Hard times finding hay....

[Trish]

:[SIZE=10pt] Boy, it's been a struggle trying to find hay at a reasonable price..... coastal at our local feed store is running about $8 a bale. I can't see spending that when we were able during the summer to get fresh cut hay for $5.50.[/SIZE]

I thing I remember there are some out in our mini world that doesn't feed hay or was it the horses were not on grass?? Any thoughts or ideas??

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

It can be scary to not have enough hay. This year I am fine but the people I get my hay from in the spring/summer sold it for 4.25 a bale for about 65-80 lb bales. They dont have alot left but what they do have left is now selling for 9.50 a bale.

Last year I paid alot per bale since I didnt plan well enough to get me thru

I know lots of people use pellets or cubes

 

[CZP1]

I just bought 15 bales of first cutting for $4.50 a bale. That is for my big horse. I use Triple Crown chopped hay for my mini. He only gets half a bucket and I throw in some alphacubes (soaked) and he is really happy (fat too :lol: ) it is about $12.00 for a 50# bag and it lasts about 1 month. It is expensive I think but I only have one mini.

You could try a complete feed too with some cubes or pellets.

 

[Becky]

I use alfalfa pellets as well as beet pulp to stretch my hay. Both are excellent sources of roughage.

 

[Trish]

: My mini's get 14% pellets along w/ soaked beet pulp twice a day, the area we are staying doesn't have much as far as grass. I break up a flake between the 6 in the pasture and give the two stallions 1/4 flake twice a day.

 


I have been surfing the internet looking for hay. Found an ad for Bermuda @ $6.75 pr bale, but it's in Watonga, Ok. Don't know how much we'd spend on fuel driving there and back, might just have to break down and buy some here @ $8.

 


We drove 5.5hrs last Aug to get fresh 50 bales of cut hay in Hempstead, Texas @$5.5 a bale, but they are sold out for 2006.

:

 


It's just so frustrating ..... prices up due to the drought.

 

 

[Marty]

Hi Trish.

I can't see spending that when we were able during the summer to get fresh cut hay for $5.50.

That always happens in the dead of winter. Supply & demand.

There is hay out there to be had but you are going to have to load up and do a bit of traveling. I got caught with my pants down a couple of times in the past. The first time, I underestimated how much I needed to store for the winter. The next time, I didn't have enough storage space. Then we got hit with an ice storm that lasted forever one year that caused me to have to double the amounts of hay that I needed to keep everyone warm. A couple of times we had to make emergency trips to Georgia and Kentucky for hay. I hope I never go through that mess again. I keep hay in front of my horses nearly 24-7 during the winter and I'm not about to cut down. The grass has been dead for quite a while.

I learned real quick to get while the getting's good and to stock up my winter hay during the summer when it is being cut and to get much more than I plan on using. You just never know the following spring just how the hay year is going to go. Plan ahead early for next year. Budget hard, find your good supplier, and prepare plenty of room for storage and stock up.

Some people will use cubes but I am not sure that is cost efficient.

You might want to call surrounding area feed stores to see if they are carrying the compressed bails. Again, not sure that is cost efficient.

Try this link to help you locate hay:

http://content.fsa.usda.gov/haynet/default.asp

EDITED TO ADD: I did an extended search for you and came up with this: This looks good!

http://www.hay-bale.com/?gclid=CMr5h5P6nYkCFR-dGgodg0KFMA

Best wishes.

 

[Miniv]

We also scrambled last year........Paid about $200 per ton at one point. I suppose if we absolutely had to we would resort to cubed hay or cubed alfalfa, but before that we'd look at the compressed hay. But before getting to that point, we'd be doing what Marty said.......driving to find reglular baled hay first.

MA

 

[dangerranger]

I could use pelleted, [ ours wont touch cubes] but our grass is just now starting to green up for winter. hay here is at 10.50 to 11.00 a 100lb bale. good luck DR.

 

[Jill]

This is the first year that we have had a place to store a large amount of hay to last all winter. I actually think we've got enough to last until next summer and we've never had anywhere near this much and it is all beautiful hay.

In years past, though, we could not always find consistently good quality hay, at any price, so what we have done previously to stretch the hay has been to feed these substitutes:

• soaked hay cubes
• soaked beet pulp
• complete pellets

Of the above, if you do not have "a lot" of horses, the one that I think is the best alternative would be soaked hay cubes. It's a great way to get extra water into the horses and is very nutritious. Your horses may look at you like you're crazy when you first offer it but it won't take them long until they love it. I used to use hot water because it soaks up tremendously faster into the cubes.

 

[SHANA]

Hi,

Here in Quebec, well we grow our own hay but did buy 500 square bales of hay and paid $2 a bale. This was good timothy hay which I bought for my horses alone. Now you can probably get hay here for around $3 a square bale, round bales sell for $35 a bale.

 

[mizbeth]

There is a hay dealer fairly close to me. I am fortunate in that regard. He has to travel all over the country tho to buy it now for resale. He has all kinds and seems to never run out, but he unfortunately has to pass the cost on the buyers. Coastal hay, (good) is 9.50 plus per bale here, alfalfa is 11.50 - 13.50 per bale. Round bales are 95.00 - 100.00 but is really good hay! Needless to say bagged feed is up considerably too and continues to go up each week it seems. Omalene 200 is now 12.50- 12.75 per bag.

As long as I can find the hay I will feed it. I use beet pulp too but mostly in the winter (summer) to keep them hydrated so they do not colic. I have found tho., that cutting the amount of hay they get does seem to effect their weight at all, but of course the quality of it will. Sometimes they simply eat more and poop more but does not show in overall weight or condition.

Good luck in your search, I know it is tough, some places simply don't have hay or good hay at all. Like I said, I'm lucky....so far.

 

[Laura]

[SIZE=12pt]Great quality bermuda is still available here (NW Arkansas) for $5.00/bale and $35.00 and $45.00 for round bales. I was paying only $3.50/bale three years ago.

: [/SIZE]

 

[Warpony]

hay here is cheap but I have a hard time finding someone who will sell it to me in the small amounts I need... and my truck is in need of repair so i also have to find a way to get it home since no one wants to deliver small amounts.

:

So I am feeding soaked beet pulp and soaked hay cubes (alfalfa/timothy mix). Sparrow is doing fantastic on it, and so I may keep using it even if I get the truck fixed and have someone who will sell me small amounts of hay.