Selecting a Hay Feeder

After buying the best hay you can find, it's frustrating to see that hay trampled and wasted in the mud. Or perhaps you're like a recent caller to my office, and have never used large round bales, always purchasing and feeding small square bales for your horses. Whatever the case, I think the research is this linked article will be of interest. It relates the findings of a research project at the University of Minnesota to see which option for feeding large round bales resulted in the least waste, and compared costs of the various feeder types. Keep in mind that large round bales require some machinery to maneuver, but can often be purchased at a significantly lower cost per ton that small squares. That savings is lost, however, if the horses waste a significant portion of the hay due to improper feeding.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/selecting-a-round-bale-feeder/