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Re: [RC] Feeding round bales - Karen SullivanWow!!! The cost is amazing, with our local, even grass hay going for as much as $18 to 20 per 120 lb bale in some places of California. What I am wondering, though, is how you can store the hay outside? what happens to it when it rains? With that many horses, it sure sounds like the way to go.....but how to you move the bales? Karen On 12/26/08, Karen Everhart <rainbowmeadowsranch@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: We use round bales all the time and have done so for nearly 30 years. The major consideration is that all horses have access to the hay, so your evaluation of the herd dynamics is critical, ensuring that one or more horses is not pushed away from the hay. Our limit is 6 horses per ring. We have a winter sacrifice area in which we place the round bales in their feeders (5 at all times). This is surrounded on the north and west by huge, dense cedar trees, to cut the winter winds. We do move the rings/bales each time we resupply. While feeding 35-40 + horses at any given time, the 5 bales are consumed within 5-7 days so exposure to the elements/spoilage is not an issue. For storage, we leave the bales in the hay meadow where they were produced, in another sacrifice area, one bale deep, lined touching each other so that only the bottom molds and is wasted. We do move them out of fire danger over a few months just in case some id%^t drops a cigarette on the highway a mile away, catching the tall grass prairie pastures on fire, burning us off. Should our hay supply burn, we would be in a grave situation. We still have to feed squares to the various horses which are confined due to physical limitations or are in quarantine. The round bales make life much simpler. Cost - we feed prairie hay exclusively. We produce the hay ourselves, but when we sell a few bales, we charge $40.00 per 1000 pound bale, so $80.00 per ton. Karen Everhart MEd Co-founder and Executive Director Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement, Inc. Serving the equine companions who have so loyally served us... www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com 620-725-3402 Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions Centered Riding Instructor Distance Horse Conditioning and Training www.horsecalls.com 316-648-5082 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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