Why unroll the bale of hay? Seems more wasted under hoof that way?
Or should I be bigly surprised you are dealing with hay at all?
Several advantages to unrolling:
1) hay rings/feeders are communal areas prone to mud and feces loading....that invites a whole host of pathogens, parasites and injury to the animals and detriment to their health.....unrolling hay produces less mud, feces loading and better animal health than rings....udder infections, naval infections, parasites, and trampled calves are the most common anomalies of rings
2) timid animals often get pushed off the ring and don't get their fill of hay.....unrolling hay gives dominant and subordinant individuals equal feed opportunity....many people DO NOT think about 'bunk space requirements' for hay but it is no different than for supplement in troughs or stock density on pasture....animals have space requirements and herd hierachy are always at play for spatial distribution
3) hay rings/feeders/duallys/bale beds are a significant cost that most folks can avoid
4) unrolling spreads animal impact, manure loading, and hay orts for soil OM build over a larger area.....soil tends to become compacted around the hay ring and forage production may be lost for considerable time in the area of ring influence...a detriment to small scale soil health
5) granted, some folks up north successfully 'bale graze' on frozen or snow covered ground.....in zone 6b and warmer/wetter, bale grazing isn't a viable option due to mud/manure and compaction issues
6) I can unroll round hay with an ATV in areas where you can't get a ring, a dually or a tractor very easily!
Several reasons why I wanted to feed a few bales this spring:
1) test new hay handling equipment (bought a Titan hay spear/pallet fork combination for loader), how many bales will trailer carry safely, and test unroller well in advance of normal need next winter for any needed 'bug fixes'
2) 'washy grass' tends to make cattle feces loose and animals may overheat from imbalance of protein/energy.....long stemmed hay improves digestive function/animal health on washy grass...I knew cattle were going onto 40 d grass first turn-out
3) There is nothing wrong with having hay for emergency situations, inclement weather, buying stockpile days, or even to 'plan hay feeding or poor soil improvement' into the grazing calendar....hay, used wisely, is a land/soil improvement tool....during the 'mud pit and wash grass of March' as ex. HEy fed excessively points to overstocking the land and/or poor/no grazing management.
4) cattle were to be 'dry lotted' a few day after receiving and before turn-out for bonding and training purposes....long stemmed prairie hay is one of the best things to offer newly received cattle....palatable and nutrient dense from deep rooted plants just low in N
There is very little 'waste' in a pasture/grazing system which is not burned with fire if you look at the 'whole picture'.....plant material (either standing or stored) is either recycled in the form of manure/urine/saliva/milk froth/shed hair, residuals decomposed as thatch by soil life, or material left standing as uneaten green leaf for solar panels to grow new forage faster. When you insist of the animal 'complete plant consumption' without 'some selection', animal performance and health will suffer.....there must always be some form of 'uneaten residual' to keep the pasture ecosystem functional and the healthy herd performing...most folks err on the side of 'too little residuals' on all fronts from fed feed to grazed forage....then when it doesn't rain in a timely manner they get invited to the 'drought party' or they are dependent on fertilizer/herbicide..
How to increase utilization and minimize waste of unrolled round bale hay or spread out square bale hay:
1) cut net wrap and pin it down with tread-in post behind bale
2) unroll hay (either all in one paddock or across a hot wire(s) if you want to limit bale consumption over time and two or more paddocks)
3) run polywire and a few pig-tail posts right down the middle of the rolled out hay
4) turn 'on' AN90 energizer, step self-grounding stake in the soil, and connect the 'hot' alligator clip to polywire
5) animals can eat hay from either side of polywire but won't lie down in the middle of the roll....baby calves may lay on it and that is fine....just not mature stock
6) very little time/labor is required to do this and you don't need a tractor or a dually to unroll hay (new/used ATV $3-5K....tractor or dually $15-50 K
I have one AN90 and there are two possible uses this week: 1) partition stock water at pond to preclude animals wading leading to foot injury/issue or 2) run string down the unrolled hay to increase efficiency of use. Animals were 'picking' at hay during turn-out....so I chose option 1....would much rather have some 'trampled' hay waste than several cases of lameness or foot rot to doctor.
My point in all of this is simple.....one should look at the 'whole picture' before deciding the best route of action.
