Hay Supplies

Summer vacations and pool parties are over.  Fall is upon us and hopefully horse owners have already planned for winter feed supplies.  If not, you will need to do so as soon as possible.  Of course, if you have a winter grass, that is the most economical way to feed them.  If you don’t have enough grass to last all winter or don’t have the equipment to cut your own hay, you should have already purchased it to store during the summer months.  In most years, around January or February, our Extension offices are flooded with calls from livestock owners desperately seeking hay.  That time period is the unfortunate gap between where hay farmers are sold out and the summer grass has not come on yet.

Whether you have a way to store your hay on your farm, can store it with someone else, or just need to stack it in the field, it is best to get your supply now while hay is still available.  With the weather we’ve been having this year, we will probably have another shortage again next spring, so be prepared.  If you cannot find enough hay, you may need to reduce your number of horses.  You can locate hay providers at these websites:  http://www.ncagr.gov/hayalert/ or http://onslow.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/67/HayDirectory.pdf.  The best way to estimate how much hay you will need is to keep record every year on how many horses you have fed for how many days with how many bales.  You can then adjust accordingly based off of shortages or surpluses.  If you don’t have a record or are raising horses for the first time, you can estimate how much hay you might need below.

You need to first figure out the number of days that hay is required.  This will vary from around 90 to 150 days, depending on the climate in your area and the amount of stockpiled forage available.  When estimating quantity of hay, it is best to obtain the average weight of several bales and then multiply this times the number of bales.  Remember that large bales stored outside may have substantial losses during storage and feeding, which must be taken into consideration.  Remember that estimating feed requirements is just that, only a quick estimate. To be more accurate you need to consider exact nutritional requirements for the size of animal and stage of reproduction or growth desired.  Also, feed supply can be more accurately estimated if you have a forage analysis to determine the exact nutrient content.

A good quick estimate for adult horses is that they need about half a square bale of hay per day.  So if you feed 2 horses for 150 days, you would need approximately 150 square bales or around 10 round bales.  This is considering the average weight of your square bales is 55 lbs and the average weight of your round bales is 825 lbs.     

We will be more than happy to help you with more in depth calculations and numbers specific to your farm to estimate hay needs for your horses.  However, we would much rather help you calculate hay supply needs now, then to struggle to help you find hay in the spring.  If you need help with hay estimations, please call your local Extension Agent for assistance.