Hey everyone,

The barn where Tonto is boarded feeds hay from round bales, and I've been okay with it this whole time.  The barn owner has told us that it's just as healthy as square bales, but a lot cheaper to buy, since it's large quantity, and they have about 50 horses.  Tonto has been very healthy there, and he hasn't had any colic problems or anything.  (knock on wood!)  Plus, there was a woman that boarded her horse here for 2 years or so, and he was very old, with heaves.  He had heaves really badly when he got to the barn, but the hay there didn't seem to bother him at all, and he was able to live happily all this time until a few months ago he suffered a heart attack and passed away.  He was very old, I think almost in his 30s.  Now, just a couple days ago someone told me that round bale hay is extrememly unhealthy for horses...  That's not what I've experienced so far, but is it supposed to be true?  This man told me that they vacuum up everything when they get round bales, which means that a lot of dust and dirt will be in it, even more than square bales...  The barn owner likes to wet down the horses' hay a bit too, to keep dust off.  So is it really a problem if they feed round bales??

I personally prefer to feed squares.  Rounds ARE dustier than the squares and I know how much my horses are eating.  If they are in their stalls, I will wet down the squares too!!  Now that I have a tractor, using rounds will be tempting as it will save me getting out there in the snow at 0400 every morning, but I will likely still stick to the squares.

I personally prefer the squares, mostly because it's easier to tell how much each horse is getting, but if it's not causing problems and he's wetting it down, getting rid of excess dust, etc, then I think you'll be fine.

I have never had problems with rounds, but they should come from the same fields that the squares are coming from so you are sure of quality.  I would also check on the bales frequently to be sure of what's in them and  to sometimes tear off pieces to expose "cleaner" hay.  Unless you're in a desert area, rain and other air moisture should settle the dust. If a horse with heaves is doing well then dust is probably not a problem. I use a bale with 3 horses on one bale at a time; with 50, they should be going through them fast enough that things like mold and rot won't be a problem.  With that many horses and multilple bales there probably isn't too much trouble with the pecking order, but that is something to watch for.  The boarding barn I was at once had to bring in some of the lower order horses during the winter and feed separately b/c they would lose weight.

I don't think there is anything wrong with round bales in general.  I think it is probably more likely that they will be more dusty but I think it really depends on the quality of the hay itself.  Also if there are 50 horses being fed.  The bales won't last long so you won't have to worry about them getting old.

Thanks for replying everyone, I was getting kind of worried after this guy told me how bad they were...  I feel so much better now!

We feed rounds to our 4 boys.  Round or square, it all depends on the quality of hay that you buy.  As for 'vacuuming up everything', I don't know where he gets that idea.  I've baled both ways and what goes into your hay depends on the quality of your fields, not so much with the process.   If he is picking up lots of junk in his rounds he should probably clean up his fields or pay someone with more experience to adjust and run his equipment.  ;)   The key is knowing where your hay comes from and what type of hay you're buying - no matter if it's round or square. 

I perfer the squares too, but have 9 rounds from my field for this winter. The biggest difference is the handling/moving/storage. You have to have the equip to do the job and the space for storage. sounds like your boy should be fine where an older horse had done well and the rounds won't last long enough for spoilage issues. I've only got 3 (well + 2 more in 2 wks) still wont put one out tho, one would stomp it into the mud and make a bed, then  the rest would go "I can't eat THAT!!  

Quality horse hay is quality horse hay. IMO, if your horse has been fine this whole time with the possible extra dust (which shouldn't be a problem if the hay is getting watered slightly before feeding anyway) then you have nothing to worry about.

ANY hay can be bad for your horses...it all depends on how it was baled; some farmers just don't know how to properly bale hay for horses...it can't be wet in the least, or you will be finding badly molded dusty spots; which can be 'okay' for some livestock, but horses can be more sensitive to it...and my goats won't even touch yucky hay! Lol!!!

I feed both and as long as they are baled right I have found that the rounds are't dusty at all.  The guy that said "they are getting dust and dirt" needs to reset his baler lol.  With that many horses I don't blame them in the least for feeding rounds.  I will say that if you are going to feed rounds on a regular basis then it's well worth the investment to get a round bale feeder.  Mine don't waste any now with the feeder.  Another nice thing about rounds is if you are going away for an over night or two you can put out enough hay for the time being and only have to have someone water for you. 

This is just my personal opinion, but I'm not a huge fan of round bales. That being said, I have had round bales out for my horses before and they have done just fine on them and I know several people who feed round bales year round and their horses are perfectly healthy and happy. As long as the hay is of high quality, they should be fine. However...here's why I don't care for them myself. In my experiences, round bales end up producing a lot of waste. Our horses only ate about 2/3 of each round bale and the rest was pooped and pee-ed (I didn't realize how hard that was to spell...and I'm not even sure it's spelled right...lol!) on, walked through and not eaten. Second, all the waste left a huge mess in the paddocks that had to be cleaned up. Finally, when the round bales first arrived, they became a play toy for our then 5 year old gelding. The bale was lying on its side in the middle of the pasture and he some how turned it on the round side and every day we came home to find the bale in a different place in the paddock. So as I said, I'm not a huge fan of them personally, but I know of many horses who live on them and are perfectly healthy.

good quality hay is good quality hay, period. Weather it be square or round. I've found bad rounds and bad squares.

Im more concerned about the fields the hay is coming from, if its been fertilized,ect,ect.

Roundbales are probably better for a horse's system then squares. The horse is a forager, therefore their system is used to eating all day. aroundbale enables that. it makes it easier for me in the sense I dont have to throw hay at feedings, and if Im late feeding, I dont worry about my ponies going hungry. They also have constant "fuel" in the winter to help keep warm.

the one thing that is essential in feeding rounds(besides a tractor or some hefty men to roll them!) is a bale feeder, specifcaly one designed for horses. It eliminates waste, I have none at all. the feeder stops them from sleeping and using it as a bathroom, and makes sure they "clean it all up".

We feed squares to afew of our horses(mainly because Im short a hay ring), they are useful if a horse is by himself or for creep feeding foals, but the majority of our horses eat the rounds, with no problems.

coyotecreek:

The horse is a forager, therefore their system is used to eating all day. aroundbale enables that. it makes it easier for me in the sense I dont have to throw hay at feedings, and if Im late feeding, I dont worry about my ponies going hungry. They also have constant "fuel" in the winter to help keep warm.

W

Excellent point.  I've never had horses develop nervous habits, etc. and I think it is due in part to being able to satisfy that natural instinct to forage.  This is especially important in winter, when they need forage to 'burn'.

I use the round bale feeders and have no waste either.  I agree with Coyotecreek about the feeding being more natural.  I started feeding my horses rounds in January of 06.  The vet was out in June for something and after everything was done she kinda looks around at my herd and then looks at me and says "You need to cut their grain back".  I looked at her and told her they haven't had grain since January.  They didn't need it because they had good quality hay in front of them all the time.