feed ring wastage.

[michael N123]

In my opinion a 7' diameter ring is just not big enough for hay or haylage from a modern baler.We were all using 7' ring feeders 30+ years ago and todays bales must be at least 50% bigger , maybe double.

Didn’t no they made cow ring feeders that small mine are bigger than that

I

 

[Al R]

In my opinion a 7' diameter ring is just not big enough for hay or haylage from a modern baler.We were all using 7' ring feeders 30+ years ago and todays bales must be at least 50% bigger , maybe double.

4’ 6” wrapped bales usually are?
I’ve baled 7ft straws and hays before but they are impossible to wrap unless you wrap them by hand!

 

[Jason Brora]

Have tried various ways to reduce waste, when feeding bales to cattle, and particularly sheep with mixed results.
Some points have already been mentioned, but certainly a smaller bale, and chopped for cattle helps, also leaving the net on, (obviously removing when finished..) waste is minimal with silage and hay, but is some straw loss, main problem here is the pathetic build quality, of so called 'heavy duty' feeders, sick of repairing them, so considering a trailer feeder, (view John L Watson Welding) also some good U S made feeders, with a cone suspended by chains inside, taller and much stronger, and look very efficient. As for sheep, they drive me nuts, tried making even smaller bales, in larger rings with diagonal bars, and net tied round half way up, a little better but not terribly successful. Trying to reduce waste, spoilage/contamination and maintain intakes important so I'm going to use my bedder/feeder and just fill more regularly, may seem to take longer, but if sheep perform better, that has to be a good thing, a lot of time can be spent cleaning feeders off several times through the feeding period, and reminants at the end of it... apologies for the epic post, my 1st post on a forum (previous was from the Mrs..)

 

[neilo]

I don’t feed many bales, but I find minimal wastage, without restricingintakes, from one of these:
https://iae.co.uk/product-agriculture/square-sheep-feeder-c-w-adjustable-sides/
I only have one, and they cost a fair bit more than a simple ring feeder (mine was £190 from old stock, before last year’s price rises), but it’s my first choice feeder when I do put a bale out.

 

[C.J]

Didn’t no they made cow ring feeders that small mine are bigger than that

I

That is a 20 space feeder - the IAE heavy duty is also 7 foot diameter with 2 foot skirt.

 

[C.J]

4’ 6” wrapped bales usually are?
I’ve baled 7ft straws and hays before but they are impossible to wrap unless you wrap them by hand!

Mine are only 4'3" - its just the shear volume that is in a Mc Hale bale.

 

[Smudge]

@Jason Brora is this the one you mean from John L Watson?

 

[Danllan]

Should also bear in mind that there's a fine line between reducing wastage and limiting intakes.

Too true, but it really is a bl**dy fine balance, especially before you've sorted out the doers from the rest!

4’ 6” wrapped bales usually are?
I’ve baled 7ft straws and hays before but they are impossible to wrap unless you wrap them by hand!

That sounds like the sort of sadistic enterprise my late father would have thought up!

 

[tr250]

4’ 6” wrapped bales usually are?
I’ve baled 7ft straws and hays before but they are impossible to wrap unless you wrap them by hand!

7ft is there a baler that does them that big?

 

[tr250]

Clamp silage is the answer I really don't know why bales are so widely used

 

[Blaithin]

Clamp silage is the answer I really don't know why bales are so widely used

Because hay doesn't keep nearly as well in a clamp.

 

[Beames]

I’m having trouble this year with the cows pulling the silage out of the feeders and then lying around them getting covered in muck. They’ve got straw in the shed to sit on but insist on lying by the feeders. Thinking about chopping all the bales next year as I’m fed up of seeing the wastage and cows covered in muck.

 

[Forever Fendt]

I use these with zero waste 8ft long x about 5ft drop a chopped bale in the middle on its end and its a tight fit as they start eating it the bale falls away to each end the base is about 27" high

 

[Al R]

7ft is there a baler that does them that big?

Welger rp520 I used years ago, it would do 6ft straws all day long and tie the net everytime, going to 7ft you had to stop sharply or it wouldn’t net it properly. Hell of a baler, 30kph behind 25ft combine

 

[Pan mixer]

I tried chopped bales, there was much more wastage, not doing that again.

Making them clear it up properly before adding another bale has helped this year.

 

[tr250]

Welger rp520 I used years ago, it would do 6ft straws all day long and tie the net everytime, going to 7ft you had to stop sharply or it wouldn’t net it properly. Hell of a baler, 30kph behind 25ft combine

Yes we had a 520 bloody good baler they went up to 2m which is 6"6 that's why I asked as I've never seen another baler that could go bigger

 

[Al R]

Yes we had a 520 bloody good baler they went up to 2m which is 6"6 that's why I asked as I've never seen another baler that could go bigger

It was bloody tight and the net often didn’t go around it if you went full diameter, I thought it was 7’ but could’ve been 2m ? It was 11 years ago but I remember doing thousands of 6’ straw..

 

[michael N123]

I tried chopped bales, there was much more wastage, not doing that again.

Making them clear it up properly before adding another bale has helped this year.

I’ve found chopping bales is better when it’s hayledge nearly hay type stuff

Chopped some second cut wettish bales in september and There a pain in the arse to get the net off

 

[Jason Brora]

@Jason Brora is this the one you mean from John L Watson?

Indeed!

 

[holywell farmer]

Out of all the ring feeders I've used, this one beats them hands down for minimum wastage, I've got 3 of them, the only trouble is they are a pig to move, can't be tipped up as they fall over and they don't make them anymore.

That looks good