Curious, what does a bale of good hay cost you?

[Beekissed]

Good, second cut hay with leafy alfalfa included is generally $4-$4.50 a bale here. I can get coarser, stemmier first cut from $1.50-$2.50 a bale.

 

[KinderKorner]

It's $2-$4 for normal good grass hay.

$2.50-$4 for nice alfalfa. These bales for 50-100 pounds depending where you buy them

I just got over 100 bales of good grass hay for $2 a bale. And I got 50 alfalfa good bales for $3. And I also got our field cut and got round bales for $15 each.

I know it's cheap here compared to the rest of the country. But it still seems expensive to me when we go through so much.

I couldn't imagine spending $15 on a square bale. There would be no way to afford the 3 horses, and 20 goats I have.

 

[cmjust0]

I just paid $3.50/bale for really nice grass hay Saturday.. It's lots of timothy and clover with some orchardgrass, bluegrass, fescue, etc..

Also bought a round bale for my bucks.. Same hay as the squares, so it's good stuff, and they're good and tight and he stores them inside...which is nice, not only for quality, but for transport! Dry round bales are much, much lighter than wet ones...we actually put a 5'x5' round bale in the back of a full size 1/2-ton pickup and I was able to flip it out by myself. Only cost me $25, too, which is pretty dadgum cheap..

The bucks are enjoying it.

 

[tommboy1973]

Wow, I'm jealous too. I'm in AZ and Bermuda hay is $8-10 a 100# bale and alfalfa a bit cheaper at $6-8 for horse quality. Last year prices were much higher so I was feeling lucky until I read this LOL!!!

 

[jodief100]

I paid $1.50 a bale for decent mixed grass. Lots of timothy, little brome, orchard and I am not sure what. It was harvested last week and we haven't had rain in three weeks so I know it is dry.

The kicker was we had to get it out of the field....... So 1 1/2 hours driving my truck in 1st gear around his steep sloped hay field, dragging bales over to the trailer and tossing them on. Darling Hubby took the brunt of it, I drove.

It isn't the greatest hay and I would prefer something higher in protien. I figured paying $150 for 100 bales I could buy about 25 bales of straight alfalfa, suppliment and still come out ahead. Alfalfa is running $4.50-$5.00 a bale. Mixed grass in the $2.50-$3.00.

Nicest part, it was 4 miles down the county road so I got all 100 bales in one trip.

 

[Hollywood Goats]

Wow, I'm jealous too. I'm in AZ and Bermuda hay is $8-10 a 100# bale and alfalfa a bit cheaper at $6-8 for horse quality. Last year prices were much higher so I was feeling lucky until I read this LOL!!!

Me too!! I pay $10.00 for the Bermuda hay! and that is the cheap one the timothy is $15.00 a bale!

 

[sammileah]

ok i'll stop complaining. good "horse" hay is going $8.00 at sale barns. i got weedy alfalfa for $4 a 50-60lb bale. which is good price this yr. If i would have got 1st cutting i could have gotten cheaper. but central ia has had a lot of rain so prices are way up.

 

[Ariel301]

Wow, I'm jealous too. I'm in AZ and Bermuda hay is $8-10 a 100# bale and alfalfa a bit cheaper at $6-8 for horse quality. Last year prices were much higher so I was feeling lucky until I read this LOL!!!

I've noticed too that at least at the feed stores here, grass hay is more expensive than alfalfa, but in Colorado, it was the other way around. Weird.

 

[ThornyRidge]

I guess I am totally gonna stop complaining about hay.. all I know is if I had the land and equipment I would totally make my own hay.. I am way too particular sometimes and would have my own special blend for my spoiled rotten goats too! and then man I would ship some out west and undercut those seemingly ridiculous prices.. man alive I figured in some parts of the west there would be ample areas to make hay (with exception of AZ, NM and parts of desert west) but geesh do they put gold flakes in those bales.. heck people around here advertise round bales stored inside for around 15-20 bucks! It seemed only a couple years ago I was getting 2nd and 3rd cut alfalfa with some grass mixed in for only 2 bucks a bale! ONe of the farmers I deal with that makes really good hay ships semi's of it east- like to New York.. I may suggest sending some west!

 

[michickenwrangler]

You can buy hay here in Michigan for anywhere from $1.50 a bale to $5.00 a bale depending on where and quality. Most hay around here goes for $1.50-$3.

However, MI hay is notoriously low in selenium and copper (but very rich in calcium and iron)

A number of farmers around here sell hay in AZ and FL