Laying in the hay

Bob and I spent the evening getting the 2nd of the round hay bales, just baled last week, to the loafing shed. Then we worked on the fencing. We only got the top tape strung up to the gate.

Bob happened to be collecting the 1st bale earlier in the day and started chatting with the guy who was baling the alfalfa next to our hay field. It turns out he has some large square bales of hay for sale.

Our hay field that we planted the first summer here, produced 8 round bales the first cutting but we only keep half. Our neighbor, Art, cuts it and turns it and contracts with Larry, another neighbor, to bale it. In return, Art gets half. The second cutting only produced 2 bales so we are going to be a bit short by spring.

The hay was delivered right away this afternoon. Bob also bought the round horse hay feeder. It’s in pieces. As soon as the fencing is done, we’ll get that together. We should be just about ready for colder weather!!!

Just in case you're interested, here's the scoop on hay. Horses vary and sizes of bales vary, so it is very general.

• The average horse needs around 25 pounds of food a day
• A square bale of hay is around 50 pounds
• A round bale of hay is around 1500 pounds=30 square bales
• A large square bale is around 850 pounds=17 square bales