Are round bale feeders safe for horses?

Are round bale feeders safe for horses?

Round-bale feeder design affects waste and costs, but not safety, hay intake or herd weight in horses. Feeding your horse round bales without a feeder can result in: 57 percent wasted hay. Weight loss.

Can horses use cattle round bale feeders?

Round-bales are used throughout the horse industry as a means of providing forage to horses housed in poor pastures, dry lots, or during winter months1. When fed to beef cattle, different round-bale feeder designs resulted in different amounts of wasted hay3. …

How many horses will a round bale feed?

A round bale should be fed within 7 to 10 days, therefore four to seven horses are ideal per round bale. Depending on the number of horses being fed, you may see either wasted hay with lower numbers or overcrowding around the feeder with larger numbers.

How much of a round bale is wasted?

One round bale lasts about 8-10 days using our regular round bale hay net with 1.75″ holes. Without a net, a bale lasts approximately 5-6 days and half of it is wasted.

How can round bale waste be reduced?

If large amounts of hay must be put out at one time, it is helpful to place a barrier between the hay and animals to reduce waste. Feeding racks or rings can be effective barriers. Large round bales should especially have a feeding ring around it to reduce waste.

How long does a round bale last for one horse?

about 8-10 days
One round bale lasts about 8-10 days using our regular round bale hay net with 1.75″ holes. Without a net, a bale lasts approximately 5-6 days and half of it is wasted.

How do you use a round bale on a horse?

Tips on feeding round bales

1. Elevate round bales on a gravel surface or wood pallet to allow moisture to drain underneath both where they are fed and stored.
2. Purchase a feeder designed for horses.
3. Look for tightly rolled bales.
4. Store round bales indoors or on an elevated surface covered with tarps.

How long should a round bale last 2 horses?

Obviously, a bale will last much longer with 2 horses than with 20. Most owners with 2 or 3 horses get 7-14 more days out of a bale with a 1.75″ hole. For example, this time lapse video shows one bale being eaten by 3 horses over a period of 22 days.

How long does it take 2 horses to eat a round bale?

Our horses are out 24×7 with free choice round bales, and assuming there is no pasture grass to eat, they (5 horses) will go through a 5×6 round bale in 5 days (so that would be around 12 days for 2 horses).