Small Squares

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I put up a few for myself, but never sell them. I believe a man could sell all the square bales he could make in my area. Horse people are going to shy away from fescue. About anything else, and they'll be happy. Personally, I prefer fescue for my horses. The earlier it can be cut, the better. For everyone that'll feed alfalfa, there is somebody that won't. In my opinion, not worth the extra fuss to fool with.

Friend of mine sells wads of square baled hay. He's got a nice thing going. He bales, while a couple of Amish kids load the wagon. He has 6 large hay wagons. Pulls them in a shed, and calls whoever is up next to get a load. People seem to be happy with the arrangement, and the bale is only handled one time.
 
Stocker Steve said:
Bigfoot Horse people are going to shy away from fescue. About anything else said:
What is wrong with fescue hay?
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Nothing wrong with it for me. I could see if you had brood mares being Leary of it, if it was cut late. Most horse people operate off what they've heard, and not what they know. They heard somebody say don't feed it to a horse, so they won't.
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Around here small squares of alfalfa by the truck load will run about $240 a ton plus trucking. At the feed store selling single bales they run $15 and up.
 
I've learned that if I put up small squares that are green and soft with no mold I have no problem at all selling them to horse folks. I've learned it's best to tell them come take a look, it's nothing special if they don't want it I know I'll have no problem selling it. I have orchard grass, Timothy and brome from a cheap pasture seed mix I buy at rko.
 
Bigfoot said:
I put up a few for myself, but never sell them. I believe a man could sell all the square bales he could make in my area. Horse people are going to shy away from fescue. About anything else, and they'll be happy. Personally, I prefer fescue for my horses. The earlier it can be cut, the better. For everyone that'll feed alfalfa, there is somebody that won't. In my opinion, not worth the extra fuss to fool with.

Friend of mine sells wads of square baled hay. He's got a nice thing going. He bales, while a couple of Amish kids load the wagon. He has 6 large hay wagons. Pulls them in a shed, and calls whoever is up next to get a load. People seem to be happy with the arrangement, and the bale is only handled one time.
Click to expand...

My Bermuda pasture has worn out and I spent a lot of time deciding on what's next. In my search for what works here in N. Texas and is affordable, with decent yield for round baling, I settled on Ky 31 Tall Fescue. In my 3rd year and it's doing beautifully and I think I made a super choice.

On horse folks and things they feed their horses and their horses eat I think "Colic" is #1 on the oh my gosh list for feed induced health problems in Equines. I have horse neighbors that feed their horses sorghum-sudan roundd bales of hay out in remote pastures, right along with their cattle...no feed distinction....year after year, no casualties that I know of. Have another in particular that started out with 21 Arabian horses, has never bred nor rode nor improved the 60+ acres they bought years ago, no this nor that.....last time I counted was 15, (attrition took it's toll) and she only feeds green Coastal Bermuda Squares and some hand fed oats......some people buy feed for their personal consumption, not their horses.

Just like anything else to CYA for a reason, people who produce/market "things" list each and every instance of anything going astray while used/operated/consumed/fed to the "general public" which is made up of variances in mentality and conditions from A to Z anywhere in the world, under any kind of condition/usage. Seems "Common Sense" isn't so common!
 
$3 bale picked up in the field here. If I had the time I could sell my hay in small squares to horse people and buy all my hay for cattle and come out pretty good.
 
I got a a neighbor that buys semi loads of Bermuda and alpha large square bales from out west. Busts them up and makes small square bales and resells on craigslist to horse folks. Got a pretty neat setup with a conveyor belt. He must be doing pretty good, quit his day job now that's all he does.
 
I've just always wondered, where did the cowboys in the 1800's get their sprayed and fertilized bermuda for their horses?
 
snoopdog said:
I've just always wondered, where did the cowboys in the 1800's get their sprayed and fertilized bermuda for their horses?
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One of my simple pleasures is to read about horses and their care back in the day. No hock/stifle injections. No corrective shoeing. Almost no dental work. Certainly not to the extent that we have today. Ridden for work, and not pleasure. Took a pretty tough horse to have longevity back then. Allowed to season physically, and seldom broke before 4 or 5 years old. No futurities to blow up the mind of a good young horse. The difference in pictures of those horses, and our horses today are amazing. Structurally correct in every way. Had to be to make it under those conditions. Studs weren't retired in their prime, without knowing how well they would hold up physically over time. Looking at a set of horse papers now days is about as interesting as watching a Hallmark movie. No papers back then, you bred for traits and not names.
 
I have the equipment. Some really good ground coming out of tobacco this year. Buying a farm with a nice hay barn on it. Several Mexicans here for tobacco labor. My wife is a horse vet people always asking here about hay. I think i will give it a shot. Really need to be more diversified .
Yes it is amazing how horses have changed I love looking at old journals. Quarter horses really all i know anything about. Take a pleasure horse, hunt seat horse, halter horse, and a rope horse. Hard to really believe they go back to the same horses. Just think where they would be with epd's.
 
Bigfoot said:
snoopdog said:
I've just always wondered, where did the cowboys in the 1800's get their sprayed and fertilized bermuda for their horses?
Click to expand...

One of my simple pleasures is to read about horses and their care back in the day. No hock/stifle injections. No corrective shoeing. Almost no dental work. Certainly not to the extent that we have today. Ridden for work, and not pleasure. Took a pretty tough horse to have longevity back then. Allowed to season physically, and seldom broke before 4 or 5 years old. No futurities to blow up the mind of a good young horse. The difference in pictures of those horses, and our horses today are amazing. Structurally correct in every way. Had to be to make it under those conditions. Studs weren't retired in their prime, without knowing how well they would hold up physically over time. Looking at a set of horse papers now days is about as interesting as watching a Hallmark movie. No papers back then, you bred for traits and not names.
Click to expand...
Bigfoot, I am far from an expert on horses, I rarely even deal with them, but I live in Amish country and am working around the Amish and their horses quite a bit. I really enjoy watching how they interact with their horses. I wonder if the Amish horses are papered.
 
ohiosteve said:
Bigfoot said:
snoopdog said:
I've just always wondered, where did the cowboys in the 1800's get their sprayed and fertilized bermuda for their horses?
Click to expand...

One of my simple pleasures is to read about horses and their care back in the day. No hock/stifle injections. No corrective shoeing. Almost no dental work. Certainly not to the extent that we have today. Ridden for work, and not pleasure. Took a pretty tough horse to have longevity back then. Allowed to season physically, and seldom broke before 4 or 5 years old. No futurities to blow up the mind of a good young horse. The difference in pictures of those horses, and our horses today are amazing. Structurally correct in every way. Had to be to make it under those conditions. Studs weren't retired in their prime, without knowing how well they would hold up physically over time. Looking at a set of horse papers now days is about as interesting as watching a Hallmark movie. No papers back then, you bred for traits and not names.
Click to expand...
Bigfoot, I am far from an expert on horses, I rarely even deal with them, but I live in Amish country and am working around the Amish and their horses quite a bit. I really enjoy watching how they interact with their horses. I wonder if the Amish horses are papered.
Click to expand...

Here, that answer would be yes.
 

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