When our warm season pastures, such as bermudagrass and bahiagrass, begin declining in both production and quality, horse owners should be stocking up on hay to feed through the fall and winter months while pastures are dormant.
Buying good-quality hay is expensive and will cost more when waiting until November or December to buy hay that has been stored in a barn or when hay supply is getting low. Some hay producers will often sell at a discounted rate if you buy bales straight out of the field. I would consider this a benefit for both a producer and customer since labor is reduced (accumulating square bales, stacking them on a trailer, and unloading into a hay barn or shed is labor intensive) and customers may even get a discount.
There are several things to consider when stocking up on hay for winter feeding. First, how much hay does your animal consume per day, specifically when there is little standing forage available in the pasture? Horses vary on how much they eat but a good rule of thumb is 2.5 percent of their bodyweight per day. Multiplying 2.5 percent by your horse’s weight will give you their daily intake. For example, a 1000-pound horse will consume about 25 pounds of hay per day. If you feed a supplement the amount of hay required will be lower but 25 pounds is a good starting point.
Next, multiple daily intake, 25 pounds in this example, by the average number of days you feed until pasture green-up. Let’s say your pastures are dormant from November to April. That’s roughly 150 days multiplied by 25 pounds so total hay consumption for the winter is around 3,750 pounds per horse. Now how many bales does that translate into? Hay bales vary in their density which effects their weight. Finding a hay producer with consistent bales is very important in estimating how many you will need.
Let’s assume you feed square bales and they average 50 pounds. Take your total hay needed for the winter (3,750 lbs) and divide by average bale weight (50 lbs) which equals 75 square bales. Since there’s always hay that gets wasted, I like to add an extra 10 percent. So, 10 percent of 3,750 pounds is 375 pounds or an extra 8 square bales. In total the horse would need around 83 bales to get through the winter.
After you calculate how much hay your horse will need, you also need to think about storage space. Hay should be stored out of the weather. Bales that get rained on become a great environment for molds to develop which can adversely affect your horse so make sure you have the room to keep them dry. Nutrition quality also drops as hay is exposed to the elements throughout the winter. Generally, square bales are easier to store in smaller areas such as an empty stall. A 12-foot by 12-foot stall with an 8 -foot roof should hold around 90 square bales, depending on how you stack them. If you have several horses and need to feed round bales, they can be set on wood pallets and covered with tarps to keep the moisture out.
If you have the storage capacity, purchasing all your hay before supply runs low in the winter is a good practice to keep feed costs down. Always remember that all hay is not created equal so consider having your hay tested for nutrient content to ensure your horse’s nutrient requirements are being met.
If you have any questions about livestock nutrition or forages please contact the Richmond County Extension office, at 910-997-8255. Visit our website, Richmond.ces.ncsu.edu, and follow us on Facebook.