Re: Round Bales, Botulism, Increased Colic Risk?

Eileen Morgan wrote:
OK, so on my eventing list a couple folks feed round bales, but several raised concerns about increased botulism risk, excessive hay waste, and increased colic risk.

Comments? Data? Anecdotes?

Saving money on hay ceases to be a good idea when it ends in colic.

A tale of two round bale users: The first bought some round bales to keep her horses busy out on pasture in the late summer. One bale lasted a long time and there was a lot of waste. This was primarily due to the fact that she still had good grass late in the summer so the horses ate the grass first, then picked at the hay second. I think one bale lasted 3-4 weeks or so with about 5-6 horses in that pasture. I don't think she's used them again, though she might be using them now during the winter when the horses are only in dry lot paddocks.

The second user is the h/j barn where my girls are taking lessons. They use the same sized round bales (I'm guessing 5x7 but they may be smaller), one per paddock where there are varying numbers of horses (smallest group size of 2). These bales don't last much more than a week but the difference is that most of the paddocks are dry lots. But even in the big pasture, a bale doesn't last very long and there is very little waste. Last week I took a close look at the unappetizing bales sitting in the outdoor ring (where they're delivered by the hay guy). There was a very tiny skin of brown hay but the inside was green, sweet and not dusty at all as far as I could tell. If I were boarded here, I would much rather have my horses have the round bales all the time rather than depending on a barn rat to dole out flakes.

Neither place has had a colic or botulism case.

Give it a shot. Buy one or two round bales and see how they work (or don't) for you. It doesn't have to be a permanent decision.

I was going to try one for my horses but now that I'm down to one fat one, it's not the most economical choice though I think Mr. Stuff-My-Face-Alot could eat a round bale in a week by himself.

Mary
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