Okay, I've just about quit selling hay!

[Happy Gilmore]

Oh, the hay business, isn't it fun? Until I get the rest of the fields up to snuff, I have 3 loyal customers who pick up small squares off the field. They're always looking for more. They are there when they say they'll be and take what they speak for.

 

[aczlan]

Because all too many horse owners haven't a clue themselves as to what constitutes 'horse hay'. If hay producers only had to keep the horses happy & healthy, being in the horse hay business would be a lot more enjoyable and profitable.

Yep. We bale for our own critters and the extra we sell. It generally goes to a friend who raises sheep (and needs good hay for the pregnant/nursing sheep) or "horse people". We moisture test it and anything that is iffy stays on the property
From what I have seen with our Goats/Llamas, they will eat junk hay, but half of it ends up on the ground as they pick through it and get the good stuff out of it.
For those who think cows only need junk hay, if they are diary cattle that are producing milk, they need good hay unless it is just being used for filler in TMR (Total Mixed Ration, silage+grain+vitamins with hay or straw as a filler, all chopped up and mixed together).

Aaron Z

 

[aginn]

I want to be a fly on the wall when one of the "flake sellers" is selling to a "flake buyer". It should be an entertaining show.

Fortunately for me, when we had horses our neighbor supplied us for free. All I did was take care of 15 acres of overgrown blackberries that they wanted knocked down. I no longer have the horses, but I am still helping keep their ground clear of the encroaching blackberries and brush that constantly comes back. But I enjoy it and they are great people. There has never been a thought of money being exchanged between us. I no longer need anything but the pleasure of helping someone out, from them.

After reading all these posts, I feel extremely fortunate.

 

[EddieWalker]

Great information from both sides of the issue. We are just getting into horses and have started searching for a source of hay. For now we will only be buying square bales since that's all we will be able to store. We don't know how many we will need or how much room we will have for storage, but we'll figure that out quickly enough.

For now, we are reading ads on Craigslist and hoping to find somebody close to us. Prices seem to range from $6 to $9 depending on things like picking it up in the field to them loading it for us and how many bales we buy.

Obviously we want horse quality hay. How do we know if that's what we are getting? Heat is something that I'm not familiar with when dealing with hay. How do I know if it's safe to store inside a storage building? What does moisture content mean? What about rained on or never rained on? I'm guessing the dryer it is the better? How do I know if it's dry when I go to pick it up?

I'm in East Texas and from what I've read and heard, Coastal Bermuda seems to be the preferred hay for horses. Bahia is another local grass, but it's full of stalks and not what we want. Can you look at a bale and see if there are weeds in it?

Or does it come down to buying it and seeing how the animals like it and what's inside the bale after you break it open?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[Walkin Horse]

I still think a tee shirt with I Get My Hay From A Flake would be good. I get ads on FB for a place called TSpring. You design it and if they get at least 50 orders they will print it.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[Soundguy]

the stalks in bahia aren't a deal killer. it just slows down the horse eating. linda like mixing timothy into alfalfa. Bahia is a darker color.. some people equate that with old. however, for instance.. here in florida.. the average pasture is bahia, and that's what horses are eating green. not a problem to feed it to them dry and round or square. They will USUALLY prefer coastal bermuda or tifton to bahia if given the choice. Some people go with rectangular compressed alfalfa or orchard grass, depending on price.

big stalks and stems the size of your finger will be weeds and you might find them in round bales, especially the bales on the margins. some people also grow bahia strips in to demark areas, so when you get to a brown streak of hay, it's a barrier strip. etc.

when it comes to a horse. it pretty much depends on 2 things.

1, what he 'prefers' to eat.

and

2, how hungry he is.

Great information from both sides of the issue. We are just getting into horses and have started searching for a source of hay. For now we will only be buying square bales since that's all we will be able to store. We don't know how many we will need or how much room we will have for storage, but we'll figure that out quickly enough.

For now, we are reading ads on Craigslist and hoping to find somebody close to us. Prices seem to range from $6 to $9 depending on things like picking it up in the field to them loading it for us and how many bales we buy.

Obviously we want horse quality hay. How do we know if that's what we are getting? Heat is something that I'm not familiar with when dealing with hay. How do I know if it's safe to store inside a storage building? What does moisture content mean? What about rained on or never rained on? I'm guessing the dryer it is the better? How do I know if it's dry when I go to pick it up?

I'm in East Texas and from what I've read and heard, Coastal Bermuda seems to be the preferred hay for horses. Bahia is another local grass, but it's full of stalks and not what we want. Can you look at a bale and see if there are weeds in it?

Or does it come down to buying it and seeing how the animals like it and what's inside the bale after you break it open?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[Soundguy]

the stalks in bahia aren't a deal killer. it just slows down the horse eating. linda like mixing timothy into alfalfa. Bahia is a darker color.. some people equate that with old. however, for instance.. here in florida.. the average pasture is bahia, and that's what horses are eating green. not a problem to feed it to them dry and round or square. They will USUALLY prefer coastal bermuda or tifton to bahia if given the choice. Some people go with rectangular compressed alfalfa or orchard grass, depending on price.

big stalks and stems the size of your finger will be weeds and you might find them in round bales, especially the bales on the margins. some people also grow bahia strips in to demark areas, so when you get to a brown streak of hay, it's a barrier strip. etc.

when it comes to a horse. it pretty much depends on 2 things.

1, what he 'prefers' to eat.

and

2, how hungry he is.

Great information from both sides of the issue. We are just getting into horses and have started searching for a source of hay. For now we will only be buying square bales since that's all we will be able to store. We don't know how many we will need or how much room we will have for storage, but we'll figure that out quickly enough.

For now, we are reading ads on Craigslist and hoping to find somebody close to us. Prices seem to range from $6 to $9 depending on things like picking it up in the field to them loading it for us and how many bales we buy.

Obviously we want horse quality hay. How do we know if that's what we are getting? Heat is something that I'm not familiar with when dealing with hay. How do I know if it's safe to store inside a storage building? What does moisture content mean? What about rained on or never rained on? I'm guessing the dryer it is the better? How do I know if it's dry when I go to pick it up?

I'm in East Texas and from what I've read and heard, Coastal Bermuda seems to be the preferred hay for horses. Bahia is another local grass, but it's full of stalks and not what we want. Can you look at a bale and see if there are weeds in it?

Or does it come down to buying it and seeing how the animals like it and what's inside the bale after you break it open?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[Walkin Horse]

Is Bahia anything like Johnson grass or Sudan. Sometimes we will get that in a bale and it's stemmy

 

[sixdogs]

Eddie--If hay is going to spontaneously combust, it does it on a given number of days after baling. I can't remember the days but maybe it's 11. Others will know. There is also a specific internal bale temp to watch for but I can't remember that either. If no one knows, I'll get the answer. Hay will heat a little after it's baled but that's no big deal.

The way to take a temperature is with a long soil thermometer, probably 12" or so. These are inexpensive at a hardware store and will reach to the center of a bale.

If I was going to buy hay out of the field I would bring someone with you that knows hay. Make arrangements with the farmer, tell him that you are an honorable person and say you will show up BEFORE he starts baling. That is a test of character he will appreciate.

Hoses need mold free hay or can develop respiratory problems so the hay cannot be rained on and needs to be baled at the correct time. I don't know southern hay but northern timothy or alfalfa hay is green in color and smells good enough to eat.

Find a farmer with good ground that knows how to fertilize it and has reliable hay equipment.

 

[aczlan]

Or does it come down to buying it and seeing how the animals like it and what's inside the bale after you break it open?

With a new buyer we will often do that. Sell them 1-3 bales and they see if their critters like them before they buy a truckload.

Aaron Z