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Our hay is two-string, but our alfalfa is baled as tightly as the California 3-stringers (and the bales weigh about 120 lbs apiece).  Our grass hay is between 90 and 100 lbs per bale, and not quite as dense, but still nowhere like the sorts of bales you describe (the one-handers). 

 

You hit the key thing--which is to free feed small bales, you need to leave the strings on.  I've done this, and it can be a hassle with a big group of horses to police up all the strings later.  I can see it being more feasible with just a few horses. 

 

Heidi

 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [RC] Free feeding square bales
From: kathy swigart <katswig@xxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, December 26, 2008 9:19 pm
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I do it all the time and have been doing so for years.  But then, California three string bales do not, generally, meet this description from Heidi:

> The biggest problems with intermittent free feeding of small
> bales are that 1) they are less densely packed,

Those wimply little two string things that you can pick up with one hand I have noticed are less densely packed, but that is only true of the three string ones if you buy cheap (by the bale) ones.

And they stay pretty densely packed if you leave the strings on, which is what I do.

I have a big water trough (that no longer holds water because it has holes in the bottom) that I tip a full bale (~110# to 120#) of bermuda grass into.  It is under a shelter in the rainy season to keep the hay dry (and keep the hay out of the mud if it escapes from the trough), which lasts for three horses about 3 days.  They get supplmented with 7-9# of alfalfa hay once a day (whenever it is convenient) which gets separated into as many piles as there are horses and put into small water tubs.  Individual horses may also get extra grain or whatever supplements, but they are separated out for this (usually when taken out to be ridden or fussed with in some way).

Depending on the mood of the person who buys it (which is not me), they also will get oat or orchard grass hay thrown in for them in the same individual troughs (or on the ground) at random intervals.

I have found that the most important thing when using this feeding method it to not put anything OTHER than the bermuda hay into the big feeder....ever.  If you start putting something that they may like better in there with the full bale of bermuda, they will go "digging" for it (even if it isn't there) and throw the bermuda all over the place trying to ferret out every last scrap of something better (even if it isn't there).

Invariably, some of the grass hay, after a while, starts to end up on the ground around the trough, at which time, no more is put out for them until they "clean up."  Depending on the weather (and the fastidiousness of the horses), this "clean up" is something they are required to do about once a month.  And I make sure that I make them do it when I know I am going to be out soon enough that they won't go for too long without something to eat.  I don't make them clean up down to the last scrap (and, in fact, some of it does get spread around as bedding on purpose--and it is cheaper than most of the types of real bedding that can be had around here anyway).

However, they usually learn the clean up routine fairly easily. Especially if you "train" them that they aren't going to get anything more until they do (so the first few times you may have to let them go for a while with less than full rations until they figure out that that is all they are gonna get).

Some horses are just pigs and are gonna waste hay as bedding no matter what, but most of them figure out the program pretty quickly.

I find that it works best with bermuda hay for several reasons:  1) there is no "good part" of bermuda hay, so no particular reason to go digging through it for something better; 2) they don't like it very much so they just pick at it all day long, especially after they learn that it is always gonna be there; 3) around here is is much more consistent palatability that any of the other available grass hays so I don't have to wonder whether they are going to pick at it all day long or throw it around because they are convinced that they could find something better or that it tastes so bad that they refuse to eat it at all; 4) it is cheaper than all other grass hays.

But yes, it is very easy to free feed three string bales of grass hay.  For most horses, the best thing to do is leave the strings on so they have to work at getting it; and by the time it is easy to get at (i.e. they have eaten enough that the strings have come loose) there is less of it to throw around anyway.

kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)

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