I would like to keep as much of that as is fair. Do the Math for Winter Feed Preparation - Cornell Small Farms MeasuringKnowHow.com Is A Participant In The Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An Affiliate Advertising Program Designed To Provide A Means For Sites To Earn Advertising Fees By Advertising And Linking To Amazon.com. Depending on who is selling the hay, you can expect to get around 18-20 square bales out of a 45 round bale. No tractor? Feeding a medium size herd of 50 Dexters with square bales was relatively labor intensive and time consuming. The density of a hay bale refers to how tightly wrapped the bale is, so more foliage can be compacted into a denser size while weighing more than a larger bale. Some farmers even leave the bales in the fields after baling, often with covers to try to give them a little protection. The weight of such a round hay bale can be as much as 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms). Our belief in sustainable farming practices, in particular natural pasture grass-feeding, underpins our range of world-leading livestock feeding solutions. How Many Square Bales In A 4x5 Round Bale? (Answered!) It is also much cheaper to get older square baling equipment and the HP requirements are lower versus round bales. Journey said: What is the typical equivalent number of small square hay bales (about 70 lbs.) We started with just 20 acres and a Ford 8N. This will probably vary between different brands of balers as well as different operators though. Posted on Published: June 23, 2023- Last updated: June 25, 2023. So, an animal that requires 15 pounds of fiber per day, might actually consume 20 pounds/head/day. Today, much of the hay put up across western countries is in large, round bales becoming bigger and heavier every decade and the use of large square bales is developing more and more. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Generally, round bales are cheaper than square bales although there are factors that might influence the pricing including transport, wastage, market, equipment, and more. I live in eastern Oklahoma and have always baled my own hay. Large bales also can be transported and stored by a single person and a tractor, so less manpower is required. Advice from a pro on how to best handle large round bales of hay, Storage and feeding losses of large round bales, Horses Teeth Never Stop Growing: Facts About Horse Teeth, Horse Rental 101: A Guide to Renting a Horse, How to Find Horse Riding Lessons Near You, Horse Riding Lesson Costs: What to Expect & How to Pay. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It all depends on the above. "height": 57 "headline":"square bale equivalent of a 4x4 round bale", The bulk density on most round balers is adjustable. Square bales are easier to transport and store, while round bales are more efficient in terms of space utilization. So, here's how I do it. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Now, large round and rectangular bales are becoming the dominant hay packages. Some farmers therefore consider that it is quicker to bale in squares, but it should be borne in mind that, contrary to appearances, twines takes longer to be put than a net wrap (used on round bales). Take them and get tehm weighed. However most Americans dont have the fortitude to put up square bales, as it does take some sweat to get the job done. Square bales are very prone to moisture absorption in case of bad weather conditions. It important to know the weight of hay bales both for feeding and economic purposes. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. I have fed square bales for five years. As a result, it is easier and cheaper to obtain them (new or second-hand). From there the math is pretty easy. Usually, the first consideration in any purchase is price; however, value relevant to cost should also be evaluated. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. "logo": { Per pound of hay you can also make more money selling square bales, but it does require more work. If youre selling the hay, it will give you a good idea of how much money you can expect to earn. "text": "I bought a field of standing hay @ 25 cents per square bale. This is compared to the square or rectangular bales of hay that are much smaller, weighing in at about 50 pounds. #3. Find the right products and services for your farm, ranch or operation. "name": "Lemonlee" The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". "userInteractionCount": 15 Sounds to me like the only fair way of doing it. You would probably be better off weighing big bale, instead of going by bulk. Squares bales are perfectly suited for transport and stacking and the storage space required (either outside in a covered stack or inside in a barn) is optimised. This is better for your safety, your employees safety or even your kids who might get the idea to go and play on the bale stacks. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. While they are still susceptible to spoiling in the rain, the large size of round bales means that less hay will be affected if a rainstorm hits before they are transported undercover. However, rollers may require less maintenance than belts or chains. In a variable chamber, flat belts or chains with slats contain the bale from its initial formation until completion, and can make a bale with uniform density. On our farm we will continue to put our best hay up in square bales as they make more money when sold. Copyright 2023. For this reason, hay is often much more expensive in urban areas, desert environments, and tropical regions. A high-capacity baler with a suitable sized tractor harvesting a low-yield windrow results in a speed- limited situation. I store all my round bales outside currently. Additionally, like to keep the rolls for my cows (sell the excess) and squares come off the homestead grassland. Advantages and disadvantages are associated with each. If a 55 bale is the standard that is set, then bales with smaller dimensions have proportionally less weight and less value, and bales that have larger dimensions have proportionally more weight and greater value compared to the standard bale. A visit with a knowledgeable salesperson is often required for making the right choice. Why can I only see so many articles before I have to register for the site? Lots of hay in that roll. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Waste aside, about how many average sized sq bales would be accurate if one were switching from sq to round bales? "description":"Discussion of square bale equivalent of a 4x4 round bale in the Implement Alley forum followed by comments. If possible weigh them.You should weigh your hay now and then to get an idea of what your feeding or selling. These types of bales also take a great deal of time to stack, transport and store. In our area at least, with newer equipment = tighter rollit is 20+. 5 key differences between square and round hay bales. I believe it is about 13 but not quite sure. These are being measured from the center of one baluster to the center of the next. "@type": "ImageObject", Hay can be baled in many different shapes and sizes. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. How do I submit an idea for an article? Round bales of hay can be quite large! In most cases, sellers will tell you the weight of the round bale without actually measuring it. Round bales stored indoors lose about 15% of their mass to waste. While they can both serve the same functioni.e., feeding farm animalsstraw is a byproduct of grain crops, whereas hay is made of plants that are used specifically to feed animals. My baler uses twine without a net wrap option. Data suggests that hay losses are lower for variable chamber balers with belts than for fixed chamber balers with rollers, says Slocombe. Good Luck Clay I hear people talk all the time about 60lb square bales that is really a lot of hay. An average bale of grass hay has 10-12 flakes. How big is a 44 Rd bale of hay? To many variables.what type of hay, what size rounds, what kind of baler, and so on, for any one to make a fair guess. Most balers are equipped with a slip clutch on the pickup mechanism. Moreover, once stored their drying is very limited and there is more risk of temperature rise if the hay has been baled in damp condition. }, "@id":"https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=implment&th=74354", Thanks to all! A disadvantage is that this bale handling is labor-intensive. On average a baler ought to go 3-5 thousand bales and a tractor ought to go 8-9 thousand hours. "url": "https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/graphics/smllogo.png", Which would I rather sell? So, to be fair, just take one of the round bales and one of the square bales and have them weighed. Older balers produced square or rectangular bales while newer balers usually produce round bales of hay. There are about 20-25 square bales worth of hay in every round bale, but you should go by weight whenever possible, since the type of hay, quality of hay vs weeds, and drying practices affect how much edible, nutritionally rich hay is contained within each large round bale. Hay for such bales must be dried for long periods of time between the time they are cut and the time they are baled. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The labor required for square bales is more than what you will need for round bales. In fact, one of the most common questions people want to know as they drive through the country is why some hay bales are round and others square. I know exactly how many squares I have! Looking at the Comparison Percent part of Table A we find that a 5 ft diameter by 4 ft width is 25% more than a 4 ft diameter by 5 ft width. Those are baled to sell. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Sell a roll for $30 and a square for $3 (no labor-I do it all). Properly match tractors to mowers, rakes and balers by studying sales literature or operators manuals.. How do I get my company listed in your Buyers Guide? If you're looking to calculate how many square bales are in a round Bale, the answer is sixteen. This is due to weight compressing the bottom layers. Large square bales have a much higher density compared to the rounds. For a bale 18 x 14 x 36 , the volume equals 5.25 cubic feet. In a fixed chamber baler, hay is collected and rolled inside the chamber until it is full. I know exactly how many squares I have! "@type": "ImageObject", The number of strings or ties used to compact a hay bale will generally give buyers an idea of how dense the hay bale is. If a 4X5 weighs 1200 lb & a 4X4 weighs 800 then I'd guestimate your 4X4's are about 20 forty pound squares. According to Buckmaster, there are four factors that can limit production of any agricultural machine: power, throughput capacity, speed and traction. So, here's how I do it. The cost of horse hay varies a lot based on quality and availability. "image": { I don't know how many there are in a round! However, according to our research from several horse forums, there are some commonly mentioned estimates: Square bales of hay weigh between 40 and 60 pounds. They can be as small as 18 35 14 inches (46 89 36 centimeters) and weigh a mere 50 pounds. Pass it along! The number of square bales you get from a round bale will depend almost entirely on the weights of both the round bale and the square bales. Most people will tell you that a round bale weighs between 1000-1200 lbs. Part 1 Cutting and Raking 1 Check your machinery approximately one month before you plan to start haying.