Hay

Wicked

Hi

Just wondering how ye are all fixed for hay this year? due to the weather it's very difficult to get horse hay so what are ye doing?

around me round bales of hay are costing 35 euro. i got lucky and paid 3.50 for a square bale which i didn't think was too bad.

are people opting for haylage this year?

Wicked

ecaf

Luckily we have some haylage left over from last year, should be enough to keep us going. Its going to be expensive if not, but I haven't priced around yet!

We usually keep them in totally for the really cold / frosty weeks, but as it gets milder again they are turned out during the day. Worked well for the last two years, but this year the ground is just so wet it may not be possible.
Our big field (which is used for winter turnout) is just about holding out now. The small sections have had a lot of machinery on them with building work going on, so they won't be too good, and there is a bit of a lake forming in the top of one of the fields

ciars84

Its very pricey around us too. I paid 38 for our last bale of hay and we cannot get round bales of straw anywhere around us either. Horses are gone out on their break now so fingers crossed when they come back in there is a better supply! We did get a bale recently for 30 but it wasnt great quality.
We were paying 25-30 last year for a bale.

convert

That's so expensive! Luckily we have some hay left over from last year. Straw is proving difficult to find. Has anyone managed to get any and how much have you paid/were you quoted?

Wicked

can't get straw anywhere around me, so i'm a newcomer to shavings. they seem to be working out well. although i don't know if i'm putting enough under them at one time. i get a week out of two bales which i didn't think was too bad.

the straw situation will be tough though, we buy it every year for all the animals, not just horses, cattle sheep etc and with the weather the way it is the harvest will be late and the straw might be crap. i'd say the horses will be on shavings all this year and any straw available will be for the others.

i read on these forms that if you pack the old shavings well together it decomposes and can be spread on flower beds, any body any tips on how to make up a makeshift dungstead type thing for the shavings?

Alibear

I'm lucky that I found EXCELLENT quality hay. I'm paying €2.85 for square bales - They were cut in June when the weather was fantastic.