Round bale Feeder w/ pics

[weldingisfun]

If you raise goats then you know that feeding round bales of anything is a waste of money. They love to get on top of the bale to do their business, urinate and defecate, then they won't eat anymore of the round bale.

Well, I may have found the solution to the problem. A friend told me about a stand he had built on which he set his round bales. He cut his waste by 75% and his goats build up their hindquarters since they have to stand on their hind legs to reach the hay.

He invited me over to take a look. I took some pics and then went home to build my own. The pics are of my project. To avoid rust by placing the rack directly on the ground, I bolted it to a couple of landscape timbers. The timbers also act as skids to move it around, without a bale on it, of course. It can be towed by my Kawasaki Mule with no problem.

Project cost was about what you would pay for a hay ring from TSC not including labor because "welding is fun".

 

[firefighter9208]

Weldingisfun,

I have boer goats Hill Farm Boer Goats and I also constructed a round bale feeder like the one at Sydell . It cost me about $100.00 for the materials to build it.

I looked at the ones like you made, but was worried about pinkeye. Let me know if you have any problems if you don't mind.

I also built a small shed over each of my round bail feeders so the hay won't get wet. It takes my 15 does about 2 weeks to eat a round bale and they don't really like it after it gets wet.

Here is a picture of the one from Sydell. I made mine the same diminsions, but just ran 1" square tubing horizontally on 8" centers.

BTW: Good looking goats you got there.

 

[weldingisfun]

Thanks Firefighter9208, we try to produce good stock.
I am curious about your concern of pinkeye. We have only had one case in eight years and that was with a goat I bought.
As you can see in the third picture, we have a square bale feeder with a top over it for the same reason you put one on. I thought about putting on a top but couldn't figure out how to do it and still be able to put a bale on the feeder with my FEL. Any ideas you would be willing to share?
I like your Website. That is something else I do, build Websites that is. I just don't use the name Websitesarefun. In fact, they can be a lot of work.
Visit ours if you have some time. Walking H Boer Goats

 

[schmism]

. I thought about putting on a top but couldn't figure out how to do it and still be able to put a bale on the feeder with my FEL. Any ideas you would be willing to share?

make the top removable. snag it with the FEL bail spear, lift, set aside, put bail in, put top back on, secure with a couple of pins. (or bolts)

 

[skdefoe]

Hello Weldingisfun,

I would LOVE to build one of these goat round bale feeders you posted pics of. I can get the general design from the pics, but can you tell me what size/guage metal to use? Also what is the overall dimensions and height of the "tray" that holds the bale? We generally use 4X5 or 5X5 round bales that I'm guessing weigh up to 1200 lbs.

I've just started to look at ones to buy, but they're around $500 for the cradle type, and our Co-op said the place they used to get them from has discountinued them. A local guy sells goat equipment says his supplier in TX is backed up 6 months building these. He says he could sell 100 if he had them.

Thanks,
SKDEFOE

 

[weldingisfun]

Happy to be of assistance, Skdefoe.
I used 1 inch square x .120" steel tube. It is built 60" x 72" on the sides by 52" high, the bale platform sits 36" up from the bottom.
It is very easy to build. I started by first building the three 60" x 72" base, platform and top rail pieces. From that point on it was really simple.
The bale sitting on it is a 4 x 5 and I'm guessing maybe 800 pounds.
Let us see how yours turns out.
BTW, if you haven't bought steel lately, be prepared for a shock.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Mornin Weldingisfun,
That is a beautiful job !!! Well constructed and a great idea also ! I hope my buddy RichZ has a chance to see that construction because he raises dairy goats and maybe he could save some money on less wasted hay !

BTW I think that you will find that a 4 x 5 round is more in the neighborhood of 400-500 lbs. Although thats in this area, your local may be a bit different, and it also depends on which cut we are talking about also !

Nice job !

 

[N80]

Great feeder. Nice looking goats too. Could you guys pardon my ignorance and tell me what goats are raised for? Are they dairy goats? Are they sold for meat? Or do you just breed tham for stock for other people to buy? The lady who boards my daughter's horse raises sheep for meat. Apparently there is quite a market for sheep and goat meat amongst the Muslim community.

 

[schmism]

We generally use 4X5 or 5X5 round bales that I'm guessing weigh up to 1200 lbs.

round these parts properly dried hay, you dont top 1000lbs till you start looking at the 6x bales.

the 5x5's in my front yard are only 800-900

 

[RichZ]

Hey, thanks Scotty!!! I did see this post, and commented about it over on CBN, where I first saw it. I can't weld, but it gives me a great idea of something I might be able to build out of wood.

My goats get small square bales, because I feed them in their barn. I have lots of feeders in the barn to prevent waste. But I feed my sheep round bales outside of their barn, because they're outside most of the time, unlike the goats who run inside if they even think it might rain.

The sheep were wasting lots of hay from the round bales until a few weeks ago, when I bought a cow style round bale feeder. I slightly modified it for sheep (would work the same for goats). I lined the bottom ring with fairly tight mesh fencing, to stop the sheep from pulling the bale apart all over the place. So far, it's working well to prevent waste. The sheep do climb into the feeder, but they're not as picky as goats, and they don't seem to mind eating hay that they step on. Unlike popular belief, goats don't eat anything and everything, and are very picky eaters. If they even think that hay is dirty, they won't touch it.

 

[KennethBrown]

Could you guys pardon my ignorance and tell me what goats are raised for? QUOTE]


The goats in the pictures are Boer/Boer cross. These are used for meat production. There are quite a few other breeds used for meat such as Kiko and the Spanish. There are milk goats too such as the Alpines. Finally there is a line of goats that are raised for there hair. We have Boer and Kiko crosses although we have sold everything off but a 75% Boer buck and a 1/2 and 1/2 Boer/Kiko.

 

[weldingisfun]

Scott VT-Thanks for the compliment and the info on the bale weight. The bale in the pic is Coastal and is pretty tight. So it may be a little on the heavy side. I do know one thing, I had to use the tractor to lift it. that is one bale I won't be tossing around by hand.

N80- Thankyou as well. KennethBrown is correct. The goats in my pic are Boer and Boer/Spanish cross. Believe it or not the little one in the pic was only 8 weeks old and weighed nearly 60 pounds. He is going to be a big one.

 

[jinman]

Lee, I noticed that the bale in your picture was still wrapped. Do you leave the wrapping on the bales you feed to your goats? Just curious.

 

[weldingisfun]

Lee, I noticed that the bale in your picture was still wrapped. Do you leave the wrapping on the bales you feed to your goats? Just curious.

Jinman, it does look like it is still wrapped but it is not. It was tied with poly twine. We removed that after setting the bale on the platform and took the pic a few minutes later so the bale is still tight. That is probably why it looks like it is wrapped.

 

[firefighter9208]

Thanks Firefighter9208, we try to produce good stock.
I am curious about your concern of pinkeye. We have only had one case in eight years and that was with a goat I bought.
As you can see in the third picture, we have a square bale feeder with a top over it for the same reason you put one on. I thought about putting on a top but couldn't figure out how to do it and still be able to put a bale on the feeder with my FEL. Any ideas you would be willing to share?
I like your Website. That is something else I do, build Websites that is. I just don't use the name Websitesarefun. In fact, they can be a lot of work.
Visit ours if you have some time. Walking H Boer Goats

Weldingisfun,

Guess I forgot to subscribe to this thread when I posted. I just found your reply.

I haven't had a problem with pinkeye, but had heard (you know how that goes) that eating from a suspended feeder would cause problems.

I'll try to post a picture of my round bale feeder for you in the near future.

Thanks for the compliment on the website. I built it myself, but don't spend near enough time maintaining it. I have checked out your website in the past. Quite nice!!

Oh yeah, I have the same problem as you with the rocks. We are overrun with field stones "moss rocks" I have even sold a bunch. There is an area next to our creek that had so many rocks that I couldn't drive through it on the golf cart. I loaded and hauled about 20 tons from this area. After several months of rain the rocks are back. I'm talking about an area about 100'x50'.

Chris

 

[weldingisfun]

Firefighter9208, I'l look forward to seeing your feeder.
Have not heard that pinkeye from suspended feeding theory before. My goats stand on their hind legs and eat leaves from trees all the time. Oh well, maybe it is just another way to explain why goats get sick.

 

[firefighter9208]

Firefighter9208, I'l look forward to seeing your feeder.
Have not heard that pinkeye from suspended feeding theory before. My goats stand on their hind legs and eat leaves from trees all the time. Oh well, maybe it is just another way to explain why goats get sick.

weldingisfun,

Here is a link Pinkeye in Goats to an article about pinkeye. Everything that I have read says that it can be caused by a bacteria or dry dusty conditions, such as eating dry hay. The article say that it can also be caused by eating tall grasses that have gone to seed. The seed heads get into the eye and cause irritation, bringing on Pinkeye.

I don't think there would be any problems from eating leaves off of trees, because they are generally still green or not dry and dusty. My goats also love to eat everything within reach.

Here is a link to Maryland's small ruminant page: Maryland Small Ruminant Page - Bacterial diseases of sheep and goats It has some really good info on sheep and goat diseases. There is a good PDF from a Dr. here in Alabama under pinkeye, but I didn't know how to link a PDF.

Chris

 

[weldingisfun]

Thanks for the information, Chris. It has been added to my ever growing library of goat references.

 

[Kendrick]

The easest way I could see to deal with the roof thing is to put a latch on the front that would be deactivated by the bale as it nears the roof. placed a panel at a 45 deg angle tilted away from the structure and about a foot or so distance with a pair of runner pipes back to the beam supporting the roof the bale would just push the roof up as it came in sliding over the top of the bale on the runners and then drop back in place after the bale is inside. the rear poles would have a hinge on them to allow the roof to tip back while the bale is loaded