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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
 
| So this weekend, I am finally moving my horses back home!! Well...almost! My neighbor is letting me keep them at his place until my place is finished. We are working on getting power and water hookups now, finally =] So, they will be out in an ok sized pasture, I think it's 10 acres or so? With one of his mules. There is quite a bit of grass, still about 8 inches long, but of course it's pretty dead this time of year. I am going to keep feeding my two alfalfa everyday, but I was thinking of maybe also putting out a round bale for the 3 of them? How long should this last for 3 horses that are also on pasture and alfalfa daily? I was thinking that I could save a little on alfalfa if I fed a round bale also? I have never fed round bales before, so I have nothing to go off of here =] Thank you very much for any input! |
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 The One
Posts: 7998
  
Location: South Georgia | How long it will last will depend on if you use a feeder to contain it, how your horses react to it (some jump into a bale, rub on it, etc), how much grass you have, etc. I'd guess about two weeks for 3 horses on pasture, and also being fed alfalfa. Just a guess. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 972
Location: Texas! | I keep a round bale out and feed omnis cubes daily. That round bale lasts quite awhile for my two. They're in a smaller maybe two acre lot I put a new bale out Dec.20 and it's probably still 2/3 full. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| Thank you! So do you guys feed as a necessity? Or just to add extra forage? I was thinking that I could maybe save and feed less alfalfa doing this? I have one hard keeper and one very easy. So feeding a round bale, I may only have to feed my gelding alfalfa? I'm not sure though. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | Right now, a round bale of brome lasts 2 of my horses probably less than a month. My grandparents own 3 horses, and they will go through 2 round bales of hay in a month |
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The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | Katielovestbs - 2018-01-12 1:43 PM Thank you! So do you guys feed as a necessity? Or just to add extra forage? I was thinking that I could maybe save and feed less alfalfa doing this? I have one hard keeper and one very easy. So feeding a round bale, I may only have to feed my gelding alfalfa? I'm not sure though.
I currently board and only have one horse, but she's on a pasture with 5 others---so 6 total. The pasture is large but not a whole heck of a lot of good grass, so the roundbale is there to take up slack where grass may be lacking. The horses have a roundbale and then are given grain once a day. My horse, however, is Miss High Maintenance and gets fed grain twice a day and alfalfa every night in addition. |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | It totally depends on the size of the round bale as well as the quality of hay and if you're using a net and or hay ring to minimize waste. We feed 1200lb bales of grass alfalfa mix, in both a slow feed net and hay ring, I have pretty much zero waste. My horses are on hay full time in the winter. I've got 2 groups of horses (one is 6, the other 7) a bale lasts each group 6-8 days depending on how cold it is. |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I have 4 that will through in about 6 days, they are the 4x4 round a 4x5 2 1/2 weeks. do you get snow? |
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | Horses E about 2% of their body weight per day in total food intake you need to know the weight of the bale and all other things you are feeding them to figure out I have 6 horses on big square bales and they weigh 750 pounds per bale last them 6 days |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| We get about 1.5-2 weeks with 3 horses and that's in MN. I feed a mix generally in the spring and summer and then straight grass when they are getting worked less. We have 4 horses and maybe get 8 days. However, our rounds are probably only 800 pounds. We don't have a way to move them so we roll them out and need them a little lighter. I also use a slow feed net with a roundbale feeder. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Never use a grass hay bale in place of an alfalfa bale. Alfalfa is far better quality than a grass hay bale. Use the roundbale as a supplement to grazing on grass during the day. Something to keep them busy. I count it as a vitaminless forage haha. For sure keep the alfalfa hay going. Many more benefits than grass hay.  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| Thank you guys so much for your replies! Irunonfaith, thank you for that =] I was wondering if I could feed less alfalfa, but that pretty much answers my question, haha. I will just use round bales as a "pasture freshener" and keep feeding alfalfa as normal...may just cut back my easy keeper a bit though if she gets fatt...er. Thank you!!
Edited to add - From the sounds of it, seems like one round bale should last me around 2-3 weeks. There seems to be very few choices as far as size - between 600 and 800 lb bales. I live in the PNW (Wa) We do get snow, but not much compared to others!
Edited by Katielovestbs 2018-01-12 3:32 PM
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 "Spaz-tacular"!!
Posts: 20309
Location: Bennett, CO | Talk to the Mule owner- I know ours is obese on a fraction of what the horses get.... Id worry about foundering the mule with anything much more than dried up ole grass
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