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<blockquote data-quote="SRBeef" data-source="post: 616738" data-attributes="member: 7509"><p>What is being called "bale grazing" in this thread is also known as a "hay corral" in some areas.</p><p></p><p>I did this last winter - set up two long rows 2 round bales wide with the bales about 20 ft apart center to center. On one long side was an existing 5-wire barb fence, parallel to that one on the other side of the 2 bale rows I put up a temporary 2 wire electric fence and also closed one end of this long alley with 2 electric wires.</p><p></p><p>Through the winter I gradually exposed bales, 2 at a time by moving a cross wire between them. The cross wire had a conductive handle on one end hung on the electrified 2-wire fence and a non-conductive handle on the other end that I hung on the barb wire. </p><p></p><p>By unhooking the conductive end the cross wire was dead and could be moved. It was supported by a couple Gallagher step in posts pushed into the next unused bales. This was a very quick and easy way of "feeding" the herd.</p><p></p><p>I did not use round bale feeders over the newly exposed bales however. Maybe I should have but it was a pain trying to get a bale ring over these bales. As a result of not having rings over the exposed bales there was a lot of waste. I tried rolling my heavy steel round bale feeders down the alley but not an easy thing rolling 8 ft steel rings near high voltage electric fencing.</p><p></p><p>As someone here, maybe Dun, has posted in the past, setting a round bale out without a ring:</p><p></p><p>Day 1 = the dining room</p><p>Day 2= the bed room</p><p>Day 3 = the bathroom</p><p></p><p>Lots of wasted hay but real good mulch and fertility in that alley this year!</p><p></p><p>I did not do it again this year but bought another cradle feeder. If I had a couple light weight bale rings it might have worked differently. However the light weight plastic pipe bale rings I have seen have also been short lived and fragile. They are also not really light enough to manually lift up and over a 5 x 6 ft bale (unless you are King Kong!). I'm 6'1 230 lb and I still ended up getting the tractor to move my steel bale rings.....</p><p></p><p>Nice idea but way too much waste when I have to purchase all my round bales. The cradles are moveable and have almost no waste.</p><p></p><p>If I had enough cattle to eat the exposed bales up completely in maybe one day then maybe it would have worked better. I think there is a basic rule that you should not provide more hay than your cattle can eat in a few hours if you feed without some sort of feed control device like a ring or other feeder. If you have to feed a couple days worth as I do then you must have some limiter to keep the bale from turning into the bedroom then bathroom.</p><p></p><p>fwiw. Just my experience.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SRBeef, post: 616738, member: 7509"] What is being called "bale grazing" in this thread is also known as a "hay corral" in some areas. I did this last winter - set up two long rows 2 round bales wide with the bales about 20 ft apart center to center. On one long side was an existing 5-wire barb fence, parallel to that one on the other side of the 2 bale rows I put up a temporary 2 wire electric fence and also closed one end of this long alley with 2 electric wires. Through the winter I gradually exposed bales, 2 at a time by moving a cross wire between them. The cross wire had a conductive handle on one end hung on the electrified 2-wire fence and a non-conductive handle on the other end that I hung on the barb wire. By unhooking the conductive end the cross wire was dead and could be moved. It was supported by a couple Gallagher step in posts pushed into the next unused bales. This was a very quick and easy way of "feeding" the herd. I did not use round bale feeders over the newly exposed bales however. Maybe I should have but it was a pain trying to get a bale ring over these bales. As a result of not having rings over the exposed bales there was a lot of waste. I tried rolling my heavy steel round bale feeders down the alley but not an easy thing rolling 8 ft steel rings near high voltage electric fencing. As someone here, maybe Dun, has posted in the past, setting a round bale out without a ring: Day 1 = the dining room Day 2= the bed room Day 3 = the bathroom Lots of wasted hay but real good mulch and fertility in that alley this year! I did not do it again this year but bought another cradle feeder. If I had a couple light weight bale rings it might have worked differently. However the light weight plastic pipe bale rings I have seen have also been short lived and fragile. They are also not really light enough to manually lift up and over a 5 x 6 ft bale (unless you are King Kong!). I'm 6'1 230 lb and I still ended up getting the tractor to move my steel bale rings..... Nice idea but way too much waste when I have to purchase all my round bales. The cradles are moveable and have almost no waste. If I had enough cattle to eat the exposed bales up completely in maybe one day then maybe it would have worked better. I think there is a basic rule that you should not provide more hay than your cattle can eat in a few hours if you feed without some sort of feed control device like a ring or other feeder. If you have to feed a couple days worth as I do then you must have some limiter to keep the bale from turning into the bedroom then bathroom. fwiw. Just my experience. [/QUOTE]
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