For several reasons, my hay supply for this coming feeding season will be put up in round bales. My facitlites are such that I can feed under roof in a way that reduces waste and preserves quality of the feed. My reluctance to feed rounds has been that I didn't want my horses to have unlimited access to feed, with a couple of exceptions. I could reasonably easily limit their eating time by gating them away from the bales, overnight for example. Letting them eat in the daytime, and not at night. Are there any nutritional or health detriments to such a program that I should consider? I have considered providing wheat straw at another location to occupy their attention when they are shut away from hay. I use straw now as part of my limit feeding. I have mostly halfinger horses, and they don't need to eat 24/7.

I would put up the bales in a way, that the horse only have access to one flat side .

No detriment to them not eating. More problems if they are over fed.
Why not store the round bales where they can't get at them and peel off what you need per day. It is harder than big squares, but can be done.
I feed off big squares and I cut down the middle with a chain saw cutting 22 " deep at a time and then retieing.

Sometimes we put off doing something that is more difficult and then look for a short cut, that we know isn't right.

I feed the way Klaus says. I feed net wrapped round bales(4x5), and set them on end. I leave the net wrap on and cut it off as I go. It cuts the waste down by keeping them from stomping in the ground.
As far as how much to feed them.... I just keep an eye on mine and make sure they aren't getting too fat. Also feed very little feed.

Dave

Pitchforks work.

I added lean to's to my horse barn so my round bales are set on wooden pallets on end. Then as needed I cut twine and "unwrap" the hay off of the bale and fork into the feeders as I would from square bales. I built the lean to's as my old hay supplier had gone to big squares.

I'd cut the strings/net and take a fork to it so I fed just what they need.

From what I understand horses need something to chew on 24/7. Reason being that their stomach is always producing acid wether they are eating or not. So they need something in their stomach to soak up that acid 24/7. Thats why horses are so prone to ulcers, acid pumps never shut down.

A word of warning about feeding round bales with net wrap intact. Horses will ingest some of the plastic threads that tend to ball up and can cause a blockage in the intestine. A good friend of mine lost two good mares last year due to netting blocking the gut. After the second one died he had the vet post in ,they found a ball of net wrap fibers. Vet said it had probably been accumulating for a couple of years.

This past fall I had grass (no weeds nor brush) on what used to be CRP field baled on shares. The farmer baled it into big string-tied rounds. Only place under cover that I had to store my share was end to end in a long shed. I also bought enough small squares to feed my horses and donkeys as I usually do. In the dead of winter when we were having those many snowy days of below zero weather, I opened up the shed to the critters where they could get at only one flat end of one bale at a time. They ate pure grass day and night and were the happiest I have seen them since they had been walking the hills on pasture. I stopped feeding the "good" small squares until all the big rounds were gone, about 10 days for each round for 10 critters. Then resumed feeding the squares. They didn't gain nor lose weight in that time nor did they waste a single blade. They "took turns" at the rounds, according to pecking order and everybody got a turn. Unfortunately, there was a lot of manure accumulated where those rounds had been, which I found impossible to clean out at that time. I don't usually feed anything but grassy hay through the winter and am considering doing the same next year in a slightly different location.

I agree with others who recommend the pitchfork. When we feed round bales, we treat them as though they were loose hay, most of the time.

Wes and Dale hit it. Sounds like you aren't working them. Feed as little hay as possible, Straw or corn stover works also. I feed free choice cattails plus some good hay. Mature horses not used on this diet only though. I never liked hard to keep cattle or horses.

I would watch their weight and if need be then gate of the hay for scheduled feedings. My Belgian mules have a round bale all the time and they will eat a little then go nap and then repeat. I don't have a problem with them over eating and still feed grain because they need more weight on them. The one was a hide rack when I got him though. The pony is the only one we have to watch on weight gain. Don't know if a horse will do the same or not but I would rather have them eating hay or straw like you said rather than the barn or fence boards like some I've seen.

Let em eat....you eat when your hungry dont ya...unless its some high power hay,that probably shouldn't be fed to horses anyway,it ain't gonna hurt em

I may have been misunderstood: When I leave round bales outside( most I unravel and put in the hay barn) I do not tilt them on their flat side, that would only make it easy for rain to get inside, I leave them on their round side on pallets, but the horses can only access them from one side , which is a flat one.

Susie, think someone is telling you wrong. How can you work a horse while it is eating?

Feed horses what they need. More horses are ruined by over feeding than under. Grab a fork and go to work. The other option is straw in one pen and hay in the other. Let them into hay as long as needed to maintain weight then into the straw to pick the rest of the time. I do like putting straw out. It gives them something to nibble but not get fat.

IF you set up the feeding place correct with a long row of stanchions where they reach their heads thru, you can lay a round bale on its side and unroll enuf for one day, cut it off and roll it back out of reach to one side. Ofcourse you would store your feed where u feed but back enuf to be out of reach.