| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| cajungal |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 06:12:08 AM
How much do you pay for hay?
Today, at a local feed store, a square bale of hay is $15 !!!!!
And a round bale is $120!!!!!!
About 10 years ago, I could get a square bale for $3 and a large round bale for $40. Gas prices went up and the cost jumped to $10 and $80.
We had a drought the last few years and the prices jumped again.
Even if I find someone further away that has it for less $, I have to consider if it's worth the 2 hour drive and gas.
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| 24 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jan 23 2013 : 08:04:02 AM
I don't think it would be a problem Catherine. Airplanes are regulated and I would think that the exhaust wouldn't be any more than it would be next to a road which most hay fields are. If a plane is spewing out exhaust then I am sure it would be grounded. My son in law used to work as a plane mechanic and believe me they are strict and very particular about what flies.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.nmbarrelhorses.com
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| cajungal |
Posted - Jan 23 2013 : 06:44:52 AM
I found another source but I'm not so sure I want to use the hay. The International Airport in Houston has advertised hay cuttings from all their surrounding fields around the runways and such.
I'm a little concerned about the exhaust/fuel residue that is probably on it. What do y'all think?
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| Penny Dyke |
Posted - Jan 23 2013 : 05:53:22 AM
HI Kathy
I see your daughter just moved to ohio I live in East palestine Ohio its about an hour from akron
there is a hay and grain auction every wed at the rogers farmers market most of the local farmers take their hay there, if shes willing to make the drive she find something but there is no set prices thats where I go when desperate.
Hope that helps Penny |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 3:40:10 PM
We are still getting it for 3.00 a bale and 20-25 for a round bale...I guess i better stock up
Deborah
now we are on our forever farm. God has blessed us. |
| wincrestnubians |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 06:37:21 AM
Kathy, I dont know about around Akron, I dont live there so not to familiar with the area. She should check the local papers and feed mills first, they would have knowledge of some farmers with hay I am sure. I wish her good luck..
Only those with an open mind can learn from ones own mistakes. |
| KathyC |
Posted - Jan 16 2013 : 1:52:26 PM
Jennifer,
My daughter just moved to Ohio and is looking for hay. She is near Akron. Are you in that area?
Thanks,
Kathy |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jan 15 2013 : 07:34:50 AM
Well since I have switched to the alfalfa and beet pulp pellets last fall I have noticed that the price of hay hasn't doubled this year yet, and the availability is good too. And people are calling me to let me know they have hay. It's getting pretty obvious that I was the one buying all the hay for my 19 horses. 6 bales a day at $10 to $15 a bale for the 6 months of hard winter. Apparently I was supporting the whole northern half of NM hay growers. Hahahaha....oh my. So glad my daughter did the research and the math and switched us over. It has cut our feed and gas for feed bill in half, and the horses are more healthy too, no guessing on the quality of the hay. It is more labor intensive and time consuming though. We have to measure, soak, carry out and feed 12 buckets twice a day, and they weigh about 35# each. But there are 4 of us that feed so my part is Thur and Fri morn and evening, but it's a killer to this ole lady. Buff but sore. I'll be happy when spring comes.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.nmbarrelhorses.com
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Jan 15 2013 : 05:37:35 AM
I see that you are in Texas, we are still recovering from thr drought so hay in some areas of Texas are still hard to come buy at a decent price. Feb 2012 i had 6 round bales delivered to the house and it cost me $1000. This year since we have had so much more rain here in East Texas i can now get a round for $25-$80. Way better than last year but we still arent out of the woods yet on hay!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm!
http://homesteddinmomsworld.blogspot.com |
| wincrestnubians |
Posted - Jan 15 2013 : 03:35:05 AM
I get a super nice 2nd cutting hay with tons of red clover in it for my goats at $4 a bale, and they are not light or little. Always end up hurting somewhere when I get it loaded and home to unload.. Round bales, 800# ones, cost me $30 each. I put these out for my horses when they are out in the fields. Easier on my sqaure bales which I use when they are in the barn for bad weather.
Only those with an open mind can learn from ones own mistakes. |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jan 14 2013 : 3:35:06 PM
Vaccinating with clostridium helps to prevent bloat. It especially came to mind when reading about your boer goat Kristen. I just recently lost a young goat to clostridium bloat. It also caused my doe to get scours and abort. She had had the shots but was overdue on the booster. The young one hadnt had her shot. I was so aggrevated with myself. Anyway, it is a pretty good way to prevent bloat a lot of times, and if one is seeing a big belly in a goat chronically it would probably be a very beneficial thing to give the vaccine.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.nmbarrelhorses.com
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| queenmushroom |
Posted - Jan 13 2013 : 5:27:03 PM
Try to get in with someone who does hay. It's generally cheaper if you buy it right out of.the fields and haul it yourself. If you can't, get it.delivered generally it's not.ad.cheap but cheaper than a feed store. We sell ours 3.50 out the field, $4 out of storage or delivered (square) . Our feed store buys out of Canada and its about $6-7/bale (Square) .
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
| cajungal |
Posted - Jan 10 2013 : 09:19:07 AM
I'm with ya', Kris, on getting the corn and soy out of their diet.
The baking soda is usually efficient in helping with bloat. I've usually steered away from it for my boys because it can cause urinary calculi. I had one die of complications from U.C. and I've often thought it was because of our hard water and the addition of baking soda. Now, for my boys, I add a little bit of ammonium chloride to their feed.
Y'all's affordable hay has put me on a mission to find a better deal. I mentioned above that I found some $6 square bales. Well, 10 minutes ago, I found someone that would sell me round bales for $50!! While that's not cheap, it's still better than the $100 bales around here. I'm gonna go look at it this afternoon. It's Bahia. I usually feed Coastal. He has Coastal for $75. Either way, I'm still saving.
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 10 2013 : 08:04:17 AM
That's great news for you, Catherine! I hope you can get enough to last the rest of winter.
As I was reading your last post about your Boer doe having bloat, I was thinking my Boer buck could possibly have that. He is SO big in the belly he looks pregnant. He's always looked like this too. He's only 11 months old and has looked like this since I got him back in Aug. I try to keep baking soda out there but they are so messy. And he is so small. I always thought Boer bucks were huge. I hope he grows some more but right now he's just to my knees. Very small buck.
We are selinium deficient here too. I have been mixing my goat's feed since the milling place screwed up their bags of 16% all-grain I've always fed my milking does. So I add sunflower seeds to the mix. I also had 2 of my younger does almost die last summer because of Thiamin deficiency. Very scary.
I'm getting away from corn in my feed too. That's why I started mixing my own. It's way more expensive this way, but I know wht's in it now. And NO SOY. The 16% all-grain had soy in it.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
| cajungal |
Posted - Jan 10 2013 : 06:11:56 AM
@Kathryn & Linda....thanks for the info on the hay. The furthest west from where I am that my normal life brings me is Conroe. I think that may change now that I have your information.
I've traveled to College Station (2 hour drive) to the Producers Mill....their feed costs can be almost half on some items. It's just so hard to carve out 4 hours of driving time to go. Every few months a friend gets a group order and he travels with a trailer and grabs up 100 bags or so. Then I go through this whole guilt trip that I'm not supporting my local feed store.
@Laura...I don't have much pasture so I have always fed pellets. Our area is selenium deficient, so I have to make sure I'm giving free choice minerals to my girls. (I raise meat goats and dairy goats) I find that for some reason my goats need more copper than is provided in the feeds, so I also supplement copper in their water. I tend to rely on the pellet to give the foundational nutrients and then supplement on top of that. For my breeding goats and my milkers, my favorite pellet is 'Noble' goat feed. My non-breeders and boys get a basic goat pellet.
I've battled bloat...it's not fun. I had a Boer doe years ago that had chronic bloat while none of the other goats ever suffered with it. This doe's daughter and grand-d also suffered with chronic bloat for 3 years. The vet suggested that I stop breeding that bloodline. So, I did. I haven't had any serious issues since then. I find that if I make sure the goats are getting enough of the B vitamins / Thiamin that they rarely develop bloat.
Good news....our farrier said he'd sell me some of his barn hay for $6 a square bale. Woo hoo!!!
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 8:05:28 PM
Catherine I have been thinking about feeding the pellets to my goat. I just worry cause goats bloat so easy. I would be interested in how you have been doing it. It was scary to me when we switched our horses over but my daughter did all the research and studied it all out then did it gradually. I am really pleased with how it has been going. It's been about 4 months now and the horses are all fat and shiny in deep winter.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.nmbarrelhorses.com
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| sissarge |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 4:58:06 PM
Hello Catherine, this past weekend, their was a truck on 249 headed into Tomball for $7 a square bale, and the Hay barn on 105 is also 7$ The last time I saw the sign was about a week and half ago going to Navasota to buy feed, I go there cause it is a little cheaper, I would love to mix my own feed, I need to investigate that closer. Would love to get the chickens free of corn, except for some in the winter for warmth. Farmgirl #946 Linda |
| magnoliakathy |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 4:47:57 PM
Here in Magnolia, I pay $9.50 to $11.00 at the feed stores, $8.00 on the side of the road. I haven't bought from Hagar Hay Barn (they are only open 10am to 2pm on Saturdays)in about 8 months, vs the feed stores. Feed prices are $15 to $16.50 per 50# scratch grains and $18.00 to $19.00 for 50# of Purina Goat Chow. I have recently cut the goats back on goat chow and giving them more hay, they are doing well and eating more pasture grasses when they are outside.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 1:13:05 PM
good green weed free hay here is $240.00 a ton. lesser hay i buy also is $220.00 a ton. nothing cheap about it.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
|
| cajungal |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 12:47:55 PM
@Kristin...You're right, it is hard to afford feeding all the animals. While the hay $ went up, so did the feed. I used to be able to get chicken scratch or lay pellets for around $6 per 50# bag. Now, they run $12-$15. There's not much shopping around because all the feed stores are about the same....maybe a few cents difference. I have co-opped with others previously and it helps. The hay we're using now was brought in from Wyoming in an 18 wheeler. The cost still ended up about $12 per square bale (2 string bale)
@Laura... I've been experimenting the last couple of years on mixing in or supplementing with beet pulp and alfalfa. I'm really happy with the results. The goats love the variety and I'm happy with the extra nutrients they get.
I have acquired a source for various things like barley, bulgur, split peas, flax, etc... I buy 'super sacks' that weigh around 1500 pounds. The amazing thing is that I pay only around $100 for 1500 pounds!!! Depending on what's available, I figure out rations and mix it in with the feed. So, my bagged feed bill has decreased some. As a bonus, I'm having to educate myself on the particulars of nutrition. I guess another bonus is that when I get the super sack home, I use buckets to scoop out the stuff and fill up my large containers....tons of exercise!!!!
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 09:10:38 AM
The price of hay here in NM is about $8 to $10 for a 2 string bale (65 lbs). Was the square bale in your feed store a 3 strand (120 lbs)? Those go for about $17 to $20 here. We changed all our 18 horses over to 1/2 beet pulp pellets 1/2 alfalfa pellets and they are doing great. We still give the stalled horses 1 flake of hay each evening cause they want to chew on something. The horses that are out on the range get 1/2 flake every other evening to keep them from chewing on sagebrush and rabbit brush. All of the horses get 7 cups beet pulp and 7 cups alfalfa pellets, twice a day, soaked. It makes for a heavy ole bucket to carry (in our case 18 heavy ole buckets) and is more time consuming and work than throwing hay but it saves us about $600 per month. We have to travel 120 miles to get hay or pellets and I can make 1 trip to town every 2 weeks and get everything they need as opposed to 3 trips every 2 weeks to haul hay. Before when we were feeding hay we were feeding 6 bales a day, now its about 20 a month. This is only in the winter, and we have about a ft of snow on the ground and sub zero temps, once it warms up a little we probably wont have to feed the hay. Then when spring comes they can just be on pasture. Another plus to feeding the pellets is that we know exactly what they are getting nutrition wise and the price doesn't fluctuate much at all. Some places sell the beet pulp for 20 per bag but my daughter has studied this like a book and has found it for 12 to 14 a bag from the IFA farm store. The alfalfa about the same. And it doesnt run out like hay, its always available. Of course since we pick up 52 bags every 2 weeks we do let them know each time that we are coming again in 2 weeks. We also get a little discount if we buy over 20 bags. If one switches over to the pellets it should be done gradually like any feed change. Just gradually increase the pellets and decrease the hay. It took us about 2 or 3 weeks to switch them over. And the pellets MUST be soaked. The beet pellet ratio is 2 cups to a full sized coffee can of water. Beet pulp expands and it will expand in the gut if it isnt soaked it will KILL your horse, and the alfalfa pellets will cause choke if not soaked. If soaked they are perfectly healthy and in fact provides a little extra water in the feed. Beet pulp provides nutrients and fat and alfalfa pellets provide protein. Last year the hay in our area went up to 20 per bale for the little 2 string bales. Mainly because a lot of it went to TX because of the fires and drought they suffered over there also some of the places sold out to Saudi Arabia cause they were paying astronomical prices for it over there. It hasn't really gone up too much yet this year. But isn't too much my problem now.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.nmbarrelhorses.com
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 08:51:38 AM
#1 alfalfa here is $17, # 2 is $15, cowhay is $13, this is for 125# bales, and buying direct from the farmer...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| kysheeplady |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 07:46:16 AM
I preorder from year to year so I get mine at $350 a square bale of alfalfa.
Teri
"There are black sheep in every flock"
White Sheep Farm
www.whitesheepfarm.com |
| SandraM |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 07:43:02 AM
Hay is very expensive here double more than double than we we have paid the last few years.
average for alfalfa was 8.00 a bale. I am sure more now with winter here. We had to buy grass hay this year and we still spent over 5.00.
We had to cut back on our hay and supplement with more feed.
Feed prices are higher too but more available than hay.
Hoping for a better year next year!
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 09 2013 : 06:57:55 AM
Whoa, something is wrong there. It was a great year for hay here. I got square bales out of the field for $2.50 a bale. And out of the barn is between $3-4 a bale. Wow. I think I'd have to move from there. How do people afford to feed their animals? I'm swapping a half lamb for 37 bales of hay. I had gotten around 180 back during the summer. Thought that would last til spring. I'm down to about 30 bales now. I'm going through at least 2 bales a day.
Maybe you could go in with some other farmers and get a semi load delivered? Seems like that would be well worht the cost.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
