Almost everyone puts up round bales now. That makes finding square hay bales difficult.
Round bales have advantages. Since they are moved by tractor, no hay crew is needed. They shed rain and can be left outside.
These big bales have one major flaw for me. They are too big to move without equipment I don’t have. Square hay bales are manageable for me. And, with a small herd of wasteful goats, they waste less as less is put out at a time.
My Hay
For years I bought my hay. Now I have people come and custom bale my fields. For a bit more they even put it in my barn for me.
Watching someone else put hay in my barn is hard. I picked up, unloaded, and stacked my own hay for decades. Age catches up with everyone and moving hay is one of my casualties.
Even harder is trying to explain how I want the hay bales stacked. My ancient barn is difficult to stack in. The stacks fit best in one way. And that way makes getting them back out easier too.
Will My Goats Eat the Hay?
I can’t answer this question. The herd goes out and eats the grass plus weed assortment out in the fields. That doesn’t mean they will eat the same stuff dried.
Every fall this turns into a debate. I put hay out in the troughs. The goats check it out. They go out and scrounge in the fields.
Winter sets in. The fields are unavailable due to rain or ice or snow. Suddenly the hay tastes good to the goats.
Winter is coming. The first taste of fall with warm days and cool nights has set in giving warning. The goats may not be impressed with stacks of square hay bales in the barn while the fields are still green and lush.
I am.
