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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

Cleaning up after round bales

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Bill M.

12-14-2003 09:26:18




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I use a round bale feeder for feeding my 1 mini and 2 full size horses. After they eat a few round bales, I end up with a mixture of hay, manure and mud that weighs a ton, around the feeder. The question that I have is about clean up. If I use a fork, it's back breaking and takes forever.If I use my loader it digs the place up and makes a mess. I need to use something that's faster and easier on the back, but will leave the ground smooth and level. I was thinking buying of a York Rake or one of those spring steel spiked drag mats. Does anyone know if either one of these would work, or a better way? Thanks, Bill

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JIMVA

12-15-2003 14:39:56




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
one problem is to prevent this, sounds as if u are feeding all your hay in 1 spot, u should feed each roll in a different spot that way there will no way near the mess as feeding 8 or so rolls in the same spot



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Rick

12-15-2003 03:51:18




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
The loader is still your best bet. You just need to learn how to operate it better. Try leaving your bucket flat after you get under the lip of pile and push and lift very slightly as you push. You can move this without digging in the ground. Be doing it for years in cattle lot. For all more animals you have you would be way more efficent to use small square bales. You wouldn't have this problem to deal with then. Your simply wasting most of the feed.

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bob

12-14-2003 21:37:26




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
a buddy uses his hay tedder; it gets the tedder covered but spreads stuff out great.



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Rauville

12-14-2003 16:13:54




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
We feed our horses big round bales in raised square feeders with a enclosed bottom and feed pan all around 4 sides. It makes a real difference in not having hay pulled out and on the ground around the feeder. In the spring we just tip the feeder over, and clean out a small amount of left-over hay, and a bunch of old twine. We bought ours at TSC during a closeout sale.



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Cliff Neubauer

12-14-2003 15:38:42




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
We always had that problem in our cattle lot where we fed round bales all year long, feeding in different places only seemed to spread the mess around. We finally ended up pouring enough cement that the bale feeder and about 10' all the way around it is cement which is easy to clean off with a loader even if it is muddy and now 90% of the manure in concentrated to that area instead of the whole lot. The cement isn't cheap but you can start with a small slab and add to it as you can afford and it will be the best long term solution to your problem.

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Nebraska Cowman

12-14-2003 14:51:10




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
If you come home at night you can feed the horses through the fence and they won't waste so much. A horse on a self feeder is not a thrifty animal, they never stop eating.



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kyhayman

12-14-2003 13:59:10




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
Have you thought about using fabric and crushed stone? I built a feeding pad 8 years ago and have probably gotten the best return on investment from this of anything I have ever done. My pad is quite a bit bigger than you need but you can certainly make a smaller one. To clean I have an old tractor tire cut in half lengthwise and crosswise then bolted to the bottom of the bucket. Use it to push in a pile on the edge of the pad, then you can let it heat and compost until fall.

Lots of ways to build a pad. I used 12'6" wide geotextile fabric (costs $1 per linear foot). On top of this put 4-6" of #2 rock and 3-6" of class I sand on top of the rock. Makes a surface almost like concrete. You do lose some of the class I sand when you scrape but this is just really coarse lime . In 8 years I've only had to add 3 loads to a 48'x48' pad.

Even moving where I fed roll bales every feeding I'd still lose at least 1 calf trampled in the mud by a hay ring. Since using the pad I've yet to lose a calf to trampling though I did have a couple get scours (last year b/c I was unable to scrape for a month due to a 'major malfunction' of the clutch on my loader tractor.

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Legn4

12-14-2003 13:18:14




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
Have you considered unrolling your hay bales.I use a 3pt unroller, before that I used to chase them with the front tire(didnt work good-but worked).This way I never feed in the same place twice,unless its gone. Eddie



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Clint Sandburg

12-14-2003 19:40:48




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 Re: Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Legn4, 12-14-2003 13:18:14  
I am a farm manager for a horse farm. We have several pastures with horses to feed. In the winter after the snow is on the ground we unroll roundbales enough for the horses to eat for a couple days. This lets all the horses eat as the hay is spread out. They have to lick it clean before we roll more out. Plus they spread their own manure and they are less prone to get parasites feeding on clean ground each time. What is left over in the spring if any (mostly manure) we harrow with a flexible tine drag. This does two things, spreads the hay stems and manure out plus brings up manure piles that harbor parasites. Our pastures look great. I don't like feeders as horses can get injured in them ( pawing) pulling suspensories etc. Plus the before mentioned if you have an alpha mare, she will get more feed than she needs and drive the other timid horses off. Takes more time to unroll but when you figure out the benefits, it is time well spent plus you know all your horses are getting the feed they need in cold weather. Also it gives they hay a chance to "air out" if it is a little musty or dusty.( Less respiratory problems).

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jdemaris

12-14-2003 12:46:05




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
I've got the same problem. My herd of goats eat off round bales all winter, and I can't move the hay to a different area. Snow gets deep, and I keep the hay in the one area that's not on top of mountain or sidehill. This area is good pasture in the summer, so I don't want to ruin it. Sometimes I have to run a 7' snowblower through the fields to make a path from the barn to the hay. Goats have short legs, and once the snow is over two feet, they can't walk through it. Anyway, I've tired several ways of cleaning up in spring without rutting up the field too bad. After trying several rakes, front end loader, etc. I found, that so far, a small dozer works best. As long as I pick a day in the spring when the ground is still frozen, the field cleans up nicely with little damage. Everything is pushed in to a pile to mulch. Off course, I don't know where you live or if your ground ever gets frozen.

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buck

12-14-2003 12:25:09




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  

Have you tried moving the bale feeder to a different spot with each new bale. This lets nature take care of things more easily. This is my first year with the large round bales for the horses and I thought about using the round feeder in the pasture but decided that keeping the bales dry would be better so I place them in an area adjacent to the horses (2) stall and limit the time the horses stay in the stall which is at most 2 hours a day. The area I fixed for the round bales is about 10x7 with a full gate to the outside allowing placing 2 5x4 bales on a floor made of pallets. On the horse side I cut down a metal gate to 3' tall to allow the horses to eat over it.

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wolfy

12-14-2003 11:59:15




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
Move the feeder to new spot from time to time and next spring about oats planting time, disc the entire area & plant.



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paul

12-14-2003 09:59:04




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
The York rake would level off your tracks, but the loader is the better tool. Do you have a manure bucket, or manure teeth, on your loader? That picks up the long stem hay goop better.

--->Paul



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Bill

12-14-2003 11:02:26




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 Re: Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to paul, 12-14-2003 09:59:04  
I don't have a manure bucket it's a regular bucket with a strait edge. I point it down at a 45 degree or better angle and use it like a blade, but I end up taking away some soil also. I thought there might be a better way. Thanks, Bill



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JMS/MN

12-14-2003 16:57:21




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 Re: Re: Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill, 12-14-2003 11:02:26  
If you can't justify the cost of a manure bucket with forks, and it's for occasional use- just bolt fork teeth onto your existing bucket. Take them off when you're done. For example, JD makes those teeth for their 148 loader. Or make your own out of 1 1/4 inch square stock, pointed at one end, mount with two bolts, or for more strength, two clamps- no hole in the fork.



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John A..

12-14-2003 12:51:23




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 Re: Re: Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill, 12-14-2003 11:02:26  
Bill, Try what you said above but drive in reverse! Pull the hay and manure and such. You won't dig in like going forward
Later,
John A.



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old

12-14-2003 09:36:50




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 Re: Cleaning up after round bales in reply to Bill M., 12-14-2003 09:26:18  
I have some of the same problems you have, I take my loader with the bucket turned down and push it up in a pile that I let compose down and use it on the garden. Every year I start a new pile and use the pile from a year ago on the garden. Yes it does move a little of the ground but not much. Then in the spring I lime that area where I feed the hay and plant some clover.



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