The Ranch Needs this Piece of Equipment, I’ve Got to Make it Happen!

I’ve been searching for this piece of equipment for a long time and I’ve finally found it within a very reasonable distance. Come with me as I check it out!

[@jeffersondrake3723]

I also watch a channel called just a few acres farm. Pete through out a gofundme account to restore a tractor last week and was very successful in raising the needed capital for his project. please consider doing that. Let us help at least in part. You have a lot of appreciative fans who benefit greatly like myself from your animal husbandry. Thank you

[@BradMyers]

Grandpa went from square bales to rounds bales for a couple of reasons. The first was the fact he was getting older and moving the square bales were getting harder. He went to the round bales so the tractor could do the work. Secondly, the round bales offered him the option if he and grandma wanted to go to see family on the weekend, he didn't have to worry about the cows going hungry. He placed out a fresh round bale and would go on a short weekend trip and come back and not have any issues.

[@packofhounds]

I thought you were going to say a snowmobile. I live in South Carolina and round bales are really common here. Horses and cattle. The key to round bales is to control waste. Many have suggested hay rings. They are still sloppy but better than nothing. Without any organization, the cattle, donkeys, goats, horses will all ruin a round bale by stepping on the waste and then sleeping on the pile. Once you have reached that stage, nobody will eat it. Also, that fire extinguisher on the baler is important. I watched a round baler burn to the ground in a field across the street. The operator had just enough time to seperate the tractor. Burned 3-4 acres of the hayfield. My buddy likes to buy the ugly, old rained on bales because only the outer layers are bad and they sell cheaper. Inside is still perfect. Many farmers store rounds outside. The method is to line them up long way tight to each other to protect the "flat" ends from the elements.

[@farmertyler8087]

You could always just roll half your crop into rounds and bale the other half into squares to sell

[@joshhubbard430]

Side delivery bale unroller. Goes on the back of the tractor and rolls the hay off to one side for feeding.

[@goldfire1676]

way to go

[@DennysCountryLife]

I feed 4x5 round bales to my small herd of a whopping three head, the bales last 7 days, and get rained on all the time. The cows don't mind one bit, and eat them down to nothing. Im probably at 5% loss or so per bale, so you shouldn't have to worry about covering a feeder. I hope you get this baler Tyler. You won't regret it one bit!

[@drich28]

Just buy a couple bale rings and set them out in the lot. Rain isn’t going to rot a bale they’re eating on. Central Illinois here and guys “not me but most” store their round bales outside all year only rots the outside few inches in that amount of time. My cows seem to eat more after a rain. I don’t know if it softens the hay a little or what. But rain isn’t going to be an issue, just don’t set your bale/ring in a low spot.

[@ref1235]

same in northeast oklahoma

[@lucasbailey619]

My experience in Ohio ive never had a problem putting out 5 plus days worth of round bales. Always just let them get hungry enough on the lasty day that theyll clean up all the leftover hay

[@Theghostofpeter]

We feed 4 by 8 square bales close to Tyler and we feed out in the pasture and then harrow the pastures after the cow leave for the hills.

[@donmacdonald7758]

Just a suggestion, weld cross member 6 inches up from the bottom on around bale feeder, then when you drop the bale in it will remain out of the mud in the corral. Hope this helps.

[@1999Nickster]

Snapshot: over 24 hours after video posting and 330+ comments, I thank you Tyler and everybody here for sharing with such honesty and wisdom. Lots of smart and down to earth principles that can be applied in all professions. No need for a PHD or many diplomas on the shed's walls.... Just common sense: -Live -Learn -Adapt -Love

[@richardperry9095]

Funny to me to hear this discussion being as a round baler is mostly all we have used. Pros: 1) less labor in handling. 2) quicker baling because of #1. 3) JD has a wrap you can use that sheds water, outside storage is common here in the SE. 4) feeding. Once we were set up, we just unrolled hay and the cows cleaned it up. You can feed many more cows at the same time by unrolling it out in the pasture. Another advantage is any hay stomped into the ground [which is surprisingly little] helps rejuvenate your pasture. 5) transportation. You actually can load flatbed trucks with more tonnage than you would think - and much faster. Cons: 1) teaching yourself a new way of doing things [old dogs...] 2) initial cost of getting set up - baler, loader hay spears, hay unrollers, net-wrap, etc. BTW, I recommend only using the net-wrap not the twine tie if you can, it is more desirous to your customers. 3) you make much more money selling the small bales. In this area you can expect $35 a 1000# roll and about $120 for the same hay in small bales. Mosaic Farm is correct, if you are selling for horses, small bales are the way to go, so if selling is your goal I'd stick with small bales.

[@randymitchell8424]

Don't worry about the hay getting rained on when you feed. I stored my rounds outside before I built a shed, one of the advantages of round bales is they shed water well,similar to a thatched roof. Northern Wisconsin, so plenty of precipitation ,over 35 inches of rain plus around 2 feet of snow on a rough average.

[@TexFarmer]

Agreed, even if it rains on the hay after the cows have tore into it and made a mess of it, the hay still retains its quality well long enough for the cows to finish it all off.

[@Hector-dc8km]

Old Glory at the end of the video was a nice touch.

[@prestemon]

Don’t overthink it just buy a couple round bale ring feeders and feed in the yard. No need to retrofit anything.

[@madoxyoung8837]

Or you could get a bale unroller

[@aCycloneSteve]

I think the small squares are great. If your big equipment breaks and you're using big bales you're screwed. If you have a 5000 head operation you need big equipment but if you have 20-30 head you can save a lot of headaches & drama doing it by hand. Plus if you need to buy or sell hay you can do it with a pickup truck.

[@theduke6669]

Hello Tyler. I raised beef cattle in southern NY, rings outside, they're beefers not milkers. Paid less than 2k for a old NH 851. Just puzzling, round bales at driveway were net wrapped, baler only had string, no netwrap. Good luck on round baler, less labor. Thanks!

[@tomlacorte4553]

From someone who feeds 100s of round bales a year for many years I can say you are overthinking this.

[@ref1235]

I am currently doing 77 round bales for my cows and 10 round bales for my horses Ive never covered them and never had them mold, the awesome part of round bales is if you stack them on the side as a roll the repel water

[@Runningfromtheherd]

I'm an overthinker myself. It's annoying but it is what it is

[@Ham68229]

If I may suggest, set the bales on the edge of the feed bunk, cut the strings, then push the bale in the bunk. Will save your back from all the lifting of the flakes. Besides, its how we used to feed. When you feed round bales, put them in a round bale feeder, have about 4 or 5 maybe 6. It cuts down on the waste and you can force them to clean up before feeding again. Small squares, they can waste a lot. Round bales are nice, we never looked back when we finally made that switch in the late 70's. Cheers :)

[@danrose3233]

Another slick way to feed round bales along a fenceline bunk system is to use a essentially a half of a hayring that protrudes into the pen area. Then you can position the bale from outside the pen which is a benefit and also you can get access to more cows on a single bale than with a straight line bunk area.

[@jobon2104]

Dan Rose That is a great idea. I might have to try that.

[@jackieconnor6845]

It’s lovely to see your early videos 😊😊😊😊x

[@snapmac5547]

If you roll them out the cows will lay on them for warmth and not eat it all. Id get hay rings for the round bales. They can eat from all sides and not ruin any hay. They will eat it if it gets wet. We feed mostly round bales because it saves time. We also keep squares in case I'm down for some reason. She can put squares out by herself without having to drive the tractor. Make sure your tractor is compatible with the baler. Those balers make a tight bale. Older cows have trouble pulling out the hay with old teeth on tight bales but will manage. Good luck!

[@robkent6321]

Hey Tyler, looks like a JD566 baker. I believe you can make several sizes of round bales with that model. My first concern is that you will need a minimum of 80-100 hp tractor to run it properly. You could fab up a 3 bale feeder on pipe skids so you could move it like a sled, that would keep the cattle of firm ground. Rain won’t effect the hay much in the couple of days that it takes them to eat it. Your current set up is efficient for your size of herd, but it makes you chore everyday. Tough to know what’s best. Solve one problem and it makes two more.

[@joha7484]

Wait, I like that dog behind you on the hay!!!

[@hvlineman5227]

You’re a handy person I know you’ll figure out how to facilitate. Smart move in my opinion with your size herd, and being a one man operation with a full time job, you would be making your life soooooo much easier. SIMPLIFY your one man operation, save your back, save time. Imagine not having to throw squares every single day during hay season to feed those critters. Think about how many times you move a single square from harvest to finish, before they get fed out. The round bale buyers will find you once you advertise. I think that baler would be a great investment for your operation. Good luck bud.

[@hattiecolley54]

I think it will happen Farmer Tyler. I just luv the way u operate and do Business, for that I am proud. I am hoping that u r able to pull it off in a timely manner though, as it will not last for a long time. Thank u for sharing, luv it!

[@annebell7274]

Good Luck with the Bank 👍👍👍

[@anneoreilly4900]

I’m glad I’m watching this after I know you bought it.

[@joefredette7253]

I’m in Canada so rain isn’t an issue this time of year (usually) but we put hay in a round ring and 16 head will clean it out to the ground in about 4 days. Even if your hay gets rained on in that time it will never mold fast enough that they won’t eat it. As soon as you take the twine off those bales and the cows get at them they will loosen up enough that they will dry out if they are rained on. I’d save the retrofitting, go with the round baler and buy/build a couple round rings for your hay. It’ll save you a ton of time and you’ll have less waste than putting them along those bunk feeders.

[@softtailfred]

Here in Australia I feed out 100s of round bales a year. Dont worry about storing the bales under cover. We have plastic wrapped bales...as silage. Silage is fermented hay. Stays good for ages. As for feeding out you must use round bale feeders so the cattle cant crap or piss on the hay and generally waste it. Dont worry about which cows get hay and which cant. My cattle pull a bite out of the bale and eat it away from the hay ring giving a chance for other cattle to eat. Dont worry about rain on the hay because the hay is made very, very tight in the bale that it repels water/rain.You'll learn after a while how much /how many bales to put out based on how fast they eat them so there is no mouldy hay. With plastic wrapped bales there is no need to store the hay in a barn and risk spontaneous combustion hay fires. Moving the bales can be done in a number of ways....a hydraulic hay grab on the front of your tractor....a hay spear on the back and a jib and chain. Good luck and dont over think it. Worry about part/belts on your new baler. Good Luck!

[@mosaicfarm2389]

If your main market for selling hay is horses, I would suggest sticking to small squares for the hay you plan on selling. You will have more waste feeding and get less money per ton with round bales... We have tons of round bales by us and almost all go to feed cattle and the horse farms feed square bales.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

I agree.

[@matthewerickson4501]

I disagree with this because I fed round bales to horses and I just forked it in by hand. I did it for 10 years and to get the bale to where I could fed I would drag it with my truck.

[@katrinagauld7340]

Put up square cto sell round for your own use. Horse people prefer squares because it's easier to monitor the intake, the quality of what your feeding and takes less time to feed. I feed both. But only if I have a very reliable source for quality no mold no dust rounds. Andi feed them by hand I never roll a bale out to free feed. Too much waste too much opportunity for mold

[@raybornclark8617]

i agree that square bales seem to be better for feeding a few horses and that you do sell the square bales for more money per ton....but it also costs a lot more money per ton to bale and gather and store the square bales not to mention the amount of manual labor required to handle the square bales. i think one big thing to consider is needing a front end loader to handle the square bales is a necessity. if you have the number of cattle that Tyler is running, round bales are great to limit the time spent feeding them. put out 4 or 5 bales at a time 2 to 3 times weekly. Time is money....

[@arthurdewith7608]

@@raybornclark8617 Ocattle is a one man operation until you get over 100 cows there is ndver any help when u need it only sell surplus or plant some thing else

[@acerhillfarm4245]

Check out a Greg Judy round bale un roller. You could feed out on pasture in a different spot nearly every day with just a four wheeler. Get some carbon back out in the pasture and not have a concentrated mess.

[@rockyrunangusranch-wieszracing]

hey man i'm glad you found a round baler, as for your feeding under roof, in that first manger you showed you could set up a couple 3 sided bale feeders. back your bales in under the roof and have the feed through panels on the other 3 sides if you catch my drift. ive seen them on a few channels on the tube, not sure how you would set that up in the manger attached to your hay storage barn though. for me one big round bale with 30 cows lasts one day. i set them out in the open in ring feeders, now we are frozen here and dont get rain until spring but when slop season hits in the spring i usually have some higher spots from a build up of waste hay and manure that i set the bale ring and bales on to keep them up and out of the slop. That's just my 2 cents and what i do. good luck with it man i hope you can swing it because you will like it!

[@farmertylerranch4399]

Thanks Brenton! So one bale a day in one bale ring and they all take turns eating? Or how does that work?

[@rockyrunangusranch-wieszracing]

@@farmertylerranch4399 yes correct, i usually roll out a little alfalfa to supplement so some are there and some go to the ring right away, but yes in the ring the stronger ones usually get in first but they push each other in and out and take turns i guess. i have yet to see any that aren't getting hay or get malnourished. seems over the course of 24 hours theres always an animal at the bale ring, theyre getting it polished off about the time i feed again.

[@ralphfarmer7621]

I just watched a video from Stoney Filled Farms. He had his bales in a field. When he needs to feed, he had a trailer that he pulled with a ATV. He pulled it to where he wants to feed, cut the strings and rolled it out.

[@joehairston4159]

We feed nothing but round bales here in Texas. We store them outside year round, very small percentage are stored in barns. All you need is some bale rings, the hay will not go bad in even a couple of weeks in the open. I promise you won’t have a problem.

[@prestonlucas9171]

We have cows and put bales out in the pasture it rains and they do not mold

[@southshore2357]

Once you enter the world of bartering you will learn that it is vast and never ending with possibilities i think it will help out a LOT . 😎😎😎😎

[@GaHullbillyRanch]

FTR, congratulations on the 108k sub mark ‼️

[@danrose3233]

Some have mentioned unrolling rounds and using a pitchfork. Been there, done that years ago. It is way more more than your current setup with squares. You should move to rounds to reduce work and make the process more mechanized not more labor intensive.

[@Hoosier60]

Very true. We did the same. Pain in the rear, and too time consuming! We just purchased a used 2015 McHale C460, and it was a game changer for us! More efficient time wise, and more efficient feeding with less waste. We can feed in the field, at round feeders, or in feed stalls. Cows seem to like the “fluffed up” hay too!

[@raybornclark8617]

agreed, we want the round bales to equal less labor by us to feed our cows. i poured a concrete pad to feed the cows round bales on because they will make a terrible mess if left to eat in the same place day after day. i also built a hay feeder rack that holds 3 round bales to put on the concrete pad to keep the hay up and off the ground so it does not soak up the wet and manure that builds up around it....you would not believe how much better they "clean up" the hay out of the feeder instead of putting it on the ground. they will refuse the bottom portion of the round bale of hay after it sits on the ground and soaks up everything around it. No square bales for me - round bales only from my John Deere baler.

[@ebudrow1]

We are in Western Washington raising Irish Dexters. We feed round bales all winter, outside. 5 cows take about a week to clean up a bale. If you start with dry hay it lasts just fine. Haylage will go to pot before they can eat it. I am in process of converting one of my round bale feeders into a cone style. Supposedly they save up to 10% on wastage. And you can set a fresh bale on top of a partial one.

[@ItzLori1]

My 2020 life summed up in a nutshell....I knew it was a round baler as soon as he started talking, cuz I've binge watched like every single FTR video while stuck at home. Not only that...but I'm excited that he found one!!

[@gregarm1038]

I have 16 cow calf pairs and I feed 5 4x5 round bails a week. I put all 5 bails out on Saturday and it’s all cleaned up by the following Saturday. Rain isn’t a problem because they are stored under cover and and they go through them so fast they don’t have a chance to mold. We get a fair amount of rain here in north Florida and mold has only been an issue when the bails were stored outside before I built the hay barn. We use net wrap around here and the bails are super tight. (Sometimes they are so tight that you can hardly get the bail spear in them). The tighter they are the less water can penetrate them. Hay rings are useful as they keep the hay clean and desirable. You can also feed net wrapped bails without a hay ring. Leave the net wrap on the bail. Cut about a 12 inch line half way up the bail (on both sides) and roll the net wrap to the center of the bail on the top half only. The intact net wrap will hold the bail together as the eat it and will keep them from trampling the hay. I’d estimate about 5% waste with this method

[@shanecompton1667]

I would put a hay ring out there in the pasture and let them eat it and it doesn't hurt the hay if it gets rained on the cows will still eat it.

[@JB-mf1zc]

yep just put enough hay to eat where it don't stay out there to long.

[@07negative56]

This is what we do with about 130 head.

[@ted46aggie]

Good luck!! Green is good.

[@cadecruickshanks1180]

Honestly I think your worry about rain on the bales fed out in the lot with rings is a minor problem at most. You have enough head that your feed will be cleaned up within 2 days or 3 at most. As long as you plan on keeping the bales in your shed I think that you will be fine. And for reducing waste like some of the others have mentioned I recommend having skirting on the bottom of your bale rings opposed to the ones you can buy these days. A solid sheet of steel wrapped around about 24” tall will save you in that aspect, or that’s from our experience and having the angled bars it’s less easy for cows to pull it out of the feeder and on to the ground.

[@CJLeTeff]

Tyler, I bet if you ask subs if they’d like to donate towards the round baler they would!

[@zacharyward9562]

So when i was workin woth belties we had this rectangular bale feeder. Notmal roundbale feeder but he made covers to go on top so the hay wouldnt get affected by the wheather. Uh trust me not a simple task one bit ud probably think im nuts if u saw how to fill it but just an idea! Really excited and glad to see this new change to your farm! Just think on the amount of new videos you can make. Ud be surprised lol people love their roundbale videos

[@greggrondin3034]

I remember when my Papa went from square bale to round bales. Boy was I happy!! We store the bales outside and feed outside no rings. If you do store round bales don’t put the hay up green. A menu of hays barns have burnt up here in Mississippi due to the combustion. We had a Heston baler that worked just like that John Deere.

[@bluecollarparadisetonywarf1789]

We don’t have a place to store our round hay inside most people don’t it sheds water fine with little waste store what you can inside feed it last the cattle will definitely clean up the hay you put out before it goes bad , I like your setup but like previous comment you’re not getting any younger got to make it easier round hay will do that, keep up the good work brother!

[@jeffsorenson1547]

Your cows will clean up a bale in a ring pretty quickly, I wouldn't worry at all about it spoiling. I would remove ALL of your feeding apparatus under the roof, and use the opened up space for storage of the bales. Appears your climate is wet enough for the bales to spoil some while stored, THAT's where you'll have loss with them, and maximizing your storage space will minimize your spoilage loss. You can always make some small bales as well, as others are suggesting, for use with calves etc.

[@jimisaacs5292]

Do you have the equipment to use with round bales? Is your tractor big enough to run the baler, and do you have a big enough tractor with front loaded to stack the bales in the barn? Do you have a way to transport bales to the barn? You will most likely need a bigger rake to make bigger wind rolls. Just some things I think you may want to ask yourself before you buy this bailer.

[@juliealbert9222]

Very good points that you beat me to Jim. I'm pretty sure [or at least hoping] Tyler figured all these points into the equation.

[@robynmorris2408]

All excellent points. The one thing that I noticed in last years hay was that he had very impressive wind rows...not sure if that is the norm. Stacking rounds is way different than small squares.

[@raybornclark8617]

agree with the questions concerning the tractor....didnt catch what model JD baler that was but i am sure he will need a 70 hp tractor to pull it and a front end loader to handle the bales with. the rake shouldnt be a problem

[@jackfrost1460]

Hi Tyler 🙋🏻‍♂️Good video! I understand what your thinking about and why but there’s many reasons I’d stay doing just what ur doing ! First off round bales vs square bales , they might buy round bales but not at the same price per ton squares will bring way more money because of ease of use and less waste and easier to haul . When you do sell rounds u don’t have a big enough loader to load them . U can move them around with ur 3 point but u can’t set them on a truck or trailer and if u try to lift them with ur Ford if it lifts them you would break ur spindles in a very short time. Then the bales u would feed I can tell u what will happen do you notice when u feed ur squares they more or less fall apart round bales don’t do that . What happens is the cow sticks her head thru and grabs a mouth full but it’s wrapped into more hay so she will back up pulling the hay apart and whatever comes with her falls on the ground ahead of the feeder. Then she chews what she has and steps forward for the next bite and walks on what she spills and that becomes waste. Just watch ur cows eat their eating ur square bales much like they r eating ground hay what falls out of their mouths falls right back in the feeder and they still eat it! I’d guess feeding squares the waste is around 5 percent from the cows vs I’d say 30 percent out of any type of feeder from a round bale, and if u roll them out then u can only feed what they will eat at that feeding or they will lay on it after they r done eating and when they get up they poop on it as soon as they get up so they won’t be eating it. The only way u can feed a round bale and and have it equal in waste is to grind it up with a hay grinder. And if u don’t grind it and try to feed it in ur mangers it will be way more work then squares . When it comes right down to it square bales are more work when making hay. Round bales are easier and quicker to make but they are way more wasteful then squares and they will be just as much work feeding them or more. If u was to just set the bale at the manger what will happen is they eat at the bale then they eat it out of their reach so they push harder into ur fence line feeder and just keep pushing until they reach it or bust the fence so u still have to keep pushing the bales up. And round bale feeders should be renamed round bale wasters because that’s what they r best at. The next problem you have is I’m not sure u have a big enough tractor to run the baler. That would be the next thing I’d look at! And if u have to take some hay to winter pasture much easier taking squares. Then you say ok so why do round bales even exist if they are that bad . Well here’s y there are so many round balers . Most places that make lots of hay also have lots of rain . Any type of square bale can’t get rained on big or small because water will go right into them and the bale will get moldy or even get hot and start on fire in some cases. Round bales will shed the water off , so when guys are out baling with a round baler doesn’t matter if there is a rain coming right after they r baled because it runs off . Squares have to be off the field and under a roof or tarp so they don’t get wet or the hay is ruined. Without having lots of help it’s hard to be baling and hauling all at the same time . And with alfalfa it really should sit a day in the field b4 being piled up so it doesn’t spontaneously combust in ur hay shed. That’s y round balers r so popular in hay country they can get a lot of hay up fast and not worry about it after it’s in the bale and u don’t have to have haysheds to store all the hay in .With all that being said here’s what you should think about . It’s going to cost u money to buy the baler and revamp the way ur feeding . It might take an upgrade in a tractor to either use the baler or move the bales or load the bales or all of the above. Your going to get less money per ton of the bales you sell it will also narrow the people who will buy them and ur cows will waste more hay ! I’m thinking it’s not much of a choice when all things considered. One other thing u have no idea what kind of problems u could have with the baler either it could cost u lots of money in repairs just to make ur hay! It’s still ur choice thought I’d give u an objective opinion from someone who’s been there and done it.

[@johncampbell3986]

I use round bales and I found some old running gear and made a mobile hay trailer. Put a roof on it to keep the rain off and I can move it around the pasture to reduce compaction.

[@georgedavidson7986]

One thing you need to look at is ,take the strings off , Build some feeders in the yard on a cement pad You know how to build stuff

[@gregorycross612]

Lots of people asking about wasted feed. Where we feed lots of long stem haygrazer, Sudan, Johnson grass mix, it does not easily come off in bite size. They will grab it and back up to pull it off of the bale, often dragging some or dropping some on the ground, which the then gets tromped on to get back to the feeder. As I recall, your feed was pretty tall and this may be an issue if that is typical. Hay that is 'roped' (e.g.: by the rolling action of a multi-wheel fan rake) while being raked also adds to this issue. As long as the stems are small and friable, not a big issue. If stems are big and tough, waste will be a much bigger issue. I have both square and round and if time and labor was not an issue (I work off of the farm to support my agricultural addiction also....) I'd stick to small squares.

[@sandib4234]

Go with your gut!! Nice country side view's, what kind of orchards where those you passed? And surprise there is good old Hank lol. Happy New Year ..🌄🐴🥳🎆🎇🧨

[@tkfarmgoods9508]

I'm in East Texas so we get a lot of rain, we feed round bales in ring feeders. It takes a while for our grass hay to mold so they clean it up faster than it goes bad. We also made a cover to go on top of one feeder that we pick up with the spear and set the whole ring and top over the hay.

[@samjohnson5656]

Is your NH strong enough to pull it? Do you have a loader strong enough to lift bales? How will you transport bales to your other pasture that’s down the road? How much income will you lose from not selling square bales? Can you sell round bales to other livestock producers? To make it up? The cattle will eat the round bales before they spoil. Check out KZbin channels like sunup tv in Oklahoma where they talk about bale feeders and such. Great info. Store the rounds in the same place you store you squares, get a loader strong enough to stack them. Then you can use that loader to drop them into the bale rings after you cut the string off. I think that baler will pay for itself in faster than 5 years. Just don’t go crazy on the purchase price. Plus your time savings alone will allow you to do more/expand the farm/ranch.

[@dayspringfarm5904]

Only 3 head on my small farm but we moved to rounds this winter. Feed 1 bale a week behind a straight panel, I tip the bale over if needed when it's half eaten. Bales are grass silage and can weigh over 1k pounds. Very efficient, you will never go back. Even making the hay is more efficient. Wrap them wet so no need to worry about rain.

[@marilyncapehart663]

Thanks Tyler you are Awesome at everything you do because you are a Caring & Patience person with your Animals and your Kindness., Sweet-Sweet person I know we do not see behind the scenes, Stay a good Husband-Father and Friends to your Family and love the Lord 6-9-2022 Can’t say that to much because people get Offended👍🏽👍🏽♥️😊😊

[@randolphbutler1832]

Good luck.👍

[@meghanplamondon8639]

Up here in Quebec, round bales are the most popular for cows, but they are plastic wrapped and left outside. The square bales are usually for horses since horses have a more sensitive digestive system and can’t take any mold in hay that might come with a long standing round bale. Not an expert but that’s what I’ve learned. Good luck with it.

[@davesipsy7587]

With your awesome fabricating and welding skills, constructing a bale unroller is an idea. I personally think there are some benefit to unrolling bales as you can feed anywhere you want, no crowding in around a hayring,, manure gets distributed where you might need it and on very cold days/nights, cattle can have some insulation from wet or frozen ground. There is a bit of "waste", but there are folks who believe it returns beneficial nutrients, carbon, etc to the soil.

[@farmertylerranch4399]

Yes I think that is something I’ll do after all I feed in the field on the ground for a few months out of the year already. I’ve checked them out, seems like a pretty simple design. Just have to round up the steel now!

[@williamc.fetterjr9036]

The rain wont ruin the hay. Round bale rings work fine.

[@yvesdesrosiers2396]

Well I hope things work out for you. Happy New Year to you and your lovely family.

[@nadeenflynn9673]

Looks like it is in pretty good shape. Big changes ahead for FTR.

[@tonyflyberg6365]

Nice looking baler. Round bales are nice but can be a lot of waste if too much is put out at a time. My opinion is to not put out more hay than is needed for a day or two. That baler can make different sized bales so you can match bale size to your desired feeding rate. Lots of different types of round bale feeders available. From what I've seen on your channel you could easily build one better than anything you could buy! Could even add a roof if rain was a concern. Google hay feeders, lots of great ideas out there. I think it would still be more profitable to square bale the hay you sell, but if you can market the round bales for a fair price that equals less work & stress for you. Good luck with your decision. Always enjoy your videos!

[@lifebehindacow5999]

Round bales work great for the cow calf guy on a budget. You'll be able to be able to put out multiple days feed all at once. It won' be as efficient as your small squares but it might very well be worth it since you have another job to get to. You can even use half ring feeders to make a fence line feeder and all you need to do is push the bales up now and then. I'm in eastern Wa and most of the hay here is done as big squares. Much easier to ship but more expensive to make. I bale all of our hay with a round baler but buy a couple semi's of big squares every year. It all works just depends on whats easiest for you.

[@arbuckleoakshomestead6800]

Hey Tyler, Wyoming Life feeds round bales. Instead of leaving a round bales intact, he unrolls the bale to accommodate his herd. If you're selling horse rolls, here in Florida horse hay is much more expensive than cow.

[@buffranchAB]

A perfect way to waste hay and let the cows urinate and crap all over their groceries

[@justin9055]

We feed our rounds in the barn 25+ head of beef cows by either unrolling the bale or flip it on end & peal it apart with a pitchfork, then pitchfork down into the feed racks (we do have a bank barn here in PA, so we store feed on top level & feed below). Just what we do here. May in some part work in your situation or may be too much extra work. we also unroll bales on pasture when the ground is firm or frozen as well. All about trying new things, keeping what works and loosing what doesn't.. Good luck in finding a method that works for your operation.

[@SFConstructionLLC]

I grow small and big bails down in Lodi mostly because of the small acre hobby people who buy a few at a time and sell the big bale stacks to the dairy’s . But I got a small tub grinder a few years ago to mix my oats with clover and alfalfa to feed my cows . You can either get a big bale feeder for your corral but then it gets wet in the winter if you don’t cover it but a small feed mixer for hay and you can still feed in your stanchions 👍🏻

[@chanceengelhardt3095]

We used to run only round bales on our cattle ranch. To feed the bunks we used a Hesston SP10 that originally was built to process hay loafs but we ran round bales through it no problems. Only real thing to pay attention to was to put the round bale in the right direction so it would unroll correctly. One niece part about the SP10 is it only required about 40 horsepower to run it.

[@timmattingly2250]

I would go ahead and retro fit your manger feeders to use either squares or rounds whether I was able to buy the JD baler or not. The reason being another baler is out there somewhere and you'll be ready when it comes along. It may also help out financially as well. It's like the old saying; How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

[@farmertylerranch4399]

Yes it would be nice to be able to utilize both

[@buffranchAB]

@@farmertylerranch4399 You betcha

[@marknasatka1891]

Split the difference. Harvest part or half of your hay as you always have. Use those square bales to feed through your manger. The other half of your crop could be round bales. The purchase of round bale feeders would be minimal, or you could make your own, you seem pretty talented at projects like that. And you could market some of the round bales along with your square bales. If your going to get into round bales as a marketable product then you might want to look into getting a bale wrapper. It's another expense but it alleviates some of the storage problems, you can let the bales sit in the field or stack them wherever until you need them or they're sold.

[@chrismann2954]

Remove the back panels in the barn of the feed bunks along the fence. You were on the right track with moving out all the equipment in the storage area to the left in the barn, fill it full of hay. Fill center area full of hay as well, but leave an alley down the side near the cows to back bales in with tractor. Also, start off next year with the amount of hay you need in rounds plus a little extra for sales , make the rest in squares to sell to horse customers. Good luck!

[@robynmorris2408]

Oh Tyler, what a quandary! My biggest concern is still being able to sell the hay you don’t need for the ranch at the best price possible as those dollars are going to go a long way towards paying for the baler. Horse folks and or hobby ranchers seem to have storage and facilities set up for small squares. You are so handy at fabricating you will be able to modify whatever you need....however there is the age old problem of the time to do those items with calving coming up. Good luck.

[@whitechurchfarm]

I unroll my round bales on the pasture. They clean every bit of it up and don’t leave a mud hole like the would with a hay ring. I just move over a little each day and it spreads the manure and urine all over. GOOD FERTILIZER! They eat it before it gets trampled of ruined. You just need an unroller for the back of your tractor...$1000. Mine is 15 yrs old and gets used everyday of the winter.

[@dominob2343]

Do your best Taylor!!!

[@cheyennewells2595]

You could get a bale processor or a bale unroller. If you feed the bale in a ring it will probably be gone in a day. They won’t rot as much as you think they will

[@USSBB62]

Tyler; Go to the show in Feb. there must be a small one round bale grinder that could feed the bunk as you have it. Powered by PTO. Or you certainly could get more Ideas. I know I do.

[@lamarjohnson3992]

I am a retired cattle farmer. I see in your video a real opportunity for you to save hay and a tremendous amount of time. Put up hay in round bales move head gates to the end of the barn allow cows to push the head gates in as they eat the hay and you have to look at gates once a week or two. Second use bio wrap on bales the wrap is edible. Contact university of Kentucky. Best ideas for cattle

[@kittymr.hedgehog7457]

I was raised in Martinez ca and monte rio ca and watching you, especially driving past all the trees without their leaves makes me feel homesick and home at the same time.

[@miriambertram2448]

Don't forget the Christmas decorated round bail market!

[@edensfamilyadventures2714]

They also make them pumpkins 🎃 in October and Turkeys 🦃 In November

[@RandWFarmstead-TonyWalsh]

Personally I wouldn't make the switch unless you are ready to dive in. If you leave a round bale out long enough that it is getting moldy, then you are feeding them too much hay. On the other hand, we have a lot more rain that you have and the people in our area don't worry about the exterior surface mold, as long as it stays on the surface. Take it from me, John Deere has a lot of technology so unless you plan on using it, I wouldn't buy it. Make sure you find a JD dealer that has baler parts or mechanics o help you trouble shoot problems. Take care my friend and Happy New Year.

[@newlife8610]

You know Tyler I’m just a city gal that enjoys watching farming videos but I think you should sit down with Mrs. FTR & talk about all aspects of this idea as a whole. She will add all pros & cons & give you the answer you’re looking for. Remember, You don’t want to strap your family financially if you don’t have too.

[@farmertylerranch4399]

Yes absolutely! We have done that many times over the last couple years

[@garyhunter6030]

If you buy round bale feeders you would need only two . See if the round baler can use plastic wrap. I covers the bale completely with plastic wrap and is water proof so you can just leave them in the hay field along a fence row, and bring them to the feed lot as you need them.

[@maxlown363]

I have seen territorial cattle, even with a full belly, stand at a feeder just to keep weaker cattle away from feed. Its a good idea to have enough feeder space for every animal to eat at once.

[@mikedaugharty5544]

i have no working farm knowledge.. but retrofit to round makes sense. horse bales if good market .have to do both i guess. i will pray for your wisdom to decide !!

[@lorineidtinytoadplot744]

I have a horse and I like round bales, I prefer them over squares, I don't need a hay shed for them. The 4x5 bales my husband and I can handle. We roll it to a place beside the fence then pitch it over daily. I store them on pallets with a tarp over the top. I wouldn't say its less time consuming but we have hardly any waste. The winter is long here so I get 20-4x5 rounds. The place I get them from packs them tight so they are close to 800lbs. Some times we have to cut them with a chainsaw because the grass was long when it was cut and packed tight, impossible to pull off the round with a pitchfork. We just use an electric chain saw. I suppose it sounds difficult but its very easy Much easier than stacking squares or building a hay shed. being in California you can cut 2 or 3 times so the grass isn't as long here we only cut once, mid Aug, Sept is usually to wet, I usually have snow under the tree line till the end of May. That's 20 rounds for a horse (part thoroughbred part draft and probably a few other breeds), mini horse and a goat, all rescues ;D.

[@robertensign8786]

Tyler. That is SWEET!!!!!!! If you do bale round bales for sale, I will be your first customer and make the 2 hour drive south to buy and haul them up to my ranch. You are right..... they are unicorns out here in Northern California.

[@farmertylerranch4399]

Thank you Robert and that’s good to know!

[@robertpayne2717]

We don't have alot of cattle in my part of the world NE Arkansas but most hay people have told me round bales are for cattle but, People with horses really want square bales because it's usally easier to handle women, children, etc. My cousin in western Arkansas went from square to large round bales because primarily problems with labor. He built a large shed several years before and used to stack square bales in it,, he now stores rnd bales in it using a front end loader on a tractor with bale fork to stack them...

[@bradmartin3112]

Round bales are great when u are the only help u have. I didn't have space to feed or store it. I feed twice the round bales as I did square bales.

[@kevingordon7426]

Good thoughts, good ideas. A lot of farmers use round bales so there are ways. You take good care of your herd of cows. Thanks for taking us along.

[@raybornclark8617]

Tyler, one more thing to consider before switching to round bales is that you really need a front end loader on your tractor. You can move the hay around and place it in the field or manger with the hay fork on the rear lift but you will not be able to double or triple stack the round bales in the barn. You also will not be able to effectively load the round bales on your trailer to haul from the hay field to the barn for storage. i really agree that for the number of cows that you have round bales would be the way to go so you didnt have to feed everyday by hand, but do think you should be aware of needing a front end loader on the tractor. The rain on the round bales when feeding them is not a problem as long as you have the hay up off the ground. We poured a concrete pad and built a custom hay rack that holds 3 round bales at a time for 20 head and fill it up about twice a week depending on how much they are eating. Another thing we do in another pasture that does not have a concrete pad (yet) is we have a couple of big tractor tires that we set the hay on and then place a hay ring around it. This works good too, but i do have to move it every couple of bales to keep from destroying the pasture (depending on weather). Would be happy to send you pics of how we do it here or discuss in greater detail. Good Luck and be sure that whatever decision you make will be the right one for you and your farm. Sorry i got a little long with this reply...ps, i have a JD baler (love it). God Bless.

[@weavaman2216]

Hope 2020 wasn't too bad on you. Best of luck in 2021. Happy new year.

[@roberttharp3650]

Congratulations

[@misty4782]

Your comment about us thinking you were crazy to feed cows the way your do...I was thinking as I watched you that, yes it is labor intensive, but there is so little waste. Money savings. Blessings.

[@tellitlikeitiso4192]

I like your setup

[@charmainevandiford6622]

Tyler the guys around here put them in the ring and they make one that has chains to hold the bail off the ground and they eat it fast enough they don’t have mold problems. Go for it. Time is money.

[@TexFarmer]

From my experience, the hay takes longer to mold than it takes the cows to finish it off so feeding round bales outside unprotected from the elements has never been a problem for me.

[@dustinbolte6609]

Hey man a Nebraska farmer here. Stand the round bailes up on end to unroll them to feed with pitchfork.

[@koryleague8833]

You stole my comment . Just forked some hay out in the snow lol.

[@thablue2g]

That's how we feed it to our horses

[@linseycollins7424]

Yeah here in NE Colorado we do the same as most the other comments are saying. It works just fine.