[Buttermilk]

BATA usually have wheeled ones in stock and will deliver.

[Garmoran]

There are some very good big bale feeders out there - not too expensive either, in some cases.  Those that keep the bale off the ground and have a "roof" of some sort as well get my vote.  That said we unroll ours, pack it into big bags designed for patio potato growing, and take it to the wheeled field hayracks by hand when necessary.

Due to lack of a tractor and scarcity of land that does not slope at 1 in 4 or steeper I have no experience at all with big bales. Is it possible to unroll them, then? And do they come apart easily?

[SallyintNorth]

Large hay bales unwrap / unravel / unroll yes.  Silage not so readily.

[Foobar]

Omg I want one of these ... http://balejail.co.uk/sghf

It's a covered hay/silage feeder that takes hestons or rounds, and the sides move in as the sheep eat away the bale.   It has horizontal bars too so good for horned sheep or cattle.  Only £600+VAT (!)  ...  but if you have a fair number of sheep it would pay for itself after a *few* years I'm sure. If it meant being able to switch from small bales to large bales then it would pay for itself much quicker ... gawd I must stop nowbefore I talk myself into getting one!!

(there is a youtube video of the Australian version which has vertical bars, but it shows it in use - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ5W-lDHwM4)

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hay thats good (tee hee see what I did there) 


The wheeled feeders cost about £180 ish with vat so I dont suppose thats bad if you can feed from one bale. I suppose the smaller covered feeders have the advantage of being easily moved to prevent poaching the ground or if you want to split the flock up.


But then you do have the phaf of unraveling a big bale and topping up feeders every day.....

[SallyintNorth]

I would expect to see an [member=2128]Womble[/member] version very soon 

[Womble]

I'd certainly give it a go Sally, but I'd also have to invent a tractor to go with it, so maybe not!

I have seen a clever design before whereby you put the feeder OVER the bale, then roll the whole thing over by 180 degrees using a quad or tractor so that the bale ends up sitting inside the feeder. I don't know what it was called though - I just saw a farmer loading one once when I was out cycling.

[Penninehillbilly]

Omg I want one of these ... http://balejail.co.uk/sghf

It's a covered hay/silage feeder that takes hestons or rounds, and the sides move in as the sheep eat away the bale.   It has horizontal bars too so good for horned sheep or cattle.  Only £600+VAT (!)  ...  but if you have a fair number of sheep it would pay for itself after a *few* years I'm sure. If it meant being able to switch from small bales to large bales then it would pay for itself much quicker ... gawd I must stop nowbefore I talk myself into getting one!!

(there is a youtube video of the Australian version which has vertical bars, but it shows it in use - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ5W-lDHwM4)

Great idea, like the upright bars, and how the sides can be moved in, as long as they can't climb in it looks good.

[landroverroy]

 Well there you are Buffy.
 That would seem to answer your quest for an improvement on metal sheep hurdles and baler twine

 Too late for this Christmas, but could possibly sort your pressies for the next decade or so.