can you help me calculate hay needed for next winter?

[cathleenc]

I'm trying to negotiate my hay purchase for the coming year and need to let the farmer know how much I need.

How many small bales of hay would you say a large rectangular bale of alfalfa/grass hay contains?

How many flakes of hay would say a small bale of alfalfa/grass hay contains?

Here's my start with questimates:

a small bale weighs about 40 lbs. A large bale weighs about 600 lbs. A small bale contains about 5 flakes of hay weighing 8 lb each. Then projecting which animals will be needing hay and how many flakes per animal per day - and working from there to calculate how many large bales of hay.

Does that make sense?

ty!
Cathy

[Topaz Farm]

What kind of animals do you have?

ETA: Actually I guess it doesn't make any difference what kind of animals you have. I think you are on the right track with your figuring.

I don't have any experience with those large square bales. I have horses, I usually figure on 1/2 a square bale per horse, plus more during real cold spells.

[Up North]

My rule of thumb is that a 3X3X8 Large square bale weighs 750 pounds which equals 15- 50 pound small square bales.
Then I would estimate by using pounds hay per head X # of days in feeding season X number of adult cows to be fed. Generally figure 50 pounds of hay per large breed cow(1,400-1,600 pound) or 40 pounds of hay per day for moderate breed cow(1,000 - 1,400 pound). More or less.

An advantage you have with large square bales going under roof right away is that the % of shrink(waste) one would need to factor for round bales is a negligible amount with the large squares.

[blufford]

Here is an article from EC Magazine that might help.
http://www.ecmagazine.net/wio4htm/skimpingonhaywi04.htm