# Hay bale volume comparisons



## moopups (May 12, 2002)

Assuming that they are both pack to the same density, how many square bales equal a round bale 4 feet long and 5.5 feet in diameter?


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Area of circle = pII x raduis squared. 3.1416 x 2.75 squared = number of cubic feet in circle 1 foot thick. Multiply by 4 to get cubic feet in bale.

What are the dimensions of the square bales??


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## moopups (May 12, 2002)

Didn't measure, assuming 24 W by 48 L and 16 H. Was a carpenter a long time ago so I am familiar with size estimations.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

16x18x36ish and 14x18x36ish are the two common sizes of small square bale if my brain is benefiting from the cold medication, I took. They could be longer easily, or even shorter. Do not assume the same density between bales, it can be very different. A 4x5.5 round bale of mixed grass/legume hay should weigh in around 1200-1600lbs but that can vary because you can set the desity on a round baler too, not to mention there are solid core bales and soft core bales of that size. Different moisture content will make a diff too. The average square bale is 45-60 lbs, so say 50 lbs, or about 28 square bales in your round bale @1400lbs.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Ross has the typical square bale mesurements. Length is easily adjustable, tho I don't ever see 4 foot long bales.....

Typically there are 20-30 square bales per 5x6 round bale.

That's as close as a person can get. Sorry I don't know smaller balers.

The density is _not_ the same, and different (newer) round balers make much different density bales, depending on how good the springs/ hyd are at tentioning the bales, and how slow (tighter) or fast one drives while baling. The round bales can be quite packed.

--->Paul


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## hrslvrtrailridr (Jan 9, 2007)

Round bails can weigh anywhere from 800-1200# in the the size you mentioned...depending on how dense the bail is and how much moisture is in it. So then, 10-120# squares would equal a large round.
The farmer should know an aprox weight on his rounds. Then you would need to know the average weight of your squares. Pound per pound round bail hay usually runs about 5-10 cents cheaper...if thats what you are looking for here. Rounds need equipment or multiple people to move. Squares, just one person can manage. You get more waist off a round bail if you let your horses (or whatever) just tear it apart. If you can make a feeder (or buy one) and hotwire (partition) it off several hours a day, the animals will damage less of the hay.


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Trailridr, when I got to this part: "You get more waist off ..." I thought you were going to talk about the person carrying the square bale! Just came in from morning chores and did my share of "waist work". Liese


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## WindowOrMirror (Jan 10, 2005)

Typical small squares of good grass hay run around 55 lbs. Round bales in the size you mentioned run around 900 lbs (median, not ALL). So, 16 or so small bales.

Keep in mind that as far as the feed value of each, wastage is different depending on your setup with each type of bale.

R


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## uncle Will in In. (May 11, 2002)

There are several hay auctions in this area. All the hay is sold by the ton. Small squares which have similar quality hay sell higher than large rounds. Rounds left outdoors can have a layer of spoiled hay around the outside which is waste. Most that are left on the ground have a rotten bottom after a short period. 
Which are you feeding now?


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Around here most farmers are pretty cheep and pay by the bale to have hay baled so they make em as big and dence as they can .Ive seen equipment groaning with 2400# rounds and 140# squares although 1600 and 80 seems to be the common sizes


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I figure this by weight: (based on the bales I use)

4x4 small round bale is a little over 800 lbs

small square bale is about 40 to 50 lbs

So there are about 16 to 20 small square bales in a round bale.

BUT, it gets more complicated:

1) round bales are wetter so more of that weight is water than with square bales which are drier.

2) round bale hay I have found to be consistently higher quality than square bales. Part of this is because I buy wrapped round bales and the danged plastic wrap keeps the nutrients in and actually lets it ferment a little making it more digestible which means more animal growth per dollar paid for hay in the winter.

Neither square nor round bales compare to pasture for quality or cost.

Square bales are much more useful for building winter housing and hand carrying a little hay out to some animals.

So, I use both, several hundred square and about 40 to 60 round per year.

Note: I feed pigs, sheep and poultry. With other animals your mileage will vary. I have heard that horses don't like round bale hay but don't know about that directly.

Cheers,

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Easy to see how different a bale can weigh! My Krone made 4x4 soft core bales, they weighed 650 pounds. Our Vicon RP 1210 4x5 soft core weighed in at 1200 pounds. Our NH 849 5x5.5, solid core bales weigh in around 1900 pounds. All get baled at 18% moisture or less, I use a Preagro 45 moisture tester with the hay probe to be certain. We put up about 2500 squares with a NH 315, and aim for 50 pound bales. We did the 80 pounders in our youth but there's more spoilage, and too much effort involved. 

Guess we only did 300 round bales this year but that's with the NH baler replacing the Krone last year when we did close to 700. Huge savings with the big bales less spoilage, much less waste, less time to harvest, better feed, they're just take a bit more care to move.


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## hrslvrtrailridr (Jan 9, 2007)

Darn! I wish I could get more waste off my waist!!! Need to buck more round bails! LOL
Anyway, when I buy rounds, I store them on pallets to keep them off the ground, this helps considerably with moisture damage and they don't freeze down. If the weather is lousy I will throw a pallet on top too and cover loosely with a tarp. Most of the rounds I get in my area (Alaska) just have netting or twine holding them together. You can get them in various sizes...from 600# to 1200#. There have been a few farmers experimenting with the plastic wrapped rounds, reviews have been mixed on these.


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