bale feeders

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
hi folks
have problems with getting chopped bale silage into the standard bale feeders this year , is getting some cradle style feeders made up going to be any advantage ?

thanks quavers
 

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
bales falling to bits even before the net is off and not fitting into feeder , not getting all the net wrap off because its jamming on the feeder as the silage falls off leaving net in feeder .
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Is it worth cutting 8-12” off the bottom of the bale of netwrap and plastic wrap, put the feeder on and then cutting the plastic and netwrap the same time from the bottom up so you can lift the plastic and net the same time?
 

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
Is it worth cutting 8-12” off the bottom of the bale of netwrap and plastic wrap, put the feeder on and then cutting the plastic and netwrap the same time from the bottom up so you can lift the plastic and net the same time?
to tight a fit for this , once wrap is off the bales are falling apart even with the net wrap on if you don't pay attention , too much of the bale is not fitting into the ring , if got time tomorrow going to black smith to get something made up .
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
@quavers
I could see modulamb do this mod for feeders!
FFEFD633-99DE-45CB-9E69-E64B00AEFF86.png
 
we have the cradle type feeders, we don't currently have chopped bales but I think they would work even better if we did, hay is fine but I sometimes feel that pulling silage out of. them can be hard work for the ewes
one advantage is you can pick them up on the forks and move/feed to cows/tip the rest if its getting old or take out to a field already filled.

I can't remember who makes ours, but didn't seem too expensive considering the are galv etc
 
Last edited:

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
I used to feed chopped bales with the muck gripe.

Bale on end near the feeder, open plastic and net.

Pick up with the gripe right over it and drop into the feeder.

Forget bale spikes
this is what I normal do , but these bales are just falling apart , lifted a bale yesterday with wrap still on and a 18" part of the bale fell off still wrapped with net , looked like I had sliced it on purpose .
 

David.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
J11 M40
Forget cradles with short fall apart bales of silage, you will lose loads of feed through the bars, and you will sweat long and hard to remove net wrap that ends up buried under the bale that collapses as you are unwrapping it:poop:
 

Forever Fendt

Member
Location
Derbyshire
this is what I normal do , but these bales are just falling apart , lifted a bale yesterday with wrap still on and a 18" part of the bale fell off still wrapped with net , looked like I had sliced it on purpose .
What are you lifting them with is it a single spike ,I use our fork with 3 tines that is for handling straw bales works fine with chopped bales
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Dung grab, bales on their ends, crank it back 45 degrees. If they're baled properly tight, you don't drop anything until you crowd them forward.

I load the feeder/blower this way. This picture is of chopped haylage, but lifting silage bales chopped to 60mm works exactly the same.

silage loading.jpg
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Dung grab, bales on their ends, crank it back 45 degrees. If they're baled properly tight, you don't drop anything until you crowd them forward.

I load the feeder/blower this way. This picture is of chopped haylage, but lifting silage bales chopped to 60mm works exactly the same.

View attachment 611746
Don’t forget to replace that guard on the bedder that you have removed to inspect.:whistle:
 

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
I'm using a muck grape fitted with hd kv tines and the bales were baled with a McHale fusion , the silage is too short and goes into a big lump as soon as the net is taken off .
 

Sharpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
I'm using a muck grape fitted with hd kv tines and the bales were baled with a McHale fusion , the silage is too short and goes into a big lump as soon as the net is taken off .
Well I would try fitting longer tines or borrowing something with long tines before throwing money at feeders.
 

ewefool

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Loch lomond
We had this problem with silage in sheep feeders and ended up cutting one end of the plastic off then sitting the bale in bean can then taking off the plastic and net wrap
 

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