay off daily
That solid core part of the bale I just drop in the pasture as a treat for the horses. Unrolling a bale isnt easy by hand but is doable.
Just remember dont be on the wrong side of the bale when it rolls. since around here most bales are between 1500 and 2000 pounds.
This hay shortage has been good for us growers that either irrigate or have been in areas not hit by massive rain or massive drought. But I feel for all the folks that are struggling to find any hay at all. Buy or Beg all you can now
Its going to be a rough winter for people trying to find hay in january

Answer 6

Actually the easiest way is portable electric fencing and a solar powered charger. I have done this with good results.

Take your hay out into the field, have another truck and chain hook onto the hay to pull them off your truck/flatbed. Then about 10 feet away, place another bale, etc.

Then take a solar charger and put fencing around all your bales and then move the fencing to let the horses near the bales when you are ready. Just one bale at a time.

The other thing I do is just hand feed the round bale to prevent wasting since hay is such a high commodity. To keep it intact in the Wyoming wind, I use chicken fencing and wrapped it around it to not blow away.

Answer 7

One thing you may want to try is getting a round bale trough, that way the horses do not walk on the hay and waste it and they can still work for it and take longer to eat. Eating hay in the winter months is very important, if you are in cold areas like I am. The hay takes longer to digest and allows for metabolism to keep them warm, if that does not work you may want to consider haying 2x a day instead. Also you might want to think about adding some enrichment items to their pastures or stalls so that they do not start swaying or cribbing from boredom. If they are stalled all day make sure that all the ffedstuffs are not in the same area. Put hay in one corner, water in another, and if you give grain put that in another. This makes the horse feel like it is moving, remember, horses in the wild are all day grazers and need something to stimulate them so if they are not out to pasture they need some form of stimulation or they may develop bad habits. If you have anymore equine related questions just ask!!

Answer 8

Before we bought our tractor we moved them either by rolling them around. It took four people to move one. Or rolling it onto a gate pannel tieing it down on the panel and pulling the panel with the truck.
It can be done but takes some effort. We did it for a year then gave in a bought a tractor.

Answer 9

1 round bale lasts 5-8 horses two days with no pasture available, at least with our horses.

As for moving them- you can put a rope through them and pull them with a truck- the hay might get dirty on the outside, but it can work. I am assuming he is bringing them to your house first.

Answer 10

If they are still round, roll them. I have pushed them with my truck. If they are flat it will be harder but not impossible.

I had a roll fall off my truck and had to scoop it up in sections. It was a pain but with the cost of hay I wasn't about to lose any.

Hope that helps.