Hay Rings
- Thread starter wtrapp
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
SRBeef
Well-known member
wtrapp":2c1mk49k said:
I have a Bextra grey colored feeder that probably saves more hay than any other but my main complaint about them is the difficulty putting one of my big 6 ft diameter bales in it. Most of my bales will just not fit cleanly down the middle. They tell me the inside is 6' 6" diameter. But bales that have been sitting are not perfectly round and my supplier makes them a bit over 6 ft anyway.
If you are using smaller bales then no problem with size. My other comment is that when using the Bextra for weaned calves, they just can not reach to the center of the feeder to finish a bale. The Bextra almost always requires me to move the bale or feeder or otherwise mess with it to finish the center of the bale.
However the Bextra does save a lot of hay. jmho. Jim
Tin Man
Active member
check out J and L haysavers.com we have one and love it.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
How much?Tin Man":2hng7hv0 said:check out J and L haysavers.com we have one and love it.
Jeanne - Simme Valley":3oqjdsl2 said:How much?Tin Man":3oqjdsl2 said:check out J and L haysavers.com we have one and love it.
I have a j&l hay saver but mine is mounted on a big rubber tire and cost $1100.00, But I can feed hay all winter and only have about 4 inches of waste in the end. The tire will never rot like the steel.
packfanrdf
New member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2010
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
Can you fit a 6 foot bale in a J & L feeder. And how do you lift them to move them without harming them.
packfanrdf
New member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2010
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
Has anyone used a Cyclone type bale feeder. And what is the cost?
I use 5x5 rolls so I may be able to get in the feeder. My main concern was about calves and if they could reach the center. The closest dealer to me on the Bextra only carries the red feeders and they run $525.00 give or tak a buck but carry a 4 year warranty with them. I'm going to check out the J & L to see if there is a dealer in Tennessee. Anyone else with feedback or other hay rings to look at? Thanks
The calves eat out of the bottom of the j & L hay saver without problems. As they get bigger they get right in there. We use the sprear to move it when needed, it is heavy. We have found that it does save hay alot better than regular hay ring.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
All research I have read rates feeders in this order:
CONES
RING
TRAILER
CRADLE
There is a big savings difference between the cone & rings vs the trailer & cradle type - but there wasn't that big a % difference between the cone & the ring. I'll see if I can find a article. Anyway, the cones are so costly, I'm not sure hay saved would pay for it for many years.
Here you go. This is from Beef Magazine:
•Dry matter hay waste was 3.5%, 6.1%, 11.4% and 14.6% for the cone, ring, trailer and cradle feeders, respectively.
Here's whole article.
http://beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_cone_f ... index.html
This has been compared by several different researchers. I have never seen anything majorly different.
You are talking 2.6% difference. Management & ground type would make more of a difference than these trials.
So if a bale was worth $30, you would save $0.78 per bale.
Worth $50 = $1.30
I've been buying my best round feeders with skirts for $175 from truckload from South.
But, say you buy one for $300 and these cones costs $1000 - that's about 700 bales fed (out of ONE feeder) before you break even.
Granted, my $175-$300 feeder will not last as long, but I usually get a minimum of about 8-10 years out of them. I presently have 12 ring feeders - could use more.
Sorry, I'm way too cheap for them - plus you need a pretty good tractor to move them around with the front end loader - a lot of beef producers don't have a very big tractor.
JRBeef posted one http://www.commonsensemfg.com/balefeeder.htm
I haven't heard a quote yet.
CONES
RING
TRAILER
CRADLE
There is a big savings difference between the cone & rings vs the trailer & cradle type - but there wasn't that big a % difference between the cone & the ring. I'll see if I can find a article. Anyway, the cones are so costly, I'm not sure hay saved would pay for it for many years.
Here you go. This is from Beef Magazine:
•Dry matter hay waste was 3.5%, 6.1%, 11.4% and 14.6% for the cone, ring, trailer and cradle feeders, respectively.
Here's whole article.
http://beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_cone_f ... index.html
This has been compared by several different researchers. I have never seen anything majorly different.
You are talking 2.6% difference. Management & ground type would make more of a difference than these trials.
So if a bale was worth $30, you would save $0.78 per bale.
Worth $50 = $1.30
I've been buying my best round feeders with skirts for $175 from truckload from South.
But, say you buy one for $300 and these cones costs $1000 - that's about 700 bales fed (out of ONE feeder) before you break even.
Granted, my $175-$300 feeder will not last as long, but I usually get a minimum of about 8-10 years out of them. I presently have 12 ring feeders - could use more.
Sorry, I'm way too cheap for them - plus you need a pretty good tractor to move them around with the front end loader - a lot of beef producers don't have a very big tractor.
JRBeef posted one http://www.commonsensemfg.com/balefeeder.htm
I haven't heard a quote yet.
I was using the ring style before the j&l feeder and had alot more waste with the rings, for me I feel that the cost of the feeder was worth it. Plus they will last alot longer,I was getting only 3 years out of the rings.
1982vett
Well-known member
I probably ought to skim the article first...but just from gut feeling.... I would think the cone feeders would be better for those that put a roll out for a few cows over a long period and they would probably see less wasted. Might not have 20-30% of a bale left that the cows won't eat. Saving that kind of hay expense might pay for an "expensive" ring fairly quick.Jeanne - Simme Valley":jt2ddedm said:
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Not sure if you understood what I printed. There was 2.6% difference between the cones & the rings - not 20-30%. The article said these were 7 day intervals. If you are getting 20-30% waste, it is more management than feeder.1982vett":2m6hry64 said:
I feel there is a lot of difference between the rings with skirts & the ones without.
If you refill your feeder before cows finish the original bale - yes, you will see more waste - but that is with ANY feeder. Cows won't eat OLD stuff unless you make them. My cows go without hay for maybe a day out of the week - they do clean up.
You are correct Jeanne, the cost is expensive vs return but the amt of hay we have saved has helped us, also with clean up of pad in winter and we have had it for approx 3yrs and still like new. We use regular hay ring for replacements not in with herd and everyday I see the difference. LOL
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
But return on investment is crutial to our bottom line. EVERYTHING has to be cost effective. If I was short of hay, I could purchase hay and save money vs the amount of hay saved.
If you feed 100 bales a year, the savings is 2.6 bales.
And if you are getting an excessive amount of waste - I say it's management more than the type of feeder. Management in the quality of feed - managment in the overfeeding - management in the area being fed (excessive mud) - all of these factors would waste feed no matter what feeder type.
Guess I'm too cheap. My cows work for me, I don't work for them (well, I try to make it that way) :banana: in spite of what a lot of you think.
If you feed 100 bales a year, the savings is 2.6 bales.
And if you are getting an excessive amount of waste - I say it's management more than the type of feeder. Management in the quality of feed - managment in the overfeeding - management in the area being fed (excessive mud) - all of these factors would waste feed no matter what feeder type.
Guess I'm too cheap. My cows work for me, I don't work for them (well, I try to make it that way) :banana: in spite of what a lot of you think.
1982vett
Well-known member
Jeanne - Simme Valley":e0npccdn said:
Ok, I skimmed the article, They don't say how they fed (a weeks worth vs. a days worth). So being a bale feeder, and now assuming they feed a weeks worth of hay (being they picked up and measured the waste every day) and not just what they would consume in a day......my assumptions may be wrong.
My comment meant that I would have thought the cone feeders would save more than the ordinary ring feeders in a "bale last all week" situation. If they don't then I agree, why pay that much more for so little return.
My complaint about the regular round bale feeders is, They are made with a lighter guage steel and bend. If there is a brand that is made of heavy guage steel, I would like to know where they can be bought. Thanks,
~Tom.
~Tom.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
kerley":2ix33zvd said:
I don't think they are out there Tom.
Cowdirt
Well-known member
kerley":2c0coyi1 said:
Tom, I buy my hayrings from TN Co-op. I buy the heavy duty ones without a skirt, though I may go with the skirted ones if I buy more. Some of my rings were bought in 1991 and they are not rusted through on the bottom ring and no tubes have significant bending. I remove them from the mud at the end of feeding season but leave them outside year around. You can find TN Co-ops near the Ala border in most small towns. Here's a link if you want to look over their products. http://www.ourcoop.com/ourcoop05/main/default.aspx BTW, I attribute their long life to the fact that I don't remove the sisal twine before feeding ;-)
Similar threads
