I didn’t see an “ultimate hay thread” sticky so … how about we start one here?
I am really curious to hear what everyone feeds (hay related), why they feed it, what they like/dislike about it, and (if comfortable sharing) what they pay for it (please, if possible, include bale size).
I find it really interesting what people feed and why. I’d really love to have a big hay thread, so anyone who has an opinion, please chime in!
I feed meadow hay, it’s pretty much the regular hay that you buy here in Germany. In Australia, lucerne (alfafa) is really popular, but I am not such a fan, I find it can be quite heating, particularly for sensitive horses.
The horses like it, it’s not fatty and it keeps their stomachs full!
We had to buy hay in this year because we have only recently moved to our new farm, but are seeding 4 hectares in a few weeks time to use for hay fields and grazing (although might only be cut for silage this year, depending on growth/weather). Planting a rye grass/timothy/kentucky bluegrass/oat/white clover mix.
They hay we bought for this year was in small square bales (probably around 25kg) cost use 2,50euro per bale.
I feed an orchard mix.
6$ 50lb square delivered and stacked.
60$ for a 1000lb round delivered.
I feed a grass mix hay normally. There is nothing I like dislike about it, if I could make one little change I would want some alfalfa strewn throughout it. LOVE it… I pay $35-40 for a 7-800lb round bale. Right now I’m peeling it because my horses are big fat pigs but normally I have it netted and it lasts about two weeks. I also give some alfalfa every day via cubes or pellets. I’m very lucky and I dread the day my hay guy no longer does it.
A very nice tim/alf mix. I only feed hay(plus grazing) with ration balancer, I found a great supplier and am very happy with the quality, horses love it. 70 lbs bales $7.50 per, self pick up, buy a years worth (225 bales, almost 8 ton) all at once.
I get grass mix round bales- about 600-700lbs each for $60- very nice hay and the horses love it. I go thru 1 every 8 days or so in the winter with 5 horses. Unless I’m going to be away and someone else will have to feed, I dole it out to then rather than put out the whole bale. They also all get 3-4lbs of alfalfa cubes a day.
I feed an eastern Oregon orchard grass/alfalfa mix (though I will feed straight orchard next year). It is high quality, palatable for most horses, low waste. What I did not like this year was my supplier apparently didn’t notice that this hay was contaminated with cheatgrass…grrrr. This seems to be a growing problem in eastern Oregon hay, or perhaps just with the farmers my hay guy is contracting with. My bales are all in the 100 to 120lb. range and I paid $300/ton so roughly $14/bale. With the drought in CA/So.OR I expect prices for Oregon hay to skyrocket as demand increases. I’ll be looking at some high quality local for ‘lunch’ for my retired boys.
GEORGIA: Organic Fescue/Bermuda mix - 350-375 lb Rounds for $20. I ALWAYS use a Cinch Chix Round Bale Net, so that it lasts 3 horses and 2 goats 6 - 7 days, with only 1-2% waste.
When I first started self care boarding, I used to buy from hay dealers that would deliver and stack, but I had quality issues, and delivery and stacking was getting expensive. A dear friend, who always manages to find amazing hay at amazing prices, clued me in her practices - which is basically get a network of good hay farmers that make good products, get a trailer, and pay attention to the weather. When the weather is ideal, hump yourself around town with your trailer and buy out of the field. Load and unload yourself. Takes a ton of time, but saves a lot of $.
Because I’m an opportunistic buyer, I have adopted feeding a varied diet as there are different hays coming in with different circumstances and different times of the year. My horses get a blend of 3cut alfalfa, 2nd cut orchard, 1st cut timothy, 1st cut teff and 2nd cut “pasture” which is basically the fringe areas from where several cultivated fields meet, plus whatever natives are growing there.
I pay anything from $5-$50 for 600-800lb rounds, and anywhere from $2-8 for 40-50lb squares. All good quality horse hay. I have zero tolerance for anything less than lovely. Prices are all over the map and sometimes so incredibly low because I show up on the farmer’s doorstep in time with the weather. Sometimes the sky is turning black and he needs to get product out of the field fast. Sometimes he’s not sure how his product will cure up and will sell it cheap just to get it out of the barn (sometimes I win on that, sometimes I make a lot of compost). Sometimes he makes a fantastic product I want a whole barn full of so I happily pay premium prices.
This year my alfalfa worked out to $400 a ton, and my grass hays $183 a ton.
Its time consuming and exhausting, but its good hearty work which I like. I like that every single bale I put up, I personally chose. No surprise light ones, or dusty bottom ones etc. I learn a lot about hay. I learn a lot about the weather. I’m getting to become good friends with my farmers which is a nice feeling. BEST of all, I don’t have all of my eggs in one basket.
And I like that my horses enjoy a varied diet. I stack my hay in a way that I can get to all the varieties all year, so my horses get a daily blend of 4 hays.
Its fussy and time consuming, but I find it rewarding.
Thanks everyone, enjoying the posts. Keep 'em coming!
Buck22, you continue to amaze me with your horse keeping practices. Do you take apprentices? 
Seriously, you should make a collection of your posts and print it. I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
We feed soft mixed grass hay, preferably second cut. We also feed little alfa-alfa in the depth of the winter and during trailering trips (thanks, Buck22, for this tip, too).
We pay $5-$7 per square bale, delivered and stacked. Price, of course, depends on the harvest, time of the year, etc. We reserve ahead of time, but deliver and stack in late August, because our shed does not provide the best ventilation for hot/humid weather.
We only get cured hay, about 100 bales for the whole year. The majority of it is consumed between December and March. Once the pastures come back, we only feed hay at late night, because horses are kept in paddock overnight.
Our horses are easy keepers, we get quality hay, yet not too rich. Funny, one of the most important factors for us has been softness, because we have minis and they do better with softer hay.
Hay guy lives just down the road. Delivers 1300-1500 lbs rounds for $45 of lovely soft sprayed and fertilized “prairie grass” which is pretty much what it sounds like. The horses eat it like candy, I found two weeds once in the leftovers from one bale one time. Even without a net or a feeder, I’d say the herd only leaves about 30 lbs on the ground per bale when they are finished. He keeps premium 60 lb squares in stock, normally 2 nd cut or later, delivered and stacked for $7. Sometimes he’s got “imported” alfalfa in stock for, oh, about 14 a bale. Being able to find horse grade alfalfa at all around here is a big deal, since we are a blister beetle state and cattle country.
I’m in nowhere, oklahoma.
I have 2 horses…one is an easier keeping Appy, and the other is an 8yo OTTB. Gone are the days I could just buy 1st cutting Timothy and feed it all year 'round 24/7. The Tb takes a little more micromanaging to keep him at optimum weight. Come summertime, I’ll supplement their t/o with the 1st cutting timothy (when in their daytime stalls). When late fall rolls around, I’ll switch to 2nd cutting Timothy (and supplement with a bit of alfalfa when temps dip). During winter, it’s about 70% timothy, and 30% alfalfa - depending on the weather. This winter, I sure fed a lot more alfalfa than previous winters! I’m a fan of alfalfa, as I find it encourages them to drink more water, in addition to being easier to digest and higher in nutrients. I’m amazed how many people in my neck of the woods are actually scared to feed it! I’m paying $70 for really nice large square bales (900lbs), and $6 for nice 50lbs bales of alfalfa.
[blushes] what an incredibly kind thing to write! you made my day
I’m lucky that my friend turned me onto this way of thinking with hay. She showed me that in her travels, when she goes to a barn that has nice hay she always stops to ask about it, and if possible get the number of the source. She would take me around to visit different hay farmers, show me what to look for, etc. Over the years, I’ve done the same thing. Ask lots of questions, keep my ears and eyes open, always jump at the chance to visit a hay farmer, etc. So, as the years have worn on, I’ve put together my own little network. And each year I keep expanding.
Like I said though, its time consuming. Many nice days friends are riding or I wish I were driving, but I’m running around to hay farms instead, trailer in tow. But, in the winter doldrums like now, I love opening up each new bale. Smells like summer and I can remember the day I found the bale, put it up, etc. Takes me back to memories of warmer weather and happier days
Whats also nice about variety is I can tailor what I feed to the circumstances. I have two easy keepers. In the dead of winter, of course I’m over feeding hay - concerned about the cold, etc.
This year I was lucky enough to put up some lovely second cut orchard that was on the fringe of a straw field, so there is a lot of inedible matter. Gorgeous hay, but with all the straw peeking out, people didn’t want it, so farmer sold it for $2.50 a bale. Great for the winter. I can put heaps out, but knowing only about 70% is actually edible, so they’re not totally pigging out. The horses can stay entertained sifting through the straw for the green leaves. The pile of chopped straw that is left over in the morning makes for great addition to the bedding - which I’m going through at a rapid rate as the horses are spending more time in the shed than outside, so helps offset costs. Bonus, chopped straw is easy to muck and makes for great compost. Win. Win. Win.
We feed a mix of local hay (in Washington state) and timothy. We buy bales of each and they get half and half. At night they get beet pulp with a ration balancer.
[QUOTE=buck22;7459270]
[blushes] what an incredibly kind thing to write! you made my day
I’m lucky that my friend turned me onto this way of thinking with hay. She showed me that in her travels, when she goes to a barn that has nice hay she always stops to ask about it, and if possible get the number of the source. She would take me around to visit different hay farmers, show me what to look for, etc. Over the years, I’ve done the same thing. Ask lots of questions, keep my ears and eyes open, always jump at the chance to visit a hay farmer, etc. So, as the years have worn on, I’ve put together my own little network. And each year I keep expanding.
Like I said though, its time consuming. Many nice days friends are riding or I wish I were driving, but I’m running around to hay farms instead, trailer in tow. But, in the winter doldrums like now, I love opening up each new bale. Smells like summer and I can remember the day I found the bale, put it up, etc. Takes me back to memories of warmer weather and happier days
Whats also nice about variety is I can tailor what I feed to the circumstances. I have two easy keepers. In the dead of winter, of course I’m over feeding hay - concerned about the cold, etc.
This year I was lucky enough to put up some lovely second cut orchard that was on the fringe of a straw field, so there is a lot of inedible matter. Gorgeous hay, but with all the straw peeking out, people didn’t want it, so farmer sold it for $2.50 a bale. Great for the winter. I can put heaps out, but knowing only about 70% is actually edible, so they’re not totally pigging out. The horses can stay entertained sifting through the straw for the green leaves. The pile of chopped straw that is left over in the morning makes for great addition to the bedding - which I’m going through at a rapid rate as the horses are spending more time in the shed than outside, so helps offset costs. Bonus, chopped straw is easy to muck and makes for great compost. Win. Win. Win.[/QUOTE]
I wish I had the time for that as I agree feeding varying hays is a good thing.
I’m feeding Orchard grass. No grain. I cut, & bale the hay from my 10 acre field planted in Persist variety grass. Last year, I spent $500 on fertilizer, $100 on herbicides. Made 150 bales of first cut, let the field go the rest of the year. Horses eat every flake & blade of my hay.
After weather, machinery & labor …
I don’t see how any farmer makes money from hay.
I wish I could find hay at the prices you guys are posting. Due to storage issues, I end up buying hay a few bales at a time. We have two horses but one can only eat grass hay so we just get grass hay for both (they are on a dry lot most of the time) and feed the other some alfalfa cubes in his stall (when he’s locked in for an hour at “treat” time. In this neck of the woods, a bale of Bermuda from the feed store is $17.95. Hoping I can find other horse folks so we can buy in bulk and save money!
Alabama: 4 horses (3 easy keepers, one hard keeper)
Grain 2x daily. Free choice vitamin/mineral tub.
Hay only fed when grass is dormant (approx. 6 months yr) Have good enough pasture to keep them round when the grass is growing. Come on spring, I’m getting tired of toting hay…
We feed an alfalfa/orchard mix, hauled down from dad’s farm in Illinois. Pay roughly $3/bale because he loves the old mare. Started feeding a fescue/Bermuda grass mix in January; found a local supplier that has barn kept large rounds for $35/roll. We peel off portions to feed out (can’t do free choice since the old mare had a compaction colic and the fat qh just gets fatter). It’s working very well for the setup as the boss mare is the only hard keeper and I can put a few flakes of alfalfa on her pile of hay in the pasture.
I wish we had storage for the rounds because I would go that route in a heartbeat, but we are even limited on storage for the squares. Not having a real barn has it’s downsides at times.
I’m in Pennsylvania and I pay $3 for first cut and $4 for second, bales are about 80# of Orchard grass. I have several suppliers just in case but they are more expensive. My regular hay guy only sells to me and to one other person who feeds his neighbors mini. My only issues with his hay is that sometimes the twine isn’t tight , which makes stacking hard but the loose bales get fed first. I try not to feed alfalfa because my guys get hot on it, so when I do need to use it, I feed soaked pellets. I’m having my hay analyzed by my feed company and I’m hoping that it is nutritionally sufficient because I tend to overfeed hay. If someone doesn’t have it, they get more if they are in. I want them to have more hay than grain so I burn through a lot. Luckily my hay guy is right down the street! So I buy 40 bales at a time, which is all I can store in winter since the brush hoghas taken up valuable hay space but when I get low, like now I just go get what I feel like stacking and leave him $$ and send him a hey I was here text.
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