# Round vs square



## Baphomet (Jun 15, 2013)

Sorry if these are very basic questions:

I have read that square bales are better, but Round bales are so much cheaper. In my area the best hay for goats is peanut hay, but it does not come in round bales. We basically have Bermuda grass in round bales ( called tifton 44). All the Timothy, orchard and alfalfa comes from up north on trucks. 

Our heavy rains just started and my herd is out on pasture, but I'd like to have something for them until the grass gets really deep. I thought the pasture grass would last them longer but they are eating like crazy and it's not keeping up. Right now I just feed them flakes of whatever I can get as peanut is in short supply now, usually Timothy. My growing and lactating does get alfalfa. 

Does everyone here feed pasture and hay, or is it possible to have them do well on pasture grass alone? 

Do you ever worry about how hay is treated since your goats are for meat? Such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers. I know nothing about the hay business. 

If you feed round bales do you keep them covered somehow? About how long does it take to finish a round bale? I have seven goats.


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

It's possible for goats to thrive on pasture alone, IF there is enough of it and its nutritious.

I've never thought about chemicals in hay! You could just ask the grower about it if you're concerned.

It's good to keep the round bales covered, Sun and rain will suck out all its nutritional value. You can buy bale covers from ranch supply stores, or just use large tarps like I do. Put them on pallets so the bottoms don't get moldy and wasted.

As for how long a bale will last, that depends on the size of the bale (1/2 ton, 3/4 ton or 1 ton), what kind of hay it is, how large/productive your goats are and what they're eating...It's hard to put an estimate on that one.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

There is no reason to apologize. If you don't ask, how will you find out? 

Round bales are usually cheaper because they are easier to put up. I don't honestly know that the shape of the bale makes a difference if it is raised, cut, raked, and baled properly. I do know that square bales are easier to feed than round bales, and they also make it easier to know how much you are feeding per day. The average 8' long big square bale contains roughly 40 flakes. Dividing the weight of the bale by the number of flakes it contains tells you how much each flake weighs. 

No, I don't worry about chemical fertilizers or pesticides/herbicides. By the time the hay is cut and baled the pesticides/herbicides have become 'inert' (for lack of a better term), and any residue has been washed away by pivot systems or rain. By its very definition fertilizer is designed to be taken up by the plants, and the nutrients utilized for growth and higher quality hay.

All hay needs to either be stored in a barn/hay shed, or covered with tarps or some other type of cover to prevent rain/snow from soaking into it and causing it to mold, as well as to help prevent the elements from deteriorating the quality of the hay. If you get a lot of wind, tarps don't work because the wind whipping them on the surface of the bales causes cracks, wears holes, and tears out grommets leaving your hay vulnerable to the weather and rain.

How long a bale will last is going to depend on how much it weighs, how high the quality is, and what cutting it is. The higher the quality, the more nutrition, and the less you will need to feed. Generally speaking, 4th cutting is usually higher in nutrition than 1st cutting. Be careful with really good 4th cutting hay, though, as it has a tendency to cause bloat. The average standard sized, non-breed doe will eat a ton of something - hay, browse, grass, etc. - each year. That works out to 5.48 lbs per day. If heavy bred, increase the amount to roughly 6 lbs per day. Lactating does are probably somewhere between 6 and 8 lbs per day, depending on how many kids they are raising, how well they milk, and how much grain they are being fed. I hope this helps.


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

One of the things I like about our "local" hay is that there's little pesticides; the most farmers usually do is spray manure. Local is cheap and considered low quality compared to stuff that comes over the mountains so there's not much done it it.


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## Baphomet (Jun 15, 2013)

Thank you for the information. It's a lot to take in. Last year I bought two large round bales but I don't think the quality was good. I want to do better this year. I'm going to build a shelter for the bales and keep it on a pallet. I see some people cut the baling twine down, others leave them on their side with the twine on. Do the goats need help getting to hay on the inside of the roll?


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

If the baling twine is plastic, it HAS to be removed! Goats cannot digest plastic and it can cause some serious problems if ingested. It can also get tangled around feet and cause problems that way, too. If the twine is sisal, it should be removed but it is digestible to a degree - I'm not sure what degree, however. If the strings are cut and removed, the goats should not need any help getting to the middle of the roll unless they cannot reach it. They will simply pull out mouthfuls of the hay, eat the best parts and discard the rest. If you are free choice feeding using a bale feeder of some sort, the wasted hay needs to be cleaned up very regularly or you will have a major fly problem. Hay tends to hold moisture from the goats peeing on it, and it is an ideal breeding ground for flies.


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