rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

More hay coming in soon.

 

[Mini Horses]

That's some pretty hay! . Wish it was close my way.

 

[Ridgetop]

Anyone have any tips?

Don't set your tank on concrete. For some reason I was told that it will bleed off the nitrogen??? Anyway, just set the tank on a couple boards. Check your tank every week. I lost a whole tank full of straws when our tank failed, including some valuable Lucky Star semen. I wasn't happy about losing the semen from our own bucks, but the Lucky Star buck was a 3 *** milk buck, a terrific udder producer, and was dead so no replacement semen.

 

[rachels.haven]

Don't set your tank on concrete. For some reason I was told that it will bleed off the nitrogen??? Anyway, just set the tank on a couple boards. Check your tank every week. I lost a whole tank full of straws when our tank failed, including some valuable Lucky Star semen. I wasn't happy about losing the semen from our own bucks, but the Lucky Star buck was a 3 *** milk buck, a terrific udder producer, and was dead so no replacement semen.

I'm so sorry. That sounds devastating. Yeah, I've heard something similar. I have ours up on a couple of plastic pallets. Nothing metal on concrete allowed if I can help it.

 

[Ridgetop]

It was at the time, that's for sure.

 

[rachels.haven]

That's some pretty hay! . Wish it was close my way.

Thanks. This time I got to get some of the nice stuff. I'm hoping the next stuff will be similarly nice and they'll do well on it body condition, parasites, and milk test.

 

[Baymule]

That looks like alfalfa hay. How much is it in your area? Here for approximately a hundred pound bale, it’s around $34 and going up. I just buy a few at a time at the feed store, for treats.

 

[SageHill]

WOAH @Baymule $34 a bale?? What the heck - have you moved to CA??? My last load was $27 a bale (the previous guy I was getting it from was $32). Half way though that load - hoping it won't be in the 30s on the next load at $27 I thought I was getting a steal.

 

[rachels.haven]

That looks like alfalfa hay. How much is it in your area? Here for approximately a hundred pound bale, it’s around $34 and going up. I just buy a few at a time at the feed store, for treats.

It's alfalfa. This is the expensive hay and it was $14.50/50 lbs bale. The remaining 300 will be $8.50/bale from someone else. The bales from the cheaper supplier last year were only about 35-40 lbs though and I suspect it will be the same, so the hay is still fairly expensive. I'll be getting some round bales of alfalfa/crab from the cheaper source and they WILL be more reasonably priced and if I can devise a round bale feeder, much lower maintenance for me while feeding dry does and bucks. I just gotta roll my rounds, lol.

This year the hay producer I usually use that delivers and brings a skid steer to unload didn't have the alfalfa I needed and seeded most of their fields with orchard-I assume the fields are aging and they want to hit the horse market harder in the future and they probably won't have hay for me next year, so I'm testing out producers. The expensive producer has nice hay and heavy bales but is farther away and the less expensive producer one has lighter bales but might actually have nicer hay than the expensive one AND does cheaper round bales and is a little closer and helps more with stacking so...I get to use both of their hays and stew for next year. Chances are I'll use both again next year so in case one drops out again I'll still be okay and not scrambling like this year.

Expensive hay makes me grateful I sowed my field with high protein stuff and I don't really have to feed much hay to keep them good looking. But the nice hay means they eat less, waste less, and bounce back from stuff quicker in the winter though so I guess when I can get nice hay I will, and when I can't we will probably still be fine. (except for maybe the saanens. They seem to be more cut out for a dry lot, rich food provided kind of existence and someday I may let them go for that after I've gotten enough minis from them.)

 

[Baymule]

I run into sheep breeders who claim their sheep don’t get any grain, only hay. Hay to me is grass hay, and even the best will fall a little short of nutrients and protein. Then I find out they mean alfalfa, which is a complete feed. In Texas and other southern states, there are blister beetles in the alfalfa. Blister beetles cause death in horses, so I’ve never been too enthusiastic about alfalfa unless I know where it came from. Not to mention the cost. So I feed unlimited grass hay and feed. Either way, it is costly.