Compressed field bales

[lorilu]

Does anyone use them? Do you put them in the fields? Do you have them under a roof/run in shed? I am thinking about using them this winter. I do not have run in sheds but have seen them just out in the field maybe under a tree.
Please educate me!

[dasher]

Never heard of them.

[jm2]

Are you talking about those HUGE compressed bales of alfalfa or an alfalfa mix? I think they usually end up equaling 22 square bales. My old neighbor used to feed compressed alfalfa bales. She put them under a roof and slightly elevated off the ground in her pastures. They seem to be popular with the barrel racers. I've seen them occasionally up here in Jax at the feed stores.

[Hoof'n it]

Can you show us a pic of what you are talking about?
Are they the large square or round bales? Like 500kg ish ones?

[clanter]

I am like Hoof'n... I think you may be confusing the large 1,000/2000 pound bales with compressed as compressed is normally used for export

Compressed hay: Regular size 22x15x44 bales that have been compressed and re-baled, sliced for efficiency to gain weight per square foot for shipping over seas in containers usually for export hay.

http://hayusa.net/hayinfo.html

here is a rule of thumb on bales sizes
Bale sizes:
Bale size: 3 string 100 # to 140# to 140# 22” x 15” x 44”
Bale size: 2 string 40 # to 75 # 19” x 16” x 36”
One ton bales: 2000# 4’ x 4’ x 8’
Half ton bales: 1000# 3’ x 4’ x 6’
Round bales: 850 to 1100# 4x4 or 4x5

[Valerie]

I don't know about compressed bales, but I feed dry round bales. It is a wonderful way to keep the horses eating constantly in the winter cold. I have a "hay hut" that it goes in that I have used for years- it keeps the rain and snow off the bale so they can find it when the snow gets deep. I also use a small hole round bale net to cut out the wasted hay that used to be about 1/3 of the bale. They seemed to like to pull the hay out and use it as bedding to pee and poop in.https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-x ... e=56C31D09

[lorilu]

It's a BIG bale of 500lbs more or less. Had it delivered two days ago. Three or four very substantial wires hold it together. VERY compressed - hard to grab a handful. Driver told me it was actually chopped then compressed,and it does seem to be in small bits. Horses basicly gnaw off a mouthful from a corner.
Looks just like this from the Larsen Farms facebook page. I think this is the double size one..... I got the holder, too, and I am having a shed roof built over it. https://scontent.ftpa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=56C4B750

[Hoof'n it]

Ok looks like a normal 10-12 bale square =500kg = 1/2 ton bale.

I feed them all the time in winter. Same rules apply to this bale as the smaller bales.

Don't let it get wet or any moisture in it. Otherwise mould will be a huge problem. Keep it off the ground.

Horses will leave a lot of it on the ground as they can pick though it, so if you can have it on a surface, which is easy to clean that's best.

I normally open it up, and feed it out in Slabs like a regular sized bale - I find that it's less wastage. Although I do go through 3 of these sized bales a week in a dry summer or really wet/cold winter.

[lorilu]

Hoof'n it, it's just 500 lb, not 500 KG. And, you can't slab it out unless you have a pitchfork to slice it - it does not come apart at all.
We are expecting rain tonight so I put a tarp over it. Horses don't seem to mind a tarp over the hay. Now, if it was on the ground, that tarp would be a demon bottomless pit!! LOL.

L