# How much hay?



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We usually put out round bales in the winter and let the horses eat free choice, but this year we ended up not getting round bales and having to feed sq. bales. We have 6 horses ranging from 800 pounds to 1100 pounds approx. The hay is good quality grass bales that weigh about 60 pounds each. Now I know there's a lot that goes into how much hay a horse should get, but I need a good starting point. About how many bales should we be throwing out per day for all of them? They also get grained every day as well.


----------



## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Horses generally need between 2-2.5% of their body weight per day in feed. So the average horse at 1000# will generally need 20-25# per day. That's the general rule of thumb.

Hays that are more mature (you can see seed heads or blossoms) needs to be fed in higher amounts, depending on how fibrous the hay is. First cutting is a bit more fibrous too (more stems in relation to digestible leaves) and needs to be fed in slightly higher amounts. Also, the cooler the weather (getting below 30F or so) means you need to increase the ration. You go less for easier keepers, and more for harder keepers.

Most grass hays deliver 800-900 calories per pound when cut at the prime time. It falls off hard to 700 or less when it blooms or goes to seed, and much of the digestible (for horses, anyhow) cellulose and hemi-cellulose changes to lignin. That goes right on through. In contrast, alfalfas and other legumes run about 1100 calories per pound and can make a good feed for horses if it's put up correctly so that it doesn't mould. Mixing the two is usually best, as the calcium content of alfalfa is pretty high, and can be a problem for growing stock. There is no truth to the myth that alfalfa is hard on a horse's kidneys. Only horses who already have compromised kidneys will have issues. They will drink more, in order to process the higher nitrogen content. Some people don't like that because it means wetter stalls.

Grains are also added into the formula. If you feed, say, three pounds of oats at 1400 calories a pound, you can see that you can work that into your 20-25# of total feed, and feed less hay. Or if you have a hard keeper it may be what you need to do to keep it in good flesh. You can also add fats to the rations of certain individuals if you see them dropping weight in group feeding situations.

You'll probably use about 5-5.5 bales a day, if it's good quality and truly 60# bales. Otherwise, you'll probably use about six per day. Make sure you put it in lots of little piles so that everybody has access.


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

In Montana, we fed mostly alfalfa, which is higher in nutritional value than grass hay, did not grain and to buy our winter supply of hay we figured roughly 30 to 40# per horse per day. We usually had hay left over, but this allowed for differences in size, hard keepers/ easy keepers, some loss from wet/mold and as we fed in the pastures on the ground, some wastage as well where they walked over it.


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

I think I seriously want to go back to round bales.  It's easier. Just wish I could find someone close. We usually get bales off this pasture, but my husband's father sold it all without asking us if we needed any and so we're stuck with sq. bales and at $4 a bale, this is going to cost us a fortune. Round bales are only going for $35 a bale for same quality hay.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I feed free choice mid to high quality mixed grass hay and very little grain to two mares, a Hanoverian Sport Horse that weighs 1250 and a TB that weighs 1100, both of which are out-of-work broodmares, ie. pretty pasture ornaments. I'm feeding two 45-50 lb bales a day without much waste, so if you don't feed a lot of grain you really need to increase the amount of hay fed. Unless a horse is in work or has other demands that need calories, most don't need grain. I feed a high fat grain (3 quarts a day) to the TB because she tends to lose condition on hay alone in the winter, the other mare gets a handful at each feeding.

It's important to make sure your horses are drinking water in the winter because of increased hay consumption as the dry hay can cause an impaction.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

I am feeding 1 60# bale per day to my 2 pasture ornaments. One is a very hard keeper: a 28 yr old TB mare, and the other a very easy keeper: a 6 yr old Mustang pony. The two goats also nibble at what is out there, and there is always just a bit left over, so I know they aren't hungry or not getting enough.

However, I am in Florida, so they are not using the hay the way they would be using it for warmth up north. I would be willing to bet I would be feeding TWO 60# bales per day were we in sub-freezing temps daily.....


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I feed 3/4 of a #60 (approx) a day to 2 easy keepers. I'm in South Dakota with brutal winter weather.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

A lot depends on what type of hay you're feeding, my mixed grass is mostly timothy, and I'd never feed that much alfalfa (or any legume) even to a horse in heavy work.


----------



## malinda (May 12, 2002)

In the dead of winter (December through February) I usually feed one bale of grass hay per horse per day, spread out over 2-3 feedings. None of my horses are air ferns, so I never worry about any of them having too much hay. They also get varying amounts of grain, depending on their condition, and how much they are working. I don't like feeding round bales to horses, especially easy keepers. When I did have round bales, the hay was stored in the barn, and every feeding I forked off the amount I wanted to feed. Less waste, I could pick out anything I didn't want the horses eating, and they hay was kept dry inside the barn.


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Irish Pixie said:


> A lot depends on what type of hay you're feeding, my mixed grass is mostly timothy, and I'd never feed that much alfalfa (or any legume) even to a horse in heavy work.


I know all the horse people keep saying this, that it can cause problems. But 90% of the time alfalfa or alfalfa/grass mix hay is all you can get in Montana and Wyoming. There, you get one cutting of grass and you can get two, sometimes even three cuttings of alfalfa, so everyone that grows hay grows alfalfa.

That's what we had at the ranch and that's pretty much all we could buy unless it was shipped in from somewhere. So we fed horses alfalfa hay from the time I was growing up on the ranch until I moved to KY 10 years ago, close to 60 years. I absolutely never saw a horse with any problems that could be attributed to alfalfa hay. We didn't feed them 'free choice' because we didn't have the big round bales, but I know they were getting somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 a bale (small square, probably averaged 60# per bale most of the time) a day.

Maybe I have just been lucky, but I've fed alfalfa to a lot of horses over a lot of years and never seen any issues.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I fed Alfalfa to my Arabs way back when, never had a problem with it. 
But with the Andy's I worked with, every once in awhile one ended up with what is called a Horse Pearl and had to be taken out by a Vet. Vet said it was caused by a pure Alfalfa diet.

My Icelandic's .... lets just say they can't have Alfalfa for a number of reasons. 
They get either the hay we get off the farm or I buy Orchard Grass hay. 
Dyfra gets 2 flakes of the grass hay bales that are 65lbs twice a day. One of those bales will last 4 days.

The other horses in a different pasture are getting the 110lb 3 string bales of Orchard grass hay and depending on how the flakes are peeling off, they get from 2 to 4 flakes twice a day. For two Icelandic's and one miniature. One bale lasts a week.
Plus their vitamins.
Lets just say they are very easy keepers.

If the weather gets really cold, I do feed them grass hay pellets for something a little extra. Or the ones that can go out in the main pasture... get to eat all day.

I have been feeding horses for so long, I can tell how much the flakes weigh by just handling them.

But for folks not used to feeding baled hay, I recommend getting a hanging scale. They don't cost much and it helps tremendously.


----------



## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I have been getting round bales so that they can eat as much as they want whenever they need, and I love it! I hate feeding grain, and the old arab is really maintaining his weight and walks away from me when I approach him with his blanket.

WHen they destroy the round bale, I give an entire square bale per day. It is good green hay. Square bale divided into about 6 piles so they can wander between them. I give it as the sun is setting so they munch on it all night. They eat every stalk of the hay I throw, and I feel good knowing Buddy is getting what he needs, even if it seems overkill. Our average winter temps, 32-35 during the day, nights from teens to high twenties.

I also toss them a few flakes of the green stuff even when they are eating on the round bale, they prefer the green hay to the round baled stuff.

It all depends on the horses, really. If not for Buddy, I would only be tossing a half a bale per day.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I've never had the problem as I've never fed alfalfa but as Bergere said alfalfa can cause enteroliths (horse pearls) I've never had a horse that actually needed legumes to stay in condition.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I go with what my veterinarian says about alfalfa. Alfalfa is for cows. Grass is for horses. So a nice good grass hay is what have always used.
Unless while in AZ. I had to feed Alfalfa as that is what we got, and it was so high in protein that my Shetland pony foundered on it. Yes that is correct, as he hardly ever got any grain, but that hay did it, both front coffin bones had rotated. 
Directly caused by the high protein in Alfalfa that is grown in the Southwest. as high as 28% protein too, as we had several bales checked. Most charts just go up to 18% but this rich, high in protein Alfalfa that is grown specifically for the dairy farms in the Southwest, are that high in protein. I am have to get a Alfalfa Mixed bales, but not never will I feed a straight alfalfa hay again.


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

arabian knight said:


> I go with what my veterinarian says about alfalfa. Alfalfa is for cows. Grass is for horses. So a nice good grass hay is what have always used.
> Unless while in AZ. I had to feed Alfalfa as that is what we got, and it was so high in protein that my Shetland pony foundered on it. Yes that is correct, as he hardly ever got any grain, but that hay did it, both front coffin bones had rotated.


I can certainly understand why you would not want to feed it and I can also see that ponies might have a problem with it. Personal experience is certainly something you tend to react to. 

But the vet I had for years in Montana was a horse breeder himself and fed the same hay I did ... my cousin had a Shetland pony that was fed like all of the other horses ... I have had a number of Connemara ponies that have been fed alfalfa like all my other horses, with no ill effects.

I will say that I preferred to feed first cutting alfalfa, which was not as leafy and was stemmier ... and it was the first cutting that was mixed with grass if there was grass in the hayfield.


----------



## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Where I've lived here in Arizona, I've never seen the big round bales here. Rectangular bales weigh about 130 pounds.

I've fed the same way since day one with livestock. Free choice Bermuda, either hay or an all Bermuda pellet. (Nothing else in them.) Along with free choice DE. I've never fed grain. All ages, foals to oldsters.

Plenty of energy for the tough mountain riding we do and anything else we do. No vet bills. It works here.


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We don't have much alfalfa where we're at. If we want it, we usually have to drive about 70 miles to get it. Around here it's all prairie hay or brome/fescue mix which is what we're feeding right now. I prefer round bales as they're cheaper to get around here and I don't have to worry about someone not getting enough. I figure if we had to feed 5 bales a day between the 6, that's $600 a month. On round bales, they go through about 2 bales a week. At $35 a bale, that's $280. Huge cost difference. If I could just find some round bales. Sigh We're limited to how far we can drive and I can only haul 2 at a time with my trailer.


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Yay!! I found some round bales close enough that I can haul.  I feel much better about that.


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Oh, good. That really does help. We've fed the big round bales now for several years, though we unwind the bales and feed the hay loose.


----------



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Round bale lover here too!


----------



## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I like the round bales too. I only buy bales that have been barn stored and when they hit my feeder they are draped with a tarp and the ends left open. I have been thrilled:>)
and 1 bale($25.00) lasts my 3 horses about 2 to 2 1/2weeks. $50 a month to hay 3 horses..Its the only way I could keep them


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

lamoncha lover said:


> I like the round bales too. I only buy bales that have been barn stored and when they hit my feeder they are draped with a tarp and the ends left open. I have been thrilled:>)
> and 1 bale($25.00) lasts my 3 horses about 2 to 2 1/2weeks. $50 a month to hay 3 horses..Its the only way I could keep them


Wow. Our 6 will go through 2 round bales a week I'm pretty sure.


----------



## horsepoor21 (Mar 14, 2007)

Wow , one 1400 lb round bale feeds 5 horses and 3 cows a week for us ! But they do still have pasture , if they can dig thru the snow to get to it .

ETA > Oh , and that's alfalfa/grass mix . Sharon is right , pretty much all alfalfa up here !


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

When I lived in Texas, the round bales WERE almost 1400 lbs each!! They would feed my 6 broodmares for a week! But these little tiny 400-500 lb suckers here in Florida are almost not worth me hauling them home, opening the gate, dropping them off, driving out, etc, etc,....


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

ANds in Iowa the rounds bales are close to 1800 Pounds. 400 to 500 lbs? I have never seen such small round bales as that. Even around here they are at least 1500 pounds.


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Hay is very expensive here and not usually as good as I'd want. If I buy in bulk, a 120 lb bale is about $16 this year. My two retired girls (about 900 lbs each,) get 5 lbs of grass hay per feeding each on warm days and 6 lbs per feeding on cold. I feed two times a day. But I almost always feed them seperately in boxes to avoid wastage. They also get two daily feeding of a cup of alfalfa pellets and 1/2 cup of whole oats. 
And they both are too fat. Always have been even when working a lot. I've been doing this with one of them for 16 years and the other for about 8. The trick to keeping them on an even keel is to weigh the hay each feeding- it is amazing how much a flake of hay even from the same bale can vary.


----------



## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

During winter I try to keep it as simple as possible 1 round of grass hay for 5 goats and 2 horse/ponies lasts almost 3 weeks, 3 large flakes = about half a bale of brome mix with breakfast grains which is a mix of 16% easykeeper, alfalfa pellets, and beat pellets. My 2 and the goats eat the same grain. I grain in large part because the 2 horses were on the skinny side when I got them and shelly is pregnant and 3 goats are expecting. Since all are together in pasture they share everything. I love the round bales, though for me they are a pain to go get and then roll off but its worth it, and saves me quit a bit in cash on squares.
What I love most is that I cant see a rib, hip or backbone sticking out anymore.


----------

