I built this unroller. I insert the spikes manually. The sides move in/out hydraulically to accomodate different size bales, and I'm able to "clamp" a bale in it then to keep it from rolling until I want it to (comes in handy particularly with bales that want to fall apart too quickly, or like when unrolling in the corral and tight areas). I take a 2nd bale along to the pasture on the 3 pt. carrier. LOVE it! Unroll about 1000 bales a year with it. No "moving parts" to wear out, versatile, can unroll easily into ditches and other uneven ground areas that need "repair", can get into corrals etc., easily (like to entice the herd in). Takes up minimal shed space when not in use..., entirely self-propelled and self-contained unit, easy to drop off and use the tractor for other things with the skid-loader QT system.
I would disagree with the comment that cattle don't "add" anything to the decomposing bale. They exponentially add biological components that otherwise you won't have without running it through them. It's not just about the "fertility" (NPK analysis) of the hay or manure... that's just the "chemical component". The microbes ARE the much bigger part of any fertility program. THEY are what builds the aggregation, and water holding and infiltration capacity, and nitrogen capture and THEY feed the plants. BUT... the micro-biology also needs to be fed... organic matter. The hay residue provides that organic matter, and it provides a "house/habitat" for the micro-biological elements to function within.
Unroll the hay, if you can at all, IMO. I know you don't currently have an unroller... GET ONE! I don't care what kind... they all "work"... some just work better in some situations and for certain individuals than others... but they all accomplish the same goal... spreading out the bale across the pasture instead of dumping it all in one spot! Spread the wealth across as many acres as you can. In areas where it may need some extra help,
unroll more often, NOT just "deeper", which is what happens with bale grazing. Bale grazing generally results in the application of "too much of a good thing", overwhelming the capabilities of the soil biology to keep up and keep functioning optimally, which is why it requires "time" to recover back to full production levels ("dead spots" in the field for a year or two... they're not "dead"... the soil is actually very alive biologically, but the conditions prohibit the growth of much forages until it can "stabilize" it to where the forages "can thrive in it" again). You could apply the same amount of hay residue over the same amount of area by applying it in multiple different "applications", but the net result cumulatively will be better with bale unrolling, because you allowed the biology of the soil "R&R time" in between those applications, and you never "overwhelmed" it.
Think of it this way... you
need water to survive, and with the right amount of water, you can THRIVE. But you need some water everyday, at a specific proper amount every day. But if I have to bring you your water every day, and I decide to cut corners to make it easier FOR ME, and I just bring a whole years worth of water to you, and I dump it on you, maybe even put a ring around you so that it can't "escape" by just running off... you're going to DROWN! Same way with the microbes. They can only handle "so much". Smaller doses, with "R&R" allowed between them, will help them to thrive, rather than "drowning them" with "too much of a good thing". It really is that simple.


