# Round vs Square bales of hay



## BRBG7 (Oct 17, 2013)

I was thinking i might want to expand my goat herd to about 20-50 goats in the future. Right now I'm feeding square bales to about 10 does. Do larger breeders use round bales or a bunch of square bales of hay? Which is better/more cost efficient? Are there goat sized goat round bale feeders?


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

Round bales are much cheaper, but there's usually more waste involved. Most breeders in my area go with the rounds, it's cost efficient and the leftover hay goes to their cows or horses.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

BRBG7 said:


> I was thinking i might want to expand my goat herd to about 20-50 goats in the future. Right now I'm feeding square bales to about 10 does. Do larger breeders use round bales or a bunch of square bales of hay? Which is better/more cost efficient? Are there goat sized goat round bale feeders?


I feed either 3X3X8 or 3X4X8 large square bales. If I had my way, I would be feeding small squares because they are so much faster, but I digress. There are bale feeders for any sized bale on the market, but you will end up with a LOT of waste, some seriously spoiled goats, and a lot of flies if you use any of them. The goats will pick through it, eat the best parts and tromp the rest into the ground or pee and poop on it. As for feeding the waste to other animals, no animal will eat hay that's been peed and pooped on. The advantage of large square bales is that you can easily figure how much each flake weighs by dividing number of flakes by weight of the bale - that is not possible with round bales.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

I also feed 3x3x8 or 3x4x8 now. Easy to store, easy to handle, and less waste is what I like about them versus round. They do cost more, but I think it comes out in wash when you take into consideration waste.


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## simeo (Aug 3, 2013)

We use square bales and feeders constructed of shipping pallets. Take two pallets and put them in a V shape, then cap the ends with two other pallets. Screw them together and throw your square bales in. Make sure the V pallets have wide openings. Very little waste with properly sized/cut hay because as the goats pull their hay out the excess falls between the pallet. They then reach back in and eat the excess before getting more. 

If you have goats with horns make sure to use chicken wire or something similar to block off the top open slats to make sure the goats don't get their horns stuck while eating high.


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## Alex_K (Jun 10, 2014)

simeo said:


> We use square bales and feeders constructed of shipping pallets. Take two pallets and put them in a V shape, then cap the ends with two other pallets. Screw them together and throw your square bales in. Make sure the V pallets have wide openings. Very little waste with properly sized/cut hay because as the goats pull their hay out the excess falls between the pallet. They then reach back in and eat the excess before getting more.
> 
> If you have goats with horns make sure to use chicken wire or something similar to block off the top open slats to make sure the goats don't get their horns stuck while eating high.


Could you take and share with us a picture of your pallet feeder, please?

Alex / Delaware


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

I do not feed round bales to anything but cows because horses and goats just waste it. Not to mention I have never bought a round Bale that didn't have mild in it.


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## simeo (Aug 3, 2013)

Alex_K said:


> Could you take and share with us a picture of your pallet feeder, please?


I could do that. Next time I'm out with the girls I'll take a photo of the two pallet feeders I have.


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## BRBG7 (Oct 17, 2013)

Thanks for all the advice. I might consider small round bales in the future or large square bales over the small squares because we already put up about 200 bales for just a few goats.


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## BRBG7 (Oct 17, 2013)

simeo said:


> I could do that. Next time I'm out with the girls I'll take a photo of the two pallet feeders I have.


 I can't wait to see a picture of your feeder design!


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## BRBG7 (Oct 17, 2013)

simeo said:


> I could do that. Next time I'm out with the girls I'll take a photo of the two pallet feeders I have.


I can't wait to see a picture of your feeder design!


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## simeo (Aug 3, 2013)

BRBG7 said:


> I can't wait to see a picture of your feeder design!


It's pretty simple and costs next to nothing to make.

One of them isn't in use during the summer. The kid pen one has some slits cut into some boards to make it easier for them to access from the bottom.

Both of them need new tarps for the top. We have a trouble maker goat (shocker eh?) who decided to rip holes in the tarps. We may just switch to removable metal tops to the feeders. One of them is being used to "complete" a fence with it's position and feed both sides of the fence at the same time.



















Notice the floor of the feeder and how much is "wasted".


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## Alex_K (Jun 10, 2014)

This is great! 

Especially the fact that this could be also incorporated in the fencing (my fence is mostly made out of pallets). 


Alex / Delaware

Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I also use the same feeders for my goats.


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## bclev (Feb 24, 2014)

Did u take the boards off the inside of the v's or just use them as is?


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## Hodgson (Jan 7, 2014)

I much prefer round bales. Easier to handle (I have a tracked loader) and way more cost efficient compared to square. Plus I hate stacking square. Lol. We grow all our own hay now and bale both round and square, which was not my idea. My husband thinks we might need both, and I suppose square will be easier to feed in the barn but I managed just fine with rounds all these years. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Lol I don't get a lot of waste, the spacing in the feeders are only 3" so they are unable to just pull out the hay and drop it. As for horses wasting it, mine have never wasted any. They eat all of it and I don't fork more to them until they do. The Percheron gets his free choice and also doesn't waste any. I'd be forking all day to keep up with his appetite!


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I saw a guy wrap chicken wire around his round bale, so the goats could only put their mouth in the hole. He said it works great and there's not much waste, if you do it right. I might try that if I get a round bale this fall..the only problem is the sharp edges, he filed and taped them to prevent injury.


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## simeo (Aug 3, 2013)

bclev said:


> Did u take the boards off the inside of the v's or just use them as is?


As is. The extra gap creates less waste. Depending on the size of the gaps in your pallets and if your goats have horns or not you may need to cut into some boards for access.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I have a fairly small herd (including kids for sale and 2 meat bucklings destined for freezer camp) of 20 or so goats. I feed the big round bales. The ones I buy are 500 pounds each. My hay guy delivers them to me (he lives a mile up the road) for 55 for 2. The square bales would cost me twice as much, though I do use them in a pinch or if the weather is going to be really bad. The average price for a 35 or 40 pound square bale in my area is 4.00 to 4.50 each.

I have no place for storage, so the big round bales can be kept under tarps near the barn. I unravel what I need for each feeding and wheel it to them in a wheelbarrow.

My goats seem to prefer the hay from the big round bales better than the hay from the square bales. The horses don't seem to care one way or the other. I think the square bale hay is shorter in length and more prickly than the big round bales. The hay in those seem to be longer and no where near as prickly.


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