Hay, or rather Hey! I need outside opinions on my hay feeding

[Foxglove]

Edited for lack of clarity . . .I have a 20 acre horse farm, each of the four pastures has a 3 sided shed, each separate water, each pasture has thick, lush grass and some shady tree spots --but that’s summer.

Right now, I am feeding hay. I bought lovely hay for $7/bale --all in the mow neatly stacked.

THIS YEAR I decided to try a new method of feeding hay. EVERY BALE is neatly put into a bale size Hay Chix Nibble Net and taken out to the shed where it is hung inside. Currently each horse is eating 1 bale every two-3 days. My bales are probably 50 pounds, so about right for my 1200 pound light work geldings.

So far, with careful record keeping, I have found I am saving 1/3 of my hay usage. NOTHING is being peed on or trampled into mud. Yeah me!

Problem: Feeding last year, hay and grain, took 15 -20 min. Give boys grain in their feeders, throw hay over the fence, then I went riding --and yes, I ride all winter long --no bad clothes, just bad weather. THIS YEAR with my hay net system, feeding takes at least 1 hour to 90 min as I am spending time bagging hay and taking it to sheds. Usually it is 3 bales out one day, and one bale out the other --but still need to bag and drag hay out to sheds. EDIT ADDED HERE Taking the hay nets into sheds, means going through gates and pulling to sheds in the pasture, then hanging in the sheds. Throwing the hay on the ground in nets isn’t part of what I’m doing --I have seen the boys paw at nets on the ground, and even without shoes, I worry they will hang up their legs or pull the hay nets out of the sheds (or poop on them) or tear holes --I buy bale size hay nets from Hay Chix at $75 each. That takes far more time than tossing hay over the fence as I did last year.

I am no longer riding daily. At 72 --I just don’t have the whatever to brush, saddle, and ride a horse on my 50 acre woods (it’s the neighbor’s property but he’s made nice trails for me, or the other neighbors’ 3000 acres of open field).

Choice 1: keep doing what I’m doing and realize that winter doesn’t last forever and the $900 I’m saving on hay is worth the effort --accept that I just won’t ride as much this winter --it’s not that I don’t ride at all, just not as much as last year (yes, I keep a sort-of journal). None of the horses NEEDs riding, they are all well-trained and I do get up to the hunt club once week for some splendid riding.

Choice 2: give up the hay nets and go back to feeding hay on the ground. Time to ride more.

Choice 3: hire my neighbor’s kid to come and fill hay nets every other day and take them out to the sheds. Cost would be $60 a week or probably $700 for the rest of the winter.

Thoughts? Possible solution I’ve not considered?

[Bonnie2]

All three choices sound reasonable. Personally I would hire the neighbor’s kid - if they are someone you don’t mind being around every day. You get to ride, horses eat hay not on the ground and kid gets pocket money and a little dose of responsibility. Win win win!

[Willesdon]

Hire in help. Why waste your energy when you could be doing more of what you enjoy? The cost is covered by the savings you made by wasting less.

[Minxitbabe]

I would buy an extra set of nets. Then you only have to net bales half as often. I found that making up 10 nets at a time vs 2 nets daily saved so much time. Though I am trying to figure out how it is adding that much time vs throwing on the ground? Should be a 5 minute max per bale job getting it netted. And if you aren’t taking hay out multiple times a day to throw on the ground rather only once every couple days you really should be saving time.

[trubandloki]

I agree with @Minxitbabe, make up more bags so when you need to fill you just grab an already made bag.
That should not take you anymore time than it did to take hay out and toss it in the sheds and again, likes was said so well above, it will save you time in the long run.

[Foxglove]

Interesting ideas so far . . . RE more nets: Nets, bale size, are $75 each. So 10 nets would set me back $750 –

Second: why so long with nets -I can’t do a bale into a net in 5 min. I would say probably 10 min to pull the bale off the stack, net it and put it on the sled. Then there is the time necessary to take it to the shed and hang it in there --another 15-20 min. Multiply by 4 and there’s my 90 min of chore time. Feeding last year was, put grain in feeders, throw hay over fence. Done. Hay off stack on to sled only had to go from barn to fence --no farther. Sheds are in the pastures away from the gates.

I don’t put my hay nets on the ground --I hang them in the sheds. Hay nets on the ground even with unshod horses give me concern.

[Minxitbabe]

I bought the half bale nets when they were on sale 4 for 100 which is why I have now have 10 nets. I would say at least a double set of nets would be better than daily. Or what if you switch to the half bale nets and just put tie rings on the fence posts? Even if you did the hay twice a day in the nets on the fence sounds like it would save time not having to slog all the way to run ins? But it still save you a lot of money in wasted hay. Then if it’s going to be super rainy take it to the lean to?

[trubandloki]

There are cheaper brands of hay nets that work just as great.

You can hang the bales on the fence and not have to go into the field or put the nets in a trough.

So many easy solutions.

Edit to add - the cost of more hay nets is one time expense and will have you all set next year too.
Paying the neighbor will have to happen again next year if you go that route.

But seriously, it sounds like you just want to go back to tossing hay on the ground. If you do not care about the waste or the mess then just do that. It is your time and your money, spend it and use it how you want.

I personally hate the mess trompled hay makes, it is hard to pick up. I would much rather spend that time putting the hay into nets.

[MadTrotter]

#3 all day. I had a baby this year and I wish I had spent more time thinking about someone who knew my system and could cover better than my husband. He did the grunt work but I was still fielding technical support calls from him for WEEKS.

[SusanO]

Can you use a tractor or cart to get the hay to the sheds versus dragging? I realize I am in the South and do not know how hard that is in your climate. Make a sled and tow it behind a snowmobile?

[Foxglove]

The ground is too soft for the tractor this time of year. No snowmobile or ATV. Good ideas, though. Going to run this thread by DH. Thinking I might split the difference and hay the neighbor boy hang nets and if I see they are empty, throw hay over the fence. Oh no way to hang nets on fence or gates–all high tinsel wire.

[candyappy]

@Foxglove

Going to run this thread by DH.

There is your help source right there? Why can’t he get the bale down, into the net and on the sled for you?? If he is really active he can drag the sled while you open gates.

Maybe then you would have an additional 30-40 minutes and energy to ride?

Even if he isn’t a horse person , daily, physical activity is good for everyone.

[Montanas_Girl]

If your pastures are only ~3 acres each, how does it take 15-20 minutes per bale to carry hay to the shed? This seems to be your big time sink, and I’m just not understanding this part of the problem.

[Simkie]

If you don’t have to enter the field to hang the nets, how much time would that save you? I know I find navigating gates and shooing horses away kind of time consuming.

Can you hang the nets on the fence instead? Maybe even set up a feeding station, where you could just toss hay over the fence into a net…kinda like this?

Freedom Feeder Frame

Then it becomes a lot more like your old system of tossing hay over the fence, but it’s still netted. Best of both worlds?

[Scribbler]

I would double my stock of hay nets so that I was doing one trip daily to put out fresh nets and rerieve the old. I would consider round bales if you can handle them. I would look at how you are stuffing bales into nets. Have you got a system that holds the net open? I would also consider your transport. Hauling a sledge is ridiculous hard work. Can you enlist a pony if you don’t have a gator or tractor?

This job should not take 90 minutes.

Can you rig up a feeding station near to the gates?

For future can you dump gravel so you have a working road from barn to field for the tractor?

Buy cheaper hay bags for your rotation.

Get your transport rigged so you can move all 4 bags at once. A 70 year old woman should not be dragging a sled of hay at the outer limit of her strength across mud. Four times. Just no.

[Foxglove]

@Montanas_Girl -not sure why you think my pastures are 3 acres --they are all 5 acre pastures. Sheds are in various locations based on drainage and wind --closest is 200 feet from the gate, farthest is 400-500 feet from the gate.

[Foxglove]

@candyappy DH does help as much as he can with bad knees, and bad shoulders (age 75). He is neither a horse person nor a farm person --the horses and farm have always been mine --and my hobby. He likes cars and does his own thing with them. We both help each other as much as possible --I am very good at polishing the chrome on the wire tires on his favorite car (small hands) --and helping him wash, and wax endlessly --maybe why his shoulders are a mess. DH should have shoulders and knees fixed --but has a phobia about doctors and hospitals, so he limps along. I am lucky to have a neighbor with NINE kids --7 boys --who love to come over and help --nice kids! They are the ones I’ll ask about coming over M-W-F to take hay out. Otherwise, my horses are their care are my responsibility. It works for us --married 48 years!

[Foxglove]

@Scribbler --I have to agree with you —pulling the sled is the maximum effort I can do. Can’t do round bales --tractor isn’t that big. I have gravel down, but not out to the sheds. I think I am leaning toward having the neighbor’s boys come down M-W-F and just tossing hay out the other days, if they need it. Neat kids, love to help --he has 9 kids, 7 boys, so always someone around!

[Foxglove]

@Simkie --link didn’t open --repost?

[fivestrideline]

@Foxglove

I think I am leaning toward having the neighbor’s boys come down M-W-F and just tossing hay out the other days

I think this is a great compromise! It sounds like setting your place up to be easier to do this is going to take more money and effort than you’re willing to expend - that’s totally understandable!

Use the kids next door to take some of the load off. Enjoy your rides!