Do you remove twine before feeding?

[Bright Raven]

Interesting. I never heard of anyone doing it here.

If it is sisal hemp twine, you can get away with out removing it. I cannot imagine anyone not removing the synthetic twine. Synthetic twine is not going to break down in a bovine's GI system.

That is why we use sisal on all of our hay. Haylage bales get net wrap as ice isn't an issue inside the plastic wrap....mostly.

Dave: here is the picture you just sent feeding.

 

[gcreekrch]

If it is sisal hemp twine, you can get away with out removing it. I cannot imagine anyone not removing the synthetic twine. Synthetic twine is not going to break down in a bovine's GI system.

That is why we use sisal on all of our hay. Haylage bales get net wrap as ice isn't an issue inside the plastic wrap....mostly.

Dave: here is the picture you just sent feeding.

That swamp grass doesn't look bad on the snow hey?

 

[coachg]

Every one I can ! Saw a pic of an autopsy on an older cow that had died. Gut/ stomach blocked with net wrap and twine.

 

[snoopdog]

We don't fool with removing sisal

 

[ez14.]

I never heard of LEAVING IT ON until I went to the Graham school in Kansas and was talking to some of the other farmers there!

 

[Dixie2542]

We remove all our string as well. Safer for the cattle and safer for the bushhogg..

 

[M-5]

 

[bse]

I remove all mine,
https://youtu.be/cj1AOlUp4P0 could help stay in shape

 

[farmerjan]

We remove all net wrap and plastic strings. Try to remove most of the sisal too. Hate to get it all tangled/wrapped up in the bushhog blades or tangled around the cows feet etc. We do store bales outside and often it is rotted on the bottom, but if we unroll it always gets pulled off so the bale will get a better start to unroll. I will also pick any up when I am checking when the cows are calving. Calves like to get in trouble, no need to give them even more things to cause problems.

We don't use any plastic string but occasionally buy hay with it. We do have a net wrap baler but don't use it near as much as the bigger one. Hate the plastic and net wrap but sometimes we have to use it to get done faster using the 2 balers or if the one has a breakdown. We use sisal on all our bales if possible.

 

[Texasmark]

I do both. Too many times have I seen cows in other's pastures chewing (and apparently swallowing) both twine and net. Besides if you come back over the feeding grounds with any kind of implement, be it mower or harrowing equipment, the twine/netting gets tangled up.

So what's the point in leaving it on?????????? Too much trouble to take it off???????

 

[ddd75]

i use sisal and don't remove it. net or plastic twine I get every bit.. I do not like seeing it around anywhere.

 

[herofan]

Interesting. I never heard of anyone doing it here.

If it is sisal hemp twine, you can get away with out removing it. I cannot imagine anyone not removing the synthetic twine. Synthetic twine is not going to break down in a bovine's GI system.

My dad does not. It's all in his fields and all around his bush hog blades. I've told this here before but papaw had one choke to death on sisal string.

Interesting. I've never seen remnants of twine lying around in fields. I have a single bale feeder with a roof, and I never see any twine in there either. Maybe I'm not looking too hard, but it's certainly not something that stands out. As I mentioned, mine is starting to rot before I feed it, so maybe that's the difference.

 

[greybeard]

I do both. Too many times have I seen cows in other's pastures chewing (and apparently swallowing) both twine and net. Besides if you come back over the feeding grounds with any kind of implement, be it mower or harrowing equipment, the twine/netting gets tangled up.

So what's the point in leaving it on?????????? Too much trouble to take it off???????

TM, I imagine what we see here in Texas is not reflective of what Northern folks have to deal with when putting out round bales. Trouble enough getting it all off with our mud and rain and our versions of winter, but 10X that if the bales are covered in snow and ice and the temps are in single digits or below 0.
I'm sure you know that snow/ice has a tendency to turn the ground soggy and stay that way longer even more than rain does. I know the little bit of snow we got earlier made my place a lot sloppier and softer than an equal amt of rain does. I can't even visualize pulling net or twine off in sub freezing/sub zero weather for weeks on end.

 

[Craig Miller]

If it is sisal hemp twine, you can get away with out removing it. I cannot imagine anyone not removing the synthetic twine. Synthetic twine is not going to break down in a bovine's GI system.

My dad does not. It's all in his fields and all around his bush hog blades. I've told this here before but papaw had one choke to death on sisal string.

Interesting. I've never seen remnants of twine lying around in fields. I have a single bale feeder with a roof, and I never see any twine in there either. Maybe I'm not looking too hard, but it's certainly not something that stands out. As I mentioned, mine is starting to rot before I feed it, so maybe that's the difference.

Plastic twine. Or synthetic as Raven calls it. The sisal rots pretty quick. Or gets ate.

 

[greybeard]

I've seen some sisal in cowpiles before, back when we fed a lot of sq bales. Don't know if it hurts them or not, but evidently it doesn't all get digested every time.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

I remove all mine,
https://youtu.be/cj1AOlUp4P0 could help stay in shape

Hilarious!!

 

[TCRanch]

We're still pulling out strings from the pastures from the previous owners - 12 years ago. We purchased bales with twine during the drought and I hated them - and removed every strand. And yes, I remove all the net wrap I possibly can. Seems there's always one string or little piece that gets caught on the bale rings, tractor, thistles.

 

[Lazy M]

Never have removed sissal twine and never experienced any issues from not removing it. I've resisted using net or poly twine because I know that it'd have to be removed.

 

[Texasmark]

I do both. Too many times have I seen cows in other's pastures chewing (and apparently swallowing) both twine and net. Besides if you come back over the feeding grounds with any kind of implement, be it mower or harrowing equipment, the twine/netting gets tangled up.

So what's the point in leaving it on?????????? Too much trouble to take it off???????

TM, I imagine what we see here in Texas is not reflective of what Northern folks have to deal with when putting out round bales. Trouble enough getting it all off with our mud and rain and our versions of winter, but 10X that if the bales are covered in snow and ice and the temps are in single digits or below 0.
I'm sure you know that snow/ice has a tendency to turn the ground soggy and stay that way longer even more than rain does. I know the little bit of snow we got earlier made my place a lot sloppier and softer than an equal amt of rain does. I can't even visualize pulling net or twine off in sub freezing/sub zero weather for weeks on end.

Personally I don't know how they do it up there with their winters. But I don't live up there by choice and I sleep better at night knowing I got it off. For me that's what drives me to do what I have to get it done right; course animal suffering and loss is part of it too. Thanks for the thought.

 

[Gunner]

I remove net and plastic twine. Last week we had an ice storm. Most miserable time I have ever had trying to feed string wrapped hay. Had to use a hammer to beat the strings across the top of the bale before I could pull them. I will plan better next time.