Round bales or square?

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

Which do you use? Which do you think is better? Why? Why don't you like the other? Or, do you use silage? Grain?

 

[Thewife]

We feed only local hay here, in small squares and big rounds.

I like the small square bales!
We can get them into the loft!
I can drop or drag them into the feed bunk and don't have to go outside on nasty days!
I can carry them!

I like the big round bales!
I can feed away from the barn!
Less mess to clean up on the slab!
No forking bad spots, sticks, or any other inedible stuff out of the feed bunk!
Dropped seeds, grows new grass!

If I had to choose one or the other, I would go with small squares! We get too much rain to feed the rounds all winter.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

We use a wide variety. Here is how we use them.

Small Square bales are used for indoor feedings. Easier to handle.

Large square bales are okay but, require indoor or covering with plastic for storage. We stay away from theses.

Large round bales are used for feeding the heifers/dry cows. Work great for this group.

Hayledge is put up in a silo. It's fed to the cows by wheelbarrow load.

Oatledge is put up in a silo. It's also fed to the cows by wheelbarrow load.

Corn silage is put in a pile to feed to the heifers/dry cows. More energy to help them through the really cold winter days.

Yes, we feed grain. The milking cows/springingers get grain for production. The calves and small heifers get grain for growth. The bigger heifers and dry cows get protein tubs.

As for which, I like better, I think we have it down to what works good in each area for us. Everyone's operation is different so what may work good for one may not for another.

 

[wynedot55]

we feed round bales only.i do have some sq bales to use for cattle in the corral.i think the sq hay is 2 or 3yrs old.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

We used primarily the large round bales. We use LRB's because of the ability to shed moisture since we don't have any shelter or tarps to cover them to keep them out of the elements like what is needed for small or large squares.

I've fed small squares to the horses at the vet clinic too. It's a bit of work...but I'm not complaining.

I like the LRB's better because you only have to feed one bale to a smaller group of animals instead of sweating it out feeding one SSB per animal. Though I really don't have much of a preference, since handling SSB's sure give you the exercise LRB's can't. Plus LRB's can be unrolled in one long strip around the corral unlike SSB's.

We fed the steers barley silage along with haybales. Steers tend to gain good weight on that than with the haybales alone. A little bit of grain is fed as a treat; mainly chopped up barley fed in 5-gal pails once a day at about 1 lb/100 wt/animal.

 

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

Plus LRB's can be unrolled in one long strip around the corral unlike SSB's.

I never thought of that. I'll mention that to my dad.

We only feed large round bales. My dad won't have anything to do with little ones. I like square bales, A: Because if the tractor breaks down, we have no way to feed B: It offers more intimate time with the animals, throwing hay over the fence daily.

That's just my opinion.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

It's also alot more work and more time consuming putting up small square bales. Plus, you have to have somewhere to store them inside.

 

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

It's also alot more work and more time consuming putting up small square bales. Plus, you have to have somewhere to store them inside.

Yes, I know that. Both round and square have their advantages and disadvantages. I just wanted to hear other people's opinions, to see what they feed and why they do it. Thanks, everyone!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Plus LRB's can be unrolled in one long strip around the corral unlike SSB's.

I never thought of that. I'll mention that to my dad.

We only feed large round bales. My dad won't have anything to do with little ones. I like square bales, A: Because if the tractor breaks down, we have no way to feed B: It offers more intimate time with the animals, throwing hay over the fence daily.

That's just my opinion.

Yes, they can be unrolled. There's a device that can be installed on the back of a pickup truck that grabs the bale by the flat ends and as the truck goes along the bale unrolls: going opposite of how it was created in the baler. We don't do that, but it's something I learned from another forum a while back.

Another thing I forgot it add in comparisons is that SSB's are a pain in the a$$ when a) they're not tied proper or b) you're handling them wrong and they break apart on you too soon. I've had that happen and had to make a couple trips with the wheel barrow to get the one square bale to where I should go. LRB's don't have that problem, breaking apart.

One disadvantage of LRB's though is the occaisonal (but rare) occurance of having strings throughout the bale. Had that happen with a straw bale and had to leave it until spring to get the strings.

 

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

Plus LRB's can be unrolled in one long strip around the corral unlike SSB's.

I never thought of that. I'll mention that to my dad.

We only feed large round bales. My dad won't have anything to do with little ones. I like square bales, A: Because if the tractor breaks down, we have no way to feed B: It offers more intimate time with the animals, throwing hay over the fence daily.

That's just my opinion.

Yes, they can be unrolled. There's a device that can be installed on the back of a pickup truck that grabs the bale by the flat ends and as the truck goes along the bale unrolls: going opposite of how it was created in the baler. We don't do that, but it's something I learned from another forum a while back.

Another thing I forgot it add in comparisons is that SSB's are a pain in the a$$ when a) they're not tied proper or b) you're handling them wrong and they break apart on you too soon. I've had that happen and had to make a couple trips with the wheel barrow to get the one square bale to where I should go. LRB's don't have that problem, breaking apart.

One disadvantage of LRB's though is the occaisonal (but rare) occurance of having strings throughout the bale. Had that happen with a straw bale and had to leave it until spring to get the strings.

My dad has had LOTS of trouble with SRBs. It's not just LRBs that get the strings throughout. Last year we had half a batch that had that problem. Our baler was just getting up to speed...

You've given me some great ideas. Thanks!