Hay: some thoughts
Feeding Hay to Horses
- 1-2% of body weight: 1 lb feed to 100 pounds of body weight. Use a weight tape to determine weight: over the front of the withers or behind the withers for the tape to go around the horse. Pull tight.
- Increase hay when the temperature drops. About -15 or so increase the feed.
- If feeding with a slow feeder net it will be similar to forking hay to the horses but gives them access all day (better for the horses). No blankets, shoes, or halters on the horses. Additional hay will need to be fed loose when it gets -20 and colder (when the horses lose weight or are cold and hungry).
- If no slow feeder need the horses will go through the hay faster, and the loose hay will need to be forked up so it isn’t wasted. I found the 6 horses went through a bale in 3 days, rather than 6 or 7 days in winter.
4 The white slow feeder nets are the most durable, easy to work with. I use the Large on my 5x5 bales (1200 lbs.)
5. Put the hay on fresh snow, in different spots to prevent manure build-up. (grass will grow better if a fresh spot is used). Feed in the field to keep the paddock clean and to give the horses exercise.
6. If forking the hay put it on fresh snow and spread it out 10’ between piles and double the piles. If you have a really aggressive horse then wider apart. A calf sled makes an excellent hay mover.
7. Horses that don’t gain weight, eat only enough will do better on alfalfa mix hay. Look up gastric ulcers, Dr Kerry Ridgeway. A lot of horses have gastric ulcers, including pleasure horses.
8. Aggressive horses: take out of the herd for a while.
9. Water: heated/warmed water in the winter. Available at all times so the less dominant horses can drink their fill.
10. Feeding in winter is not like in the summer because of the temperatures. Have extra hay in case of early winter, late spring. This year haying has not started and it is the second week in July. Maybe next week if the rain stops and the ground drys well.
11. Beet pulp soaked (1 beet pulp:3 water will add minerals, fiber to the diet). Alfalfa cubes are better than pellets as long as the horse doesn’t choke (has good teeth and not rushed) otherwise pellets. Weigh the alfalfa and beet pulp so you know how much you are feeding.
12. Buying rounds: buy from a farmer you know puts up good hay. You can buy a corer to check the inside of the bale. Smell it for mould. Heavier than the other bales is not good.
Brent Stewart in Berwyn, AB. 708 338 3663 will haul hay north. He grows a lot.
13. Net wrapped hay will ship better. Hardcore bales are heavier than soft bales.
14. Grass hay or alfalfa-grass mix is good. Horses don’t like orchard grass or reed canary grass. Nor ryegrass (high sugar). Clover: white, red ok if allowed to dry.
15. By the ton or bale doesn’t make much difference in the price unless the truck is run over a scale.
What I have found:
5x5/1200 lb. round bale lasts 6 horses 1 week or less if cold. Therefore I need 5 round bales a month for 6 horses. Hay from October to May: 8 months if I have good pasture for all 6 horses. Hay eating slows in May as the grass grows (which slows the grass growing so I have a summer pasture and a winter pasture. I move the horses to the summer field on the first of July. Sometimes the grass doesn’t grow much in the winter pasture which means the horses will eat more hay in October. The horses will paw through the snow until it gets 18” high. Then it is too deep.
300 pounds of hay a week/horse? x 4= 1200 x 8 months = 9600 lbs a winter = 4.35 tons (metric) 4.2 tons (Canadian)
I have a chart that tells you approximately how big a bale weighs by its size (5x5 is 1200lb, 4x4 is 400 - 600 lb, Your hay will be weighed at a scale so you will know the weight. (you are getting it hauled up?).
It also matters if it was a dry or wet year. Last year was dry so hay was lighter. Age of the hay too.
Unless they are under a roof or a very very good tarp it is best not to stack them but rather put them in rows end to end and leave a space between each row..reason for this is in the fall it usually is wet and damp just before things freeze up and if you stack your bales without covering them they freeze hard and it makes the string very hard to get off as well as it creates a lot of frozen waste…also when it warms up they now become a rather large pile of compost if left that way for long…in a barn I've piled them on there ends two bales high and the top one on its side…it fills space well this way but if your tarping them outside a pyramid formation will shed the water best…just make sure you tie it down well..used tires hanging off each side work well..hope that helps
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-stack-round-bales-of-hay
Strapping down hay
tie down straps
1 per bale across the trailer/bale and 2 lengthwise : for 5 bales: 5 straps
How to tell good bales from bad:
1. Good keeps its shape, bad squishes. (hay with no stems will flatten and be hard to haul as it is soft)
2. Smell
Wildies in Alberta, Sundre area
