Ways To Cut Your Horse Cost without Neglect or Selling?

[RackinRudy]

As most of you know with the bad economy, owners are having harder times caring for their horses. Which could result in neglect, poor nutrition, selling, auctioning, even euthansia.

I'm hoping to get ideas from you all that I could share with my viewers on my websites including Michigan Horse (http://www.michigan-horse.com), Wisconsin Horse (http://www.wisconsin-horse.com), Kentucky Horse (http://www.kentucky-horse.com), Tennessee Horse (http://www.tennessee-horse.com) and Colorado Horse (http://www.colorado-horse.com).

I don't know if these are good examples or not but ... Round bales instead of Square bales (my hay guy cuts the same fields for both ... equally as good hay but cheaper to go with round bales) I pay $6.50 for a bale and he says there are about 20 bales in a round bale so ... 20 bales equal $130 / Round bale is $70. Good savings there!

Also how about leasing your horse part-time to help you get through the hard times?

Things like this will help me get ideas to my readers.

Thanks!

[walkinthewalk]

Hmmm, great idea for a thread. Hopefully it will provide some good information; which, by the way, thanks for the links since I live in Tennessee:cowboy:

The roundbale is a good idea in instances where there are more than two horses, but a word of caution on buying roundbales:

1. Be careful of what kind of hay it is. There's cow hay & there's horse hay. There's old hay cows can eat and horses can't.

2. If a person only has two horses and the roundbale is left out in the pasture without any cover, the hay can rot, get moldy, and even have rats, mice, or other rodents nesting in the bottom of it over a period of time.

3. If a horse is an easy-keeper, maybe even heading toward being metabolic, and they like the hay in the roundbale, they would need to be monitored for "time on & time off". If it's good quality hay and the horses don't have much pasture, they may eat until their hooves are pointing skyward.

My "savings" thoughts, go the other direction --- toward the horse owner. There are ways to cut back in terms of not needing that fancy new saddle, bridle, riding boots, hat, chaps, etc. In other words, a person doesn't need to look like they just stepped out of Western Horseman or Horseman's Chronicle to enjoy the horse.

The 1978 GMC 4WD that I bought in 1981 is STILL pulling the 1987 open stock horse trailer that I bought new in 1987. Simply put, take care of the older equipment, so as to avoid a big honkin' truck and trailer payment. Pulling into the show grounds or a trail riding event in new equipment "just for show" and to be in the "in the crowd" will soon put someone close to the welfare line if they don't have the paycheck to support that new equipment.

If a horse is in a boarding situation that offers "all the amenties" but the paycheck is now having trouble paying for all that, do your level best to find a facility that isn't as fancy and be prepared to do some of the work yourself. Providing you aren't already working two jobs, and just can't get to the barn except for your days off.

That might sound harsh, but so is horse abandonment, or severe neglect because the dollars aren't there to give the horse proper nutritional and hoof care.

Nothing is simple. I went thru some very tough economic times when my son's father and I split back in the 80's and he wouldn't pay child support. My high paying job was always on and off, so every two years I was struggling. Somehow, I managed a dirt bike for my son and to hang onto my two horses - one of whom I had raised from birth. I cut back in places I didn't know I could cut in --- turn the heat way back, shut the lights out behind me, eat healthy but very frugal. It helped I knew how to fix my son's dirt bike if it broke, so if minor things go wrong in your home, cut those fingernails back and learn how to fix things for yourself.

Those two horses? They stayed with me until I had to send them to ancestors at ages 27 & 29. I have no regrets for the sacrifices I made for them OR my son, whom I was only privileged to have for 19 years.

Dig in and get creative --- a way can always found unless the horse owner is so "upside down" financially, that there is no alternative but to find the horse a new home or euthanize it---------------

[cyb]

Great advice Walkinthewalk, you sound like a very independant woman.

[Suzi]

The round bale hay switch can the quickest way to save. But definately follow the previous posts advice.
Scout the dollar stores for cleaning and grooming products. Take care of the tack you have. Just a few mintes to clean and store yout stuff will save in the long run.
Is your horse well trained? Consider a half lease. Of course it can be a rocky road, so be sure of whom you'd share your horse with.
Do you take lessons 3 to 4 times a week. Drop 1 and do the math. How much will you save in month. Do the same if you go on organized trail rides or show often. Tough times........

[lovesfortune]

Walkinthewalk had GREAT advice about the hay. We get our own hay from our fields so it's good horse hay that the cattle eat too. But last year when we ran out and had to buy we had to make sure it was HORSE quality for everyone.

[Peggy Sue]

go with a high nutrition feed designed to be fed at lower levels ....

go barefoot instead of shod

round bales are fine as long as they are baled properly ... be sure to put something around them to stop waste

[mandisue]

round bales are fine as long as they are baled properly ... be sure to put something around them to stop waste


If you can't afford a round bale feeder, as I can't then pile the hay up as they tear it up. I try to go out every evening and pile suseys back up and fluff it so it stays more concentrated in a pile.Less waste.

[FoxFireEMT]

Good post. I'm def. the one that goes for the "lesser" admenities. Many barns still have some of the amenities with out the price. Meaning they are not top of the line for example hot/cold baths just cold. (so just bathing in the summer is appropriate) Also many boarders specially in the larger facilities with a lot horse and not a much help will welcome an extra hand for a little deduction or free lesson or whatever.

[Turn and Burn]

All good advice. You can cut down the price of hay by quite a bit by buying from a farmer instead of the feed store.

[palomino]

On the barefoot instead of shod note: it is only cheaper if your horse can go awhile between trims- I have some clients on 3, 4, and 5 week schedules for different reasons (balancing issues, WLD, etc) so its only cheaper if your horse has good feet, and your farrier is inexpensive.

[FredRock]

Easiest thing to do is stop buying anything that you don't need. Although a lot of people probably already do that, it will at least cut down to your core costs.

Buying a round bale, storing it, and feeding by weight is a good way to save money. It helps to cut waste too.

[Ranger44]

Buying a round bale, storing it, and feeding by weight is a good way to save money. It helps to cut waste too.

I have also started peeling hay off the big round bale instead of free feeding it in the feeder. It can really save a lot of hay.

[PatriotsDreamer]

alot of vets charge for the injection of the shot and the shot itself. Have your vet teach you how to give your own shots and do it yourself.

if you stall and feed hay off ground, put it in a hay net so less gets wasted and trampled

LEARN TO SHEATH CLEAN YOURSELF if you have a gelding!:rolleyes:

baling twine and duct tape can fix many broken things.

[cloedoll]

This is a great idea for a thread! I can't contribute many ideas, but if I think of more I'll be sure to post again.

♥ If you need to buy new tack, be sure to check eBay, you would be surprised with how many equine items are listed there and how cheap you can find them for.
♥ Instead of just throwing away your bailing twine, make a hay net out of it!

That's all I have at the moment, I'll post more later. =D

[PatriotsDreamer]

use energy saving lightbulbs if you need light in the barn!

[Peggy Sue]

If you can't afford a round bale feeder, as I can't then pile the hay up as they tear it up. I try to go out every evening and pile suseys back up and fluff it so it stays more concentrated in a pile.Less waste.


go ghetto and use skids cut to 32"s most places will give them to you and they keep the hay in great

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/pictures/files/1/5/3/7/4/ghettohayfeeder6.jpg

[Peggy Sue]

front shoes $55 full set $75 trim $25 save from $30 to $50 IF your horse can do it

[RackinRudy]

go ghetto and use skids cut to 32"s most places will give them to you and they keep the hay in great

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/pictures/files/1/5/3/7/4/ghettohayfeeder6.jpg

i love that you have a picture attached ... skids = palletts? :huh:
thanks, lisa

[menagerie]

For us it just worked out on shoeing that I preferred them barefoot rather than shod which is a difference of $55 vs $20-25, so that parts great. Plus we started buying our hay in bulk for the year and pick it up 'out of the pasture' as he bales it so we get our square bales for like 3.15 a bale vs. 4.50.

[menagerie]

Oh and just to be clear, I'm not opposed to shoeing if its needed but ours don't and do better barefoot.

[Vegashorselady]

How about repairing and patching old blankets and sheets rather than buying new ones. We have an equine laundry and repair service here for the really tuff stuff but I do a lot of repairs on my own. I'm not an expert at sewing so the repairs are not always pretty but they work. The minute I notice a tiny rip I take the blanket or sheet and repair it before it gets bigger. Sometimes an iron on patch is all it takes! If you don't have a sewing machine a you can do it by hand with a big thick needle. Also, if an old blanket is finally beyond all repair keep any undamaged buckles and straps for future replacements and repairs.

[medicine hat]

yes I repaired blankets for the barn owner last year, using old denim jeans for patches~ some blankets were ripped down the whole side! but they have held up well. I used fishing line for thread.
some other ladies where I board are pasture boarding instead of having stalls to save money. it saves $75 per month. They started last summer though, so their horses have grown a nice winter coat already~it's probably to late to pasture board a stalled horse this season, but that is an option for next year.

[Buckpoco]

When my hubby got sick and I had to retire to care for him, it was tighten the belt or lose the horses. So, we stopped boarding, moved an hour away to a less expensive area, and brought the horses home.
Before he got sick we also ate out a lot. No more. I get my staples at Walmart and use lots of veggies with less meat or poultry. We eat very healthy foods and save lots by not eating out.
We've been saving all year to go to the Horse Expo...I'll get any needed items there, and find the best price. They usually give good deals there.
I also use CW wormer and buy the large container but find the cheapest shipping rates.
I got my horse vet to take care of the cat...that saves a lot.
I also only drive when necessary to save gas. We trailer out a lot less.

[Cat]

My local hay guy lets us go pick up the bales of hay in the field for a lower price than him already having its stacked and ready to go for us. We went that route this year and probably saved close to $200 on the hay cost.

We buy a feed a local feed store mixes for the horses instead of the name-brand already bagged stuff. The horses have done well on it and we can buy a 100 lb bag for the price of the 50 lb bag of similar purina.

Shop around for the best wormer prices.

Find out what shots you can legally give without a vet and buy online and give them yourself. You can do this with dogs and cats as well.

[Miracle Whip]

YOU could learn to trim your own horses hooves. Bit of an initial investment but pays fo ritself in the long run. Even a good rasp will lengthen the time between farrier visits, or like mine, you can ride on the gravel roads and wear down hooves that way.

No blankets. Watch for coupons on the pelleted feeds. I used to buy pellets at Tractor Supply on sale because it was almost as cheap as oats.

Cut back on wormer - see Ryle's thread about wormers being over used and their decreased effectiveness.

Buy groceries at Aldi's or Fareway. Not convinced that Walmart always has the best prices.

Carpool to work.

Install a Woodmaster or other outdoor furnace and BURN WOOD

INSULATE your home, buy an electric blanket for YOURSELF, etc. Go to bed early and turn down the thermostat. Lack of sleep contributes to DIABETES.

[42many]

Great ideas!

I did want to point out regarding a full or partial lease on your horse that you need to be very careful of legal issues. For instance, leasing out your horse to stay at another facility is safer than leasing them out for someone to ride at your place. If you have other people coming to your personal barn to ride, make SURE that you have some sort of liability coverage in place just in case. Remember - no matter how nice THEY are, their INSURANCE is going to be the one suing! However, it still could definitely be a good cost saving idea. Indeed, even free-leasing a horse with the other person paying all the monthly expenses can save you a lot of money.

[Hobo]

That works IF you live in an are where round bales are common, but in my area round bales are actually trucked in from other states. The cheapest round bale around here at the moment is $135.:eek:






I don't know if these are good examples or not but ... Round bales instead of Square bales (my hay guy cuts the same fields for both ... equally as good hay but cheaper to go with round bales) I pay $6.50 for a bale and he says there are about 20 bales in a round bale so ... 20 bales equal $130 / Round bale is $70. Good savings there!

[gaited07]

YOU could learn to trim your own horses hooves. Bit of an initial investment but pays fo ritself in the long run. Even a good rasp will lengthen the time between farrier visits, or like mine, you can ride on the gravel roads and wear down hooves that way.




WHAT:eek: GRAVEL ROADS TO TRIM A HOOF???:eek: How much hoof can you trim in less than a mile? (need more than a gravel road to trim up a hoof properly)
As for trimming your own horses, make sure you have some idea about balance otherwise you can do more damage and COST more money to fix the damage.

I'm sorry Summer, (Miracle Whip) I would not recomend for just anyone trimming up (rasping) their horses hooves to save money unless you understand some part of balance, heels, toes and all the other important aspects of the horses hoof, which is the FOUNDATION of the HORSE.

[alittleoffkey]

Look at the supplements you're feeding your horse - does Fluffy really need all of that? Probably not. ;) That's always a great initial cut back. Even if your horse does need supplements, make sure you're giving them the proper amount... a lot of people like to over-use them - if you're just supposed to fill the scoop, don't give your spoiled rotten a heaping scoop - a mere scoop will do. Shop around and see if the off-brand has good reviews - then find the cheapest place to buy the off-brand. ;)

Look honestly at your horse's weight. Is he heavy? Could his ration be cut back a bit? If so - do it. It'll help both of you in the long run. :)

Talk to your farrier and ask about adding another week or two between trimmings - if you're getting trimmed every six weeks that's almost 9 times a year. If you just bump that up to every 7 weeks then you've cut it down to 7 - that's probably over $50-$100 you've saved right there, per horse. If your horse can wait until 8 weeks then that's at least another $50 that you can save... but only if that will be okay for your horse. :)

If you board and your barn doesn't have designated 'farrier/vet' days, then talk to fellow boarders and schedule so that you can all split the travel fee. If you haul in to the vet, offer to take fellow boarders with you and split the gas in half.

No need to buy Stubben tack oil - the stuff at Tractor Supply works too, I promise. Now's also not the time for the rhinestone studded headstall and reins for no reason other than they're shiney.

Dollar store grooming supplies (brushes, combs, rubber bands, hair clips, soap, conditioner...). Skip the treats... if you just have to buy them, buy in bulk at the dollar store or similar cheap-o place. :D

Don't use disposable stuff in the barn - ie: use rags or towels instead of papertowels to clean out the buckets! Rinse them out, hang them up and they'll be ready to use next time!

Pay attention to what your horse is telling you, and don't hesitate to call and ask your vet about it. Noticing and paying for a very small problem today might save you a big vet bill tomorrow.

[Miracle Whip]

Ok, this must be attack Summer day. Lets keep the drama off of forum for Washingtons Bay sake. My horses are cared for very well and I get sick of posters on this forum and others that are scared to death to even CONSIDER working on their own horses hooves. In 3 years I have had no issues with either one of their hooves and they are never sore footed...in my mind. So DROP IT NOW.

[Miracle Whip]

My dad trimmed 4 horse's for as long as we owned them. I watched him do it and I watch my current farrier and I ask guestions. I might not be as educated as you all think I need to be, but neither am I a total fluff either around horses. Otherwise, why would I be working weekends at horse boarding facilities??

[Miracle Whip]

And I would NEVER recommend to anyone that feeding round bales is a way to save money. Lots of waste and a round bale feeder costs what? $200 or so? So I don't agree on that, but did I say anything??

Sorry Washington, I'll go do something productive.

[WashingtonBay]

It's your Sunday Summer :D Spend it how you like :D

[Cat]

As for trimming your own horses, make sure you have some idea about balance otherwise you can do more damage and COST more money to fix the damage.

I'm sorry Summer, (Miracle Whip) I would not recomend for just anyone trimming up (rasping) their horses hooves to save money unless you understand some part of balance, heels, toes and all the other important aspects of the horses hoof, which is the FOUNDATION of the HORSE.

I guess I read her post differently. She said LEARN how to trim your horse's hooves. To me that means have someone teach you how. There are weekend clinics that can show you how to maintain hooves between trims where a person learns on a cadavar hoof. There are also some farriers who are willing to show a person what they need to do to upkeep between trims. I did not read it as a - just go out and do it - type of statement.

[gaited07]

I guess I read her post differently. She said LEARN how to trim your horse's hooves. To me that means have someone teach you how. There are weekend clinics that can show you how to maintain hooves between trims where a person learns on a cadavar hoof. There are also some farriers who are willing to show a person what they need to do to upkeep between trims. I did not read it as a - just go out and do it - type of statement.


This is exactly what I mean. THere are clinics to help people understand about their horses hooves and yes, maybe to rasp them in between sessions. I don't agree with just anyone going out to the barn and rasping their horses hooves without prior knowledge from someone skilled.
We all know that there is a lot of mechanics involved in the horses hooves,tendons, muscles, bones and to have them off balance for any length of time will lame or do further damage to the horse.

[Lynn_70]

I also save a ton of money by trimming my own hooves. I watched and listened to a great farrier for 3 years first then had him check my work after finally getting the guts to do it myself! This alone saves $100 every 6-8 weeks- my biggest expense for them besides hay. It's not for the faint of heart and takes a lot of physical work and a patient horse. The best part is that your horses are comfortable with you and they get to be really wonderful at being trimmed since they get it so frequently!

I also learned how to give my own vaccine and order them online at half the cost of my local veterinary office- I only have them come to give Rabies and check teeth.

Buying wormer in bulk online is also much cheaper than locally.

I tried switching to round bales last year to save money and did NOT have the problems with waste when using a bale feeder. However, they eat nearly twice as much so I didn't end up saving much if anything and they came out looking fat as pigs....

I also only buy new tack that I actually NEED now VS. collecting because I LIKE it.

I have also repaired blankets using patches, fabric glue, and heavy thread myself vs. buying new or taking them to a tailor.

I "trailer share" with a few friends when going on an away trail ride and we split the gas also.

Lynn

[42many]

I don't actually rasp my horse's hooves right now, but I have had several farriers along the years indicate that this was a reasonable thing to learn to do. Not as a replacement for the farrier necessarily, but certainly as an extension between periods. If you have a good farrier, you just have them do the trim job and then weekly you run a rasp over them to keep them in the same basic condition. You aren't changing angles or doing major repairs, you are just keeping them from growing out as fast. Even if you just extend your farrier visits a few weeks at a time, you are saving money. Depends on the horse, of course, if you can do this sort of thing (some horses require pretty significant care). All 4 of mine, however, would probably do perfectly well with it. I understand a quality rasp is pretty expensive, though.

[luvs2ride1979]

The thing I found most useful was to pay more for GOOD HAY and cut out grain. I now just feed 1/2 scoop of oats a day (one of those 2qt scoops) and a general vitamin supplement (Uckele's Equi-Base Grass at the moment). It's a lot cheaper for me overall and my horses are really showing better condition/health!

I also took the plunge and pulled shoes and learned how to trim myself. It saved me money in the long run (though initial tool/equipment cost was pricey) and I have a better relationship with my horse. I learned the Ramey trim and both horses are doing great! My mare needed boots for a while and still does for extra rocky trails, but she's doing a lot better than expected. My gelding was sound right off and never looked back! I do trim more often though, every 3-4 weeks on my mare and every 4-5 weeks on my gelding.

We also cut out all shows and trails that we have to trailer too. We're simply heading out longer or on different routes from home!

[luvs2ride1979]

I understand a quality rasp is pretty expensive, though.

Rasps aren't the expensive part. Most are $18-26 each and last a amateur trimmer 6-8 trims, depending on how hard your horse's hooves are. The expensive tools are good nippers and a good hoof stand. I paid almost $300 for both :eek:. I use either a rasp or an angle grinder (with a sanding flapper disk) for the bottom of the feet, and rasp frequently enough that I actually hardly ever use my nippers.

[mustangluver]

My feeder cost 99 bucks and the horses laying it when its empty carry it around and its good for young horses,
http://www.bigbalebuddy.com/page/page/2674952.htm
each day I go if they have pulled any out I pick it up and put it back in if its not covered with poo or pee.

Dollar store big time, for wipes, brishes, tooth brushes, buckets, cansisters.
I do buy bagged feed.
Wormers 3 horsey friends go in on a big case a year and we are all set, we get 2 kinds and its saves money.

I make my own treats and I put supplements in them as well, so they don't get wasted when my horses dump their feed dishes.

Tack, second hand all the way, wipe it off clean it up and it looks as good as the day I got it.

I shop sales, horselovers.com is having dollar days again.

Fly spray I make my own, and i use nylons and tube socks and soak them and put the tubes or nylons on their legs and sometimes tail.

Think thats all I can think of right now.



And I would NEVER recommend to anyone that feeding round bales is a way to save money. Lots of waste and a round bale feeder costs what? $200 or so? So I don't agree on that, but did I say anything??

Sorry Washington, I'll go do something productive.

[Peggy Sue]

you don't have to buy a round bale feeder you can make one ... one big round cost me $35 and last almost two weeks for three horses

[Miracle Whip]

Yes and during those 2 weeks your hay is being exposed to sun, rain, snow, dirt, poop and pee and whatever critter wants to build a nest during those 2 weeks. Yuck. Round bales are for cows. Only if the bale was being eatten in a relatively short amount of time would I even consider it. I'd rather go out twice a day and feed the squares.

[gaited07]

you don't have to buy a round bale feeder you can make one ... one big round cost me $35 and last almost two weeks for three horses

WOW, that is cheap. I pay 28.00 for a bale of timothy (115 lbs)
For the cost of the round bale, I would be happy to have a "little waste."

And I agree, you could make a bale feeder with a cover if you wanted to protect the bale from the weather and waste. You just have to be creative! ;)

[Lynn_70]

Miracle--
What makes you think that things aren't nesting in the square bales in the barn? While I prefer square bales as well, quality rounds work perfectly fine for most horses also. I get rounds only to supplement my supply since I don't have enough room for storage of squares- only can put up about 400 squares in my barn. The extra 10 round bales I get work well for the coldest months. Once it freezes around here, there isn't any molding or rotting- it's too damn COLD! Rounds are cheaper- 1100# bales for $30-$40 delivered.
Lynn

[RackinRudy]

I'm not the biggest fan of round bales but there are good farmers and bad.
Yes, I've seen maggots or dead animals in the round bales .... but find a good farmer that bales the round bales in the same fields and his awesome square bales and you'll be rockin'!

I'm going to have a newborn baby this winter and throwing all my hay right outside the barn doesn't sound appealing to me ... all the poop that will be there, yuck! I'll be getting 1100lb round bale and put it way in the back pasture to keep the poopies away ... at least for a couple months in the dead of winter. I agree, they shouldn't mold and his round bales are kept undercover while in storage and it gets too frickin' cold here too! ;)

[Peggy Sue]

a properly baled round won't mold or contain dead stuff... dead animals can end up in ANY bale of hay all it takes is for Mr Rabbit to be hopping thur the field at the wrong time!!!

My bales are stored outside until I feed them .. I have gotten bad rounds and I have ended up with bad squares as well... I use to HATE the rounds but since using them I am a convert ... I feed one round bale then about three days of sqaures then I put another round out...

[Miracle Whip]

Sorry - around here, if they can't get the baler to work on the squares they will dump it back out in the field and rebale it as round bales and use it for cows. It may not be the case for everyone, but typically the grass has been moved and beaten up a bit in the multiple baling process. And all of the round bales I have seen sure look pretty yicky to me. IMHO. With the squares I personally inspect everything that they are fed. I don't comb through it, but I will see and smell it and try to keep it off the ground.

I only have 2 horses and as long as the hay guy comes and helps us stack, I can put 6 months of hay in the building. If I had more than 2 horses than yes I'd have to use the rounds.

[Mica&Me]

Great suggestions in this thread. I use the dollar store for tons of stuff. I make my own horse conditioner (Equal parts water and leave in conditioner, add a splash of apple cidar vinegar if you want). Put it in a plastic spray bottle from the $ store - it works great as a conditioner and detangler.

We cancelled our TV cable service (no kids at home lol) and watch the news on our laptops. We get Netflix movies for entertainment and don't eat out anymore. No newspaper delivery either. I'm letting my horse magazine subscriptions expire and will get my info online. We also are cutting down on snacks, etc like other posters here mentioned and eating healthier. Notice "cutting down" on snacks not cutting them out.

If I think of anything else I'll post more.

Mari

[AppyLady]

I feed round bales, but I don't put them out for the horses to eat free choice. I fork some off and feed the horses individually. Takes a lot longer, but wastes less hay. The biggest savings is keeping the horses on pasture -- I don't feed hay unless there's snow on the ground. I feed very little grain, and it's all home grown.

I trim my own horses' hooves, and have done so for years. Always give my own shots, and do my own vet work unless it's an emergency.

I don't eat out, don't have cable TV, don't go to movies (we have Netflix), have only bares bones phone service (no caller ID, call waiting, that sort of thing). I wear a sweater in the house instead of turning up the furnace. I buy clothes at Goodwill.

I drive an old truck and pull and even older horse trailer.

I've always been poor and probably always will be! Poor, but happy. :)

[cowgirlup@idaho]

Around here we have large square bales. They are the size of a roundbale just square. Lots of horse people buy them to feed. They are cheaper like the roundbale but you hand feed from it by pulling off flakes. Kinda best of both worlds. The down side is they are hard to move around for storage w/o a tractor :(

[AppyLady]

Cowgirlup, I really like those big square bales. They're so much easier to feed than the round bales. They're more popular around here, too. I wish we had a square baler but they're too expensive, so we had to get the round baler instead. :(

[menagerie]

Giant square bales! How cool! I wish we had those here.