# Can hoats be fed round hay bales?



## run1251 (Jun 4, 2013)

Where we live about the only hay available is in great big round bales, not the smaller rectangles we used to feed. My neighbor tells me they set the round bales outside in the weather and the goats eat the hay from the bale. Has anyone every fed hay this way? I would think it would mold when it gets wet and that they would stomp all over it. These bales are huge, like 500 pounds! Can you pull some off every day and put it in a feeder or is that not possible? He thinks I'm being silly wanting to put little bits of fresh hay is a covered feeder every day. What do you think?


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## ciwheeles (Apr 5, 2013)

They can have round bales but they do have a tendency to jump on top of the bales and "relieve" themselves up there. After a while of them doing that it ruins the bale.  For that very reason I don't let my goats and horses be in the same fields together in the winter. Plus unless you have a lot of goats they may not eat all of it before it gets wet and moldy.

You can take pieces off the bale though. I don't think it's very convenient but I know people that have done it without any problems. . If you can find some way to cover the bale that would be the best thing for it. When it rains here, if I have a bale out I just cover it with a huge tarp and tie the tarp around it.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I know people who keep their round bales in a covered area and just take some off to feed the goats. That is just fine to do.


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## FlyingCross (Sep 16, 2013)

It is possible to feed just portions of a round bale. The easiest way I have found was lay the round bale on its side and the hay flakes off like you are taking apart a cinnamon roll. Once you get to the middle you may just have to give them the whole section, the middle is a pain to take apart usually.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

You may be able to buy a loose bale at a discounted price. Good round bales are very tight and tough to pull out pieces to feed.


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## mmiller (Apr 3, 2012)

That's all I feed is round bales. I keep the bale in a dry place turn it on its top an unroll flakes at a time. Its easier for me to store one round bale at a time then a bunch of squares. A family friend stores my bales for me in a barn an I go get one when I need it. If I had a place to store squares I would feed those just cause they are alil easier to flake off an feed. Gotta do what you gotta do. Ppl around here also think Im nuts for not just sitting a whole bale out at a time for the goats. Just cause you can do that for cattle doesn't mean you can do it for goats, which ppl around here think a goat is just a small cow.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I feed round bales to my goats too. The bucks get squares but that is because I only have a couple of them and they would never finish a round bale. My step-dad built me a round bale feeder out of an old cattle round bale feeder, some panels (we used cattle panels on each end and the horse panels for the rounded part), some square tubing and some used tin for the top. It is up off the ground, the goats can't get in it, and it has a shade over the top to keep the rain off of it. When the bale gets low I do have to get in there and pull down some off the top so they can reach it but it works really well. It will hold a 5 x 6 round bale that weighs about 1200-1400 lbs. One of the flat ends is on hinges and opens so you can set the bale in there with the tractor.

It's not pretty, but it works.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

A lot of the farmers here are going to round bales too. So hard for we "little folk" to handle those big bales. I may have to buy a tractor, lol. I bought a couple last year, certainly are cheaper then the squares. You should have seen us trying to get it out of the truck! "Keystone cops and the hay bale!" Finally, got it out and in the barn...we rolled it after we got it on the ground. So, then I set it on it's end, DH was a bit miffed, so I could tear it off in flakes. That wasn't too bad...but...oh my! Getting it in the barn was awful. 

That is a great feeder! But, I'd need that tractor...


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## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

Oh, I really like that hanging round bale feeder!!! Mine is on two plastic Pepsi skids with cattle panel around it in a rectangle. Works really well. Goats stay out, hay stays in. We are putting a roof on it for the winter, but I really like the idea of having it up off the ground more like the one above.


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## georgiagirl98 (Jun 30, 2013)

Wow thats an awesome feeder! 

I know someone who has a room on there barn that has concrete walls and floors and is a few feet on each side bigger than a round bale. It used to be a tack room now they put a round bale in it and give flakes to their goats. They said they love it because it stays clean and its easy to pick up pieces you have dropped so no waste. 

But i just give the horses the bale under their shelter in a hay ring and pull some off and put it in the goat feeders like that.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

mmiller said:


> ...which ppl around here think a goat is just a small cow.


I thought I was the only one who had to deal with that mindset.....good to know I'm not. :laugh:


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

we set out a round bale and wrap two cattle panels around it ..works good and the goats cant in in it or on top..you can set tin or a board on top to keep the rain out. We use a pitch fork to keep it raked toward the wire....

when we arent doing that ( rainy weather they eat in the barn lol) we pull right off the bale and putin hay feeders..


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

happybleats said:


> we set out a round bale and wrap two cattle panels around it ..works good and the goats cant in in it or on top..you can set tin or a board on top to keep the rain out. We use a pitch fork to keep it raked toward the wire....
> 
> when we arent doing that ( rainy weather they eat in the barn lol) we pull right off the bale and putin hay feeders..


I use a similar method. I cover the bale with tarp but keep an end open and pressed against the panel.


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