The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: MrsJ on April 23, 2012, 08:47:42 am
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We're finding it really difficult to find small straw bales this year. Everyone seems to be going for the huge round ones. I can understand they are more ecconomical, but we dont have room to store one. Anhyone else having the same problem?
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Yes.
We had to ask around a lot in order to find someone who had small bales of hay. We were lucky to find someone nearby who lets us pick up hay a bale or two at a time .... no outbuildings for storage. The same farmer was kind enough to split one of his big straw bales so that we could take just enough for the shelters during lambing.
Maybe a local smallholders group could help you???
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We are very lucky to have our own small baler. It cost £500 (very second hand) many years ago and has been so useful, enabling us to make our own hay and to bale straw into a manageable size. But it does of course take longer to bale using it than the giant big things which zap round and transform a field in no time, so only a few people still use them. We have an arrangement with a neighbour to bale a few straw bales straight from his field in exchange for eggs - or we did but it might not be working this year. The alternative is to buy in a few big bales and rebale them on a dry day, which we have done before. All I can think of if you can't find someone who sells small bale straw (which is much less common than small bale hay) is to find someone with a small baler and ask them to rebale some big bales for you. Complicated I know.
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We are a strange old fashioned lot round here in Dorset ;D ;D. OUr neghbour cuts our fields and small bales the hay for us and another neighbour (to the amusement of all his mates) does a few fields of small bale straw - choice of wheat or barley. Very handy and popular :D :D.
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Careful what you say- I'm a Dorset Girl, born and bred!!!
I've spent some time looking for Smallholder associations, and local adverts but no joy. I think we will have to buy a large bale, break it down and share it out. Just need to work out how to transport it now. My brain hurts!
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Get some of those big builders sacks that they deliver stones and stuff in, some one will always have some they don't want..... put them on a pallet or two and cover them with a tarpaulin, you got straw for the whole winter and you can drag them over anything!. a big bale of staw shouldn't cost more than £14 or £15