Rolls VS Bales

[ckey0095]

I only have 4 months left with my last steer and he is the only one I have on my property. I am looking at hay to get him, I want something that will be the best for him, but also cheap. I've considered getting a role of hay, but is that too much? And will it rot before he can eat it all? I live in Florida, so the weather is very unpredictable. Or would bales of hay be better?

 

[RyanChandler]

Rotting isn't as much an issue as is regulating the amount of roughage he gets.  If you're steer is on full feed -which he should be- he only needs a few lbs of hay a day.  If you allow him to get his fill on hay, he won't eat his grain, thus he won't even come close to getting the energy levels he need to 'finish.'  1 flake of hay a day is plenty.  Compared to what feed is costing, this should be a not factor dollars wise. 

 

[Bulldaddy]

Big round bales are almost always cheaper than small square bales of equal quality.  I would suggest buying a good quality large round bale and placing it on a couple of wooden pallets.  Then cover it with an inexpensive plastic tarp to keep it dry.  You can weight the corners down with bricks or concrete blocks.  Just peel the tarp back to gain access to the hay.  We do this with large bales of alfalfa and it works great!