Moving a Large Hay Bale Without a Tractor

[@goldenyearsacres9163]

Do you have a video of how you separated the bale before you started using the hay dolly?

[@LibertyGarden]

What an excellent idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@devrabiallas1292]

The bale mover is cool..but in my limited experience I found leaving the bail on its long side with the flat sides on each end sheds water faster when it rains and makes the bales last longer. I've just recently purchased a net to go over my large bales. The waste from the hay hitting the ground and being laid on and yeah all that other stuff and I'm hoping the net will make less waste. I also have no tractor and was hoping this would show me a different method of moving those large bales when you're just one woman but alas I do not have a bale mover.. great idea though

[@goldenyearsacres9163]

Girrr, I thought you were going to break out rge old plywood & pull strap( or chain) method. I was waiting to see how yoy "manhandled" the bale onto the plywood. It might work for a stocky man, but for a 5'5" petite frame lady, that isn't happening. So now to find a bale dolly or preferrably, something that will work with my RTV.

[@shannonblocker7772]

Where did you purchase/find your hay dollie? Does it have a brand name? Thanks for posting.

[@ButterfieldAlpacaRanch]

This was a home made bale dolly

[@RatherBeOnBroadway]

Do large round bales like that come in different sizes? the bales I'm looking at are 800lbs. Is that close to this one? thank you!

[@clbedwell]

Pretty neat bale dollie!! ~~~ How cold has it gotten there? Here in west central Indiana, the high temp for the day (12/26) was around 16! Brrr! What do you do to keep the alpacas and llamas warm when the temps get very low? And what do you do for yourself to keep warm while working out in the open like that? Also, what steps do you take to keep water from freezing?

[@ButterfieldAlpacaRanch]

Hi Claudia! Most of the country seems to be having crazy cold weather. We had a frigid high of 9* today (12/26)!!! I don’t like it at all. This is actually too cold for alpacas. To help them, they need shelters with no drafts, deep straw bedding in the barns, alfalfa in addition to their grass hay to keep their internal fires going, and hot water to drink (it doesn’t stay hot for long!). Some also gets coats. The girls barn has electricity so there is a de-icer in their water trough. The boys barn doesn’t have power so I use rubber buckets that I bust the ice out of regularly. As for myself, I wear lots of layers to stay warm - alpaca boot inserts, alpaca socks, thermal gloves, etc. Hauling water and hay keeps the blood flowing! I just stay active, get chores done, and go back where it’s warm.

[@clbedwell]

Thanks for answering so quickly! ~~~ Alpacas wearing coats!?! I bet that is a sight to see.

[@ButterfieldAlpacaRanch]

This was Sophie last year facebook.com/ButterfieldAlpacaRanch/photos/a.249054111865474.44326.202873906483495/987167894720755/?type=3

[@clbedwell]

Nice! Thanks for posting the link. I must have missed that after I started following you on Facebook and KZbin. ~~ I am cold-natured, too. LoL I'm sitting here wearing a lightweight jacket that has knitted sleeves, a poncho that I knitted a few years ago, a neck scarf that I knitted a few months ago, and my hat that I crocheted last winter. LoL The reason I'm wearing all this is because the little heating unit in my apartment hasn't quite decided what it is supposed to do in this cold weather! Stay warm!!

[@MsFishingdog]

great video. thanks

[@dianemoore2945]

Do they always eat at the same time?

[@ButterfieldAlpacaRanch]

Usually within the same time frame. But that’s more for my schedule than for them. Although, they are creatures of habit. If you keep a routine, they WILL expect to be fed at the appointed time. That just means more humming (complaining) and spitting/vocalizing (arguing amongst themselves) when you are late.

[@ryanwilson8630]

You do know you can flip switch on your hand winch and pull your cable out lot quicker

[@BornAgainFarmGirl]

Silly question? What's the difference between Hay & Straw ?

[@ButterfieldAlpacaRanch]

Hay is dried grass. Straw is the stem of wheat. Once the wheat head is harvested, what is left is straw and they bale it for various uses.

[@Accumulator1]

Hay is mostly leaf content of dried forage if it was made by a grower that knows what they are doing. Leaf content of hay is the most palatable and nourishing part of the plant for an animal to digest. Stem part is worthless. Straw being stem is maybe used for bedding or bought by cattle farmers as a cheap option for roughage but must be supplement by something like molasses and protein tubs. Not a good way to get your livestock through a long cold winter in my opinion.

[@kit2130]

Still need special equipment…