Hay Wrapping

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Ever thought about trying a cotton module covers. You can buy used ones here for about 15 bucks. Lots of people are using them and seem pleased.
 
It is possiable to wrap the bales in plastic using the baler. I have never done this or even seen it done but you can buy the plastic, this would make it easier if it works.
 
dun":1ynjs6ps said:
angus9259":1ynjs6ps said:
Well, this all answers my questions - too pricey per bale for me to pursue since I'm still paying in the $100 a ton for hay range. It's hard to spend $4 to bale wrap em before equipment depreciation and time when a small bale only costs $20 and a big bale $50 to begin with. Back to the drawing board.
Maybe you could lease/rent a machine or hire it done. Not only look at the upfront cost but what is the value of the spoiled hay each year that you could save

When a bale of hay avgs $30 and you lost 20% if it's just sitting out in the weather (don't know if that number's high or low), you're only looking at a $6.00 (figure $4-8 depending on bale size, tightness, etc) loss for just sitting outside without a tarp or anything. Which means I only gain $2 before I put any time/diesel into it even if I can rent the machine.
 
From the U of VA Extension
The outer 4 inch thick layer of a 6 ft. diameter round bale contains about 25 percent of the total bale volume.
 
dun":36a75235 said:
From the U of VA Extension
The outer 4 inch thick layer of a 6 ft. diameter round bale contains about 25 percent of the total bale volume.

Interesting. Seems like you lose more than 4 inches on a weathered bale of hay. Wonder how much is actually lost..... of course, on a smaller bale, 4" would be a smaller percent of the total bale. I need a slide rule. :???:
 
angus9259":2lm46vbw said:
dun":2lm46vbw said:
From the U of VA Extension
The outer 4 inch thick layer of a 6 ft. diameter round bale contains about 25 percent of the total bale volume.

Interesting. Seems like you lose more than 4 inches on a weathered bale of hay. Wonder how much is actually lost..... of course, on a smaller bale, 4" would be a smaller percent of the total bale. I need a slide rule. :???:
If you can calculate the volume of a cylinder, way beyond my P poor math skills, it would be easy to figure out by varying diameters
 
Caustic Burno":10zt8kjo said:
SRBeef":10zt8kjo said:
angus9259":10zt8kjo said:
It'll be ball wrapped. That doesn't seem so awful bad. The "wrapper" is $2150.

I don't think there is a 3-point mounted "ball" (100% wrapped including the ends) bale wrapper out there especially not for $2150.

I suspect what you are looking at is one like I use:

IMG_3871_WrappingBales_100911.jpg


These are a couple pictures from my wrapping last month of a portion of my winters hay. This year I am leaving a gap between bales and using up whatever pallets I can find for under a portion of my bales. These ones that are wrapped and up on pallets will be the last ones I feed next April.

IMG_3936_wrappedbales10-23-11.jpg


These wrapped bales have definitely cut down dramatically on wasted hay especially from late December through the end of the WI hay feeding season May 1. I would not wrap over the corners as that traps water in side.

Cost of the plastic depends heavily on how much/how many wraps you put on. And there is definitely a knack to operating the machine efficiently. But you will learn. If you keep it to about 2 wraps average there is not that much plastic used. I just cut through it and the netwrap with a good sharp razor knife and the plastic plus the netwrap will compress into a volume about the same as a coffee can. I then put this in my recycling containers.

I plan on switching to black plastic film which is better for these open ended bales.

Other questions?

Jim

I have been to a goat ropin, rat killin and a county fair and ain't never seen nothing like that.
That is as neat as sliced bread.

Caustic, I have NOT been to a goat ropin, or rat killin but I have been to a county fair.... A point here is that I purchase all of my hay. I look at buying hay as cheaper than buying more land and I have neither the machinery nor the time to make good hay. And this is good stuff made by a local retired dairyman who loves to make good hay.

So I look at hay a bit different than most folks that make their own on larger acres and have stacks of 2 or 3 year old bales around in field corners. I feed it out by the pound at 3%/day and I hate to waste an inch on the outside of these 1500lb 5 x 6ft dia bales. They are about 13% protein.

It is "neat" for reasons and I think it pays off. My goal is to produce as many pounds of high quality, "natural", birth-to-plate freezer beef PER ACRE as I can. Wrapping my late winter hay like this saves $$ and keeps quality up.

These wrapped bales on this end will be fed at and just after start of calving next March 25th thru April and to turn out about May 1. So I want good hay for nursing cows at a difficult time of year.

Hope you folks in TX get some rain... Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Jim
 
The bigger the bale, the better the quality the hay (price), the more easily it can be justified. The guy lowered his price on the one I'm looking at to $2100.
 

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