Bale buddy

[fordtraktor]

So I am having some hay supply issues with small squares, but scored some really lovely grass alf rounds from a dairy farmer friend. I have sheds and am feeding in the sheds.

I bought HayChix round bale nets that are doing great, but need a longer term solution for the horses with shoes.

Has anyone tried the bale buddy green hay bale cozies for this situation? I ordered one but it ended up being too small for my rounds. I like the look of it and it seems less dangerous than a lot of the round bale protectors. Price is right too. I would put the hay chix nets on underneath and it will never be out in the elements, always under shelter.

Thanks for any reviews!

[luvmyhackney]

They had them at a previous boarding barn, but weren’t the best option for the group of rowdy geldings. Let’s just say a gelding somehow ended up chasing all his buddies with it in his mouth and ended up wearing it on a couple occasions.

They worked fine in the senior pasture as long as it was dry. Any mud in the pasture and they got disgusting. Once it got to about a quarter full some of the senior horses would climb in it to eat and sleep, but it did contain the hay mess.

[Weezer]

I used one for a couple of years in my small senior herd. I found that the had to be up on a pallet, or on dry ground. I also found that with a hay net, it still tended to make a huge mess. I tried all sorts of solutions to combine the bale buddy with a hay net, but nothing worked for me. It was ver hard to get the bale buddy over the net. I eventually bought AGI ploy hay rings - expensive but worth it!

[fordtraktor]

Lol. I can see this! Not with my herds though. Were they under a shed or out in the open?

[ASB_Stars]

I bought one, and found that it caused the hay to get moldy pretty rapidly. Not a fan.

[fordtraktor]

What about it made a mess with the net? I was hoping the net plus bale buddy would reduce hay loss and not risk pulled shoes on the net. It’s hard figuring out a way to make it all work under the sheds!

[fordtraktor]

Under a shed or in the open?

[fordtraktor]

Here is the current situation. I want something to prevent shoes in the net. Not for this horse, this mare is due to foal any day.

[Weezer]

It wasn’t a huge mess with the net, but I found it virtually impossible to get the buddy on over the net as the net creates a lot of friction. I was also doing this by myself and don’t have a tractor to hold the bale off the ground. I also found it really hurt my fingers to try to pull the buddy over the net because the net would scratch my knuckles. With gloves on, I couldn’t get a good grip on the buddy. If you want to try it, I recommend going one size up on the buddy. The company might also have some tips. It’s been a few years since I was doing all this, but I have found the company to be very responsive to questions.

[fordtraktor]

Thank you, had the same experience today with the “right size” one. I think I will try a size up. It was ridiculous trying to get the Bale Buddy on the bale which was the size advertised for the size and I had the bale off the ground on a skid steer and hay spears.

[Texarkana]

Since you have a nice, dry, and covered place to feed hay, can you use some boards to create a low barricade? It wouldn’t eliminate the risk of a shoe on the net, but it would certainly reduce it.

[fordtraktor]

I could, and may long term if I end up switching to rounds permanently. We have clay and I don’t want to disturb the ground unless I have to, it takes 2 years to resettle at least. I have a really nice solid base in all my shelters. I don’t want to disturb it if I can find a cheaper effective option.

[fordtraktor]

Thank you!

[NoSuchPerson]

I have used both the Bale Buddy and the Hay Chix nets. I’ve never used them together, though.

I found the Bale Buddy to be a bit fussy to fit to get the best results. First, it needs to fit tightly around the round bale, otherwise it gradually sags like that bad pair of knee socks that don’t have quite enough elastic in them to get through the day. Second, it needs to be long enough that it comes completely up over the top leaving just a small-ish opening in the center, otherwise it’s too easy for the horses to push the edges off the top of the bale, thus further contributing to the saggy knee socks problem.

I preferred confining the round bale, whether Bale Buddy or Hay Chix net, against the wall of my shed behind a barricade, as @Texarkana suggested. I really hate the way the round bale in the Hay Chix net turns into a big hay pillow once the horses start eating it. I already owned a horse-safe round bale feeder when I experimented with the net and hay cozie (love that name, I called them hay condoms, but that’s not really safe for use in public), so I took it apart and attached half to the wall, which worked well. However, round bale feeders are kind of expensive to purchase just for short-term use.

[luvmyhackney]

They had two in each pasture. I know two were under shed roofs, rest I think were out in the open.

[SolarFlare]

@NoSuchPerson

(love that name, I called them hay condoms, but that’s not really safe for use in public)

We have a business up here in Ontario that makes the round bale nets with a big ring at one end, so they’re easy to slip over the bale. They are actually called “bale condoms” and that’s how they market them

[tabula_rashah]

I have the bale buddies and use them occasionally if I have an extra bale I want to put out (I usually put them in my hay huts). They work mediocrely well. They horses are pretty adept at pushing the bale buddies down and trashing the bale. With a net it might work better