# Hay - Round Bale or "square" flakes



## elevan (Dec 23, 2010)

Which do you prefer and why?


----------



## Renegade (Dec 23, 2010)

We feed horse quality round bales to our brood does. We have a large shed to put them under cover so they stay dry. For our show goats we use square bales so we can limit the amount they get. 

Donna Finley
Finley Boers


----------



## ksalvagno (Dec 23, 2010)

We use square bales because we have nowhere to store round bales and no way of moving them.


----------



## warthog (Dec 23, 2010)

We use square bales, because that's all we can get here


----------



## elevan (Dec 23, 2010)

I don't have anywhere to store an abundance of round bales but I am thinking of getting a couple...  just wanted to know what people think of them versus the squares.


----------



## rebelINny (Dec 23, 2010)

We do a little of both. Mostly we feed out square bales but occasionally we will drop in a round bale if they have been covered. Never any sitting out and getting musty and wet.


----------



## Beekissed (Dec 23, 2010)

Square bales are easier for me to haul, store and feed.


----------



## Roll farms (Dec 23, 2010)

I've read of 2 people losing goats to tipped over bales (on other forums).

One lady thought her goat had been stolen....found it under the bale a while later. 

Of course, if you make sure it's flat, and if it was wrapped w/ cattle panel or the like (or put in a bale feeder) that wouldn't happen.

I can handle an 80# bale by myself, and 8 mos of the year I don't get any help....moving round bales in and out of gates w/out the goats escaping would be a bit of a challenge.

It would also help prevent so much waste, which is another reason why we don't use round bales...They worked fine here for horses / steers...not so well for goats.  We always ended up w/ a big pile of uneaten / poop / pee-filled waste hay.


----------



## elevan (Dec 23, 2010)

Wow...I hadn't even thought of the danger that a round bale could pose to the goats...

I had hoped that a round bale would result in less waste and not more from goats.  But I guess it makes sense that I would be wrong in that assumption.

Thanks for the input Roll Farms.


----------



## Roll farms (Dec 24, 2010)

I have heard of people having success w/ it, by pulling the hay out and filling feeders by hand.  I have a friend in MI who does that.

I don't have a dry place to store a round bale close to my feeders...and watching her, it looks like a lot more work than flipping a flake or two out of a square bale and spreading it out.

Some folks don't mind a pile of leftover hay when the goats are done w/ it....I just see $ lying there.  If you grew your own, it might be easier to tolerate.

BUT...as always....do what works for you / your farm.


----------



## ksj0225 (Dec 24, 2010)

"by pulling the hay out and filling feeders by hand"

That is what we do.  We have a huge horse barn with no horses!!!

We use the "waste" as bedding for the rabbits, chickens, etc..

But the bales are sitting on concrete, so it's not really dirty...

Here square bales are 4-6 bucks and rounds are about 25 bucks.


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Dec 24, 2010)

I used to feed large round bales. I'd just set it on end and unwrap it with a pitchfork and fork it into feeders.  It worked pretty well, but now I feed small square bales because it's just more convenient.


----------



## elevan (Dec 24, 2010)

Thanks for the input.  It sounds like for me the round bales would be more work.


----------

