Hay Consumption and Ring Questions

[JoshuaMLewis]

New to the cattle business and have two questions:

1.) Having to bolt the hay rings together every time aggravates me. Is there some easier way to do this? Clamps of some sort, etc?

2.) Having alot of rain here. Once the bales fall apart in the rings and the hay gets real weighed down with rain the cows don't want to eat it. Should I just leave it there until they get hungry enough or give them a new bale? What do you do?

Thanks,

JML

 

[Galloways1]

Why are you having to bolt them together everytime? Once they are bolted, you shouldn't need to unbolt.

Make em clean their plate.

 

[dun]

Use grade 8 bolts and weld the nuts on after you bolt them togehter and they won;t ever come apart short of using a cutting torch.

 

[cmf1]

Sounds like you've got too heavy a ring or no front end loader, or you'd just stand the ring up and drop it back down over the bale, or load it over the top.
Get a lighter weight ring or hydraulic bale spear for three point hitch.
I'd rather feed it free on the ground than unbolt and bolt a ring every time I put a bale out.

When you think it's time to put out a fresh bale cause they're moaning and acting like they're starving, wait a day. You'll be surprised how much they cleanup without starving at all.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Once we bolt together a ring, it stays bolted...

Use our tractor with front loader spear to raise & drop the bale in the hay ring. Other option is to use the spear to upright the ring, then hand-roll the ring to the bale and push it over onto the bale.

 

[B&M Farms]

They will eat the wet hay usually but I would only put out what they will clean up in a day or two when it's raining a lot. I just raise my hay rings up and drop them over the bales but I made them myself and they are not extremely heavy.

 

[MistyMorning]

Use grade 8 bolts and weld the nuts on after you bolt them togehter and they won;t ever come apart short of using a cutting torch.

He is right, I should have listened to him the first time!

 

[fitz]

Use grade 8 bolts and weld the nuts on after you bolt them togehter and they won;t ever come apart short of using a cutting torch.

Or use a chisel and stake the bolts.