Big Round Bale of Hay question.....

[sunflower-n-ks]

How to get the hay off of it and to the sheep?

A wonderful neighbor arrived unexpectedly with the huge bale of hay with a "where ya want it"? After a few stunned moments of silence, I thought the end of the garage, where I was making a place for the order of small bales I was expecting to get, would be the best place.

Now, the job of getting the hay off of it and to the sheep is a huge job. I know the bales are rolled up and thought that I could just unroll it as I took it off. But it is not working that way. There is grass in it that is at least 3 feet long and is locking the whole thing together. I am litterly pulling it out one small handfull at a time and even that with great effort sometimes. I was hoping that once I got it started unrolling it would be ok, but I have been around it all at least once and no improvement.

Yes, I could have put it in the pasture, but with a small flock of sheep, I thought they would just scatter it and waste it. And it would last long enough for some of it to spoil. Not like a large herd of something eating it all up in a few days.

I am also hoping that the extra long grass is only a small portion of it and will end at some point. Maybe wishfull thinking, but I think there is less of it as I get further into it.

[wy_white_wolf]

I used a carpet layers knife (hooked on the end) to cut into the bale 1 to 2 inches. Then I can peel off that layer for the daily feed. Once it gets started like this it unrolls easier but you do have the problem of tearing off just what you need.

[Ralph in N.E.Oh]

Stand the bale on end, carefully start unwrapping it with a hay fork. Be very careful as when you pull on the fork it is aimed at your thighs. Peel about 1/2 to 1" at a time. Once you get the bale started, it unrolls easily without much effort from the fork. Once you get done feeding, cover the bale with a small tarp because the bale standing on its end will suck in rain and snow and spoil quickly. Untarp at the next feeding and continue in this fashion until the bale is gone.

Next time, put it in the field with your sheep (not on end) put a fence of cattle panels around it. Cut the panels down with bolt cutters, sawzall, or hack saw so that the panels are short enough to make a square around the bale that touches the bale. The sheep will eat the bale self serve without wasting much at all. You will have to adjust the panels as they eat the bale so they can reach more until it is gone.

[mdharris68]

We actually have ours delivered into the large door of the green house. We just grab and pull and try to keep it neat. When you have enough of the bale tore apart, you can stand the center up on end and use whats on the floor and then unroll the rest. It will make quite a mess unless you take the time to pick up the stragglers everyday. Have fun with your new hay management.

[Forerunner]

If you're using the hay for sheep, it should be kept inside to prevent unnecessary weathering. Cut into it with a chainsaw, as deep as the bar will reach, making sections two feet wide or so. If your saw is short barred, you'll just have to go around the bale a couple or three times.

[farminghandyman]

I have not had that problem and most I feed whole.
My bales fall apart when the strings are cut, or enough to unroll it with a fork, but I do not have 3' tall grass,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have never tried it but have read of some one using a chain saw, to cut some large bales,

if you try it be careful not to set it on fire, (that would be one of my concerns).

I think I read it in farm show magazine.

found a like below that recommended a "electric" chain saw,

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/...cts/88-052.htm
Occasionally, they can be used as an area for cutting up big bales with bale knives or electric chainsaw.

here is a link for a special chain to cut them better, and I see a farm show logo on the page,
http://www.bigbalecutter.com/BBCSite_New/index.htm

[Bret]

When the bales are new and round you can bump them and roll them. When they get a little flat on the bottom, things change. I have had success with the fork as mentioned above. Take a wrap off one side. Then the other. Each time you take a little off the top it gets a little harder because the weight of the bale traps a little more of the wrap on the bottom. Eventually, you get down to the place where with a little leverage with a hay fork, ( OK, a lot of leverage...so be careful) you can roll the bale off of the cradle of bottom hay. Good luck. It is quite a workout.

I have fun thinking that as tough as it is at the moment that somebody else is doing it at the same time. Good luck.

[Topaz Farm]

I have horses and wish we were completely fenced so they could just eat off the bale.

I like to start out with mine on end and unwrap the hay (so to speak). Make sure you don't let it build up on the bottom. Then when it gets smaller I knock it down then unroll it going first one way then the other.

Sometimes it will come off the truck end up, if it doesn't I will do the best I can until I can push it over on end.

PS. Would much rather have square bales, but the round bale is cheaper.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

We lay round bales over on their sides on a pallet to keep it off of the ground. We cover the exposed end with one of the large 18 inches deep metal watering troughs. It eventually looks like a giant mushroom. Remove the strings and unwind enough hay to feed to your sheep each day. I like round bales except for the fact that I feed sheep in numerous places and its a pain to carry the hay so far. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. It makes it harder to judge how much hay you are feeding though.

[rambler]

setting on an end, they are easier to unwind. Difficult to do if sitting on a round side.

Various chain saw, knife, etc things have been tried, some work, some don't.

A good bale stored inside should unwind fairly easy if sitting on an end.

--->Paul

[Ken Scharabok]

Old thread, but have been musing on it.

Option: Purchase a low-boy trailer capable of holding three round bales of hay and a tarp large enough to cover it if it has to be kept outside.

On trailer purchase, I suspect you will find multiple uses of it when it doesn't have hay on it.

Have it loaded by the person from which you get the hay as soon as possible after it is bales (so it isn't exposed to weather conditions). Here, unfortunately, at least cattle seem to prefer first cutting vs second cutting, meaning the trailer might have to be tied up for most of the year.

Find what I call a potato fork (rake type, not shovel type). It is basically a strong four-prong rake. You can e-mail me at scharabo@aol.com if you would like to see a picture of one.

To use the hay uncover the back bale, separate it a bit from the next one up and use the fork to pull off from the top towards you a layer at a time*, from one side to the other. Let it fall on the back of the trailer, then use the rake to pull it away from the bale so it can be handled with a pitchfork. Next time you need hay pull from the front of the bale. Should come off in a layer fairly easily as the other side of that layer has already been taken away. Eventually you will come down to the center core, which can be handled much like a long, round wound 'square' bale. Then what hay remains is already flat layered.

*You may have to secure bale. Say you make up two stakes 2" in diameter by 2' long with short length of rope coming off of the end bottom. Drive one in from both sides in the middle of the bale, then secure bale to trailer.

I have a flatbed truck with hydraulic arms on the back for moving round bales (Hydra-Bed). I am currently feeding out: predominately (standing) corn stalk bales, predominately aged Johnsongrass bales and good mixed grasses bales. Schedule goes on a four day cycle. Day one cattle get one corn and one Johnsongrass spaced apart so the dominate cows don't get it all. Day two nothing - they have to clean up from day one. Day three I use the hydraulic arms to hold a full bale off of the ground and use the fork to pull off about half of it, driving forward a couple of times so I leave 3-5 piles. Day four they get the rest of the good bale in the same manner. Then I start the cycle again, so they basically get two so-so quality and one good quality bales over four days.

Will note we are having a very mild winter so far and some of my girls are so fat I'm worried about them exploding. They look like barrels with legs.

Locally, it is now quite hard to find square baled hay out of someone's barn. Simply too hard to find labor willing to throw around squared baled hay these days. However, many hay producers will sell square baled hay directly out of the field on a you load, you haul basis. You ought to be able to get at least 100 square bales on a 16' low-boy trailer. Not particularly recommended, but I have loaded such a trailer by myself pulling it with a tractor set in creeper gear (first gear/low).

[Bearfootfarm]

I just set the bales on a pallet in the pasture, and surround it with sections of cattle panel and let the sheep eat what they want. A bale usually lasts about 2 weeks with 20 sheep

[sunflower-n-ks]

Thanks to all for the ideas and suggestions. The bale is getting smaller. Yea!!! The long grass was the big problem that only pulling it out in some cases strand by strand solved, By the way, it was not 3'. When I measured some of the strands they were closer to 6'. Guess I must be in the tall grass prairie area here. But, in the places there was no long grass, it peeled off like I thought it would. What a relief to get a load to carry to the sheep in less than an hour each. If another big bale comes onto the property, it WILL go directly to the pasture even if some of it is wasted. Another learning experience....... Oh yes, I was told it was good prairie hay. How do you know what is inside of those monsters?

I can get the barn stored small square bales here at a reasonable price. $3 or $3.50 delivered. That is my choice after this experience.

[sammyd]

We have tried both as well. Luckily our big rounds were decent alfalfa and peeled quite easily. They did leave a bunch of the leaves on the floor of the garage though. I prefer small squares, but you get what you can.
My biggest problem with big rounds outside is waste, even in a feeder you'll get some. and if it's not covered and it rains or snows there is more, if your animals are slow in eating it.
We put one in a 10x12 shed I built on a concrete slab in the pasture and that seemed to solve most of that problem although the cows did drag some out and lay on it.