Sliage feeding, unroller or chopper?

[hilux]

Looking at buying a round bale feeder for the sheep this winter. Do I buy an unroller (hustler etc.) or a chopper(Teagle). It must be 3 point linkage mounted and be able to bed straw. What I like about the hustler etc. , is it can self load, but will it bed down straw? With the teagle is the necessity to have 2 tractors, and how much silage I will waste when cutting the net off before putting in the tub. Currently use chopped bales(1/2 the no. Of knives up at baling). What are other users opinions on them?

 

[Pan mixer]

I have stopped using chopped bales because of horrendous wastage - especially in the cattle, it just goes everywhere.

Unroller in that case.

 

[jellybean]

It is not necessary to have 2 tractors for a Teagle, if you think that, you have too much money or have not thought about how to make your life easier. I have been feeding approx 350 round chopped silage bales each winter through a Teagle 4040. Just put an A-frame on the back of the loader tractor, cut wrap off front of bale, spike with loader, lift and remove wrap and cut JUST the top of the net that will be furthest inside the shredder, then put bale in shredder keeping it just off the bottom then remove net. If you remove net before the bale can fall to bits. I know it sounds like a faff but I can do it in a minute or two.

 

[hendrebc]

Wessex are making an unroller with a straw chopper on it now looks ideal. Im using my teagle 4040 now for bedding beef and feeding sucklers round bale hay on the ground and find it makes bloody hard wrok of hay its very slow if the bales are hard. Better on softwr baled stemmy stuff. Would love one of those wessex unrollers but they dont make one to take square bales yet. Next year they will have ive been told

 

[Yale]

This is good but you need something with a bit of weight and more on the front.

 

[Old Tip]

Does the Teagle manage the chopped bales ok @jellybean, will it handle second cut stuff ?

 

[jellybean]

In my humble opinion the Teagle is only any good on chopped bales. As others have said it will take forever to get through an unchopped bale especially if it is long stalky material, so long in fact you lose the will to live, besides burning all that diesel to little effect.
I am sure somebody will come along and say I haven't got it set up right, or haven't got sharp blades in it but I have tried everything.
However on the chopped bales for my system it is fine; can feed a bale into 4 or 5 ring feeders in maybe 6 or 7 minutes, but I have never timed it.
I really do not find it a hassle dropping the machine off the tractor to load in a bale and hitch it back on again.