Why is hay rolled, instead of baled

[demosincebirth]

In CAlifonia I always see hay that is baled. Other states I see it rolled. What is the difference?

[MercutioATC]

1. The difference is the baler. Here in Ohio, it's done both ways.

Generally, the bales weigh 50-70 pounds depending on water content, size and how tightly they're bound. Rolls usually are in the 1000-1200 pound range and are moved by machinery.

There are differences in feeding systems which make one or the other preferable, too.

[ewagner]

2. You're right

the feeding system makes the determination......the more automated, the more likely it will be the big round bales.

[MnFats]

3. yep. farmer's choice....

how long the farmer plans to store it, and where, also come into play.
baling hay by the way is goddamn hard work, especially when it's hot.

and hey, cover the damn power takeoff from the tractor so the auger doesn't eat your feet or hands.

[MercutioATC]

6. I grew up on a dairy farm. Baling is HOT work.

...especially if you're stacking it in the loft. 120-130 degrees up there on a hot day...NOT fun.

[MuseRider]

9. Especially

since it is not good to do it unless you have on long sleeves, gloves and long pants! I hate haying time, HATE IT! But, it has to be done and always during the hottest part of the summer. I much prefer getting truckloads in the winter after my stored hay is used up. Even then it is an awful experience.

[havocmom]

7. Also, for sale to people with a house or two, square bales easier

If a rancher has a whole lotta cows to feed, the big rolled bales are more time efficient.

[Lefty48197]

4. big batches vs. small batches

.

[laruemtt]

5. you've never heard of

having a bale in the hay, have you....

[MuseRider]

8. Here in Kansas

they are done both ways. Most people with horses prefer the small bales. They can be stored easier because you have to protect them from moisture so they do not spoil. Horses will not eat spoiled hay or if they do they can become ill. Cows, on the other hand can and do eat anything. Big, rolled bales sit out in the weather and can last a long time depending on how large your herd is. I feed a combination to my horses in the winter. When it gets really cold they need lots of fiber to stay warm. My small bales are brome and too rich to feed so much. I have a farmer friend who round bales much of my pastures and he stores some big bales for horse people out of the weather and we suppliment with that since it is usually praire hay, less rich. I do not have much experience with alfalfa but the little I have used leads me to think it would not round bale well and blister beetle might be a problem in bigger bales. That I am not certain about.

[demosincebirth]

10. Thanks fellas...and ladies

[Scout]

11. Those aren't rolls of hay...

they're cow cocoons, silly!
:silly:

[Robb]

12. I'm that guy

The one you're driving with, and I go "Hay!" and point. You look, and it's a truck full of hay. You roll your eyes. Ten minutes later I do it again, and you look again. :D

[DancingBear]

13. You can tell who gets the hay by how it is baled - usually

Cows get the big rolled hay - it lasts forever, and they eat it all winter. Spoilage is not an issue.

Horses can't eat spoiled hay (I don't know why - I just know they can't) so they get smaller baled hay, which obviously is eaten quicker.

In Virginia, haying gets done twice - once in the spring, once in the fall.

[MuseRider]

14. Would you mind

telling me what kind of grass you can hay in spring and fall?

[DancingBear]

15. Whatever is in the 20 acres below my house!

Mark The Cow Guy literally just left here after cutting the acreage (he would have come two weeks ago, but we had poor weather). The hay is sitting rolled in the fields as we speak. He'll be back probably early September to do it again. In the interim, it will be bush-hogged at least a couple of times.

Now, if we could only figure out this cow thing... :)

[MrsMatt]

17. We never had horses

but we had a small dairy herd and we only had bales (in fact I never knew there was any other kind until we visited South Dakota, as all the dairy farms I saw growing up all used bales for their cattle). Maybe it's a regional and a farm size thing?

[Wcross]

16. ROUND BALES ARE OUTLAWED IN TENNESSEE!

It seems the animals had a hard time getting a square meal.

[soothsayer]

18. This winter, the round bale rolled down the hill and into the pond

cuz the cows knocked it around while eating it. It's still there!