# square bales vs round -- equivalent number?



## Doc (Jun 5, 2003)

A neighbor hay farmer offered me "dirty" square bales of fescue for $1. They are dirty from being on the ground but have been inside the shed. I was curious to know what the equivalent number of square bales would equal a 4x5 round bale. 

I know that there are a lot of variables but just curious to get an estimate.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Average little square 50-70 pounds.
Average 4X5 round 700-1000 pounds.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

I bale my field with a John Deere 4 x 5 baler then when weather is nice I unroll those bales and bale to squares..YES I know lot of work but this is a one man baling operation..and can not find help...have a new holland square bale pickup trailer ..doing that some I get a high 19 sqaures to a low of 14...NO I do not understand either but the average is 16 45 to 50 pound bales


I have scales on my verticale grinder most these bales when feed in winter weight 750 to 800 pounds


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## Doc (Jun 5, 2003)

So, if I'm reading these correctly, any where from 10-16 squares for 4x5 round on average?


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## Tad (Apr 2, 2003)

Yes, we usually unroll a old round bale to get the square baler limbered up and threaded in the summer, usually end up around 13 or 14.


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## Doc (Jun 5, 2003)

Then I should really take him up on his offer, you think?


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## gwithrow (Feb 5, 2005)

depends on who is eating it or what you will use it for...


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I do a lot of custom hay baling summer months and when a customer asks me to leave aside one area of the field for squares instead of round I tell them it's an average of 15/1. That way, they can be sure they're going to get enough squares out a particular area of the pasture that's "cream of the crop" hay and not come up short.


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## Doc (Jun 5, 2003)

That'll work. Thanks!


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## Apryl in ND (Jan 31, 2010)

Off topic but I HATE ROUND BALES! They get moldy easily and were not invented for the poor farmer like me with no tractor to move them around. I was pregnant all last winter every day trying to pitch fork little bits of hay at a time off. On top of that they get buried in snow up here and that makes it 10 times harder.

I found someone to do small bales for me last year and they're great! No mold. I just pick them up and throw 'em over the fence into the feeder. Done! No cussing necessary even.


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