Hay is one of the biggest feed costs on any livestock operation, and a significant portion of it never gets eaten. Feeding strategies that reduce hay waste over winter rest on two principles: keeping hay off the ground and giving animals access to it in a way that limits trampling and selective pulling. At Edge Wholesale, we carry a range of livestock feeders designed to do exactly that, from tombstone feeders for sheep and goats to round bale feeders for cattle and horses.
Why Hay Gets Wasted
Placing a round bale directly on the ground without any containment is the fastest way to turn expensive hay into expensive bedding. Livestock will walk on it and lie in it, soiling it with urine and manure until the bale is more wasted than eaten. Unrestricted access to a large bale lets animals pull far more than they can eat at once, and the excess ends up on the ground.
Selective feeding makes this worse. Animals pick through hay looking for the most palatable portions, pushing less desirable material aside. Once that rejected hay hits the ground and gets soiled, it is rarely eaten. A feeder that keeps hay contained and forces animals to eat what is in front of them reduces this sorting behaviour considerably.
Learn all about the different types of livestock feeders.
Feeder Design Makes a Real Difference
Not all feeders contain hay equally well. Research from several agricultural extension programs has consistently shown that feeder design is one of the primary drivers of hay waste. The features that matter most are a solid or sheeted lower section that catches loose hay before it reaches the ground, and a design that lets animals eat with their heads down in a natural grazing position rather than reaching up and tossing hay out.
A funnel-style round bale feeder works on this principle: it holds the bale in a cone that gradually feeds hay downward into the eating area, reducing the amount animals can grab and pull out all at once. Tombstone feeders use slanted bars that let animals reach in comfortably while containing the hay, achieving a similar result. Both designs reduce the head-tossing behaviour that sends loose hay past the feeder perimeter.
Learn how to choose the right livestock feeders.
Moving the Feeding Location
Even with a good feeder, keeping it in one spot all winter creates compaction and mud problems that compound the waste issue. Animals congregate around the feeder, break down the soil, and eventually refuse to stand in the resulting mud, which pushes them away from the feeder and encourages more selective eating. Moving the feeder to a fresh area of the pasture every few weeks distributes the traffic and manure more evenly and keeps the feeding zone in usable condition.
A round bale feeder with a roof adds another layer of protection by keeping rain and snow off the hay itself. Wet hay that remains uneaten in the feeder will mould, and mouldy hay is a total loss. In a Canadian winter with significant precipitation, a covered feeder can extend the viable feeding window for each bale considerably.
Feeding Frequency and Quantity
How much hay is put out at a time affects waste as much as feeder design. When animals have continuous access to more hay than they can eat in a day, the excess gets soiled or trampled before the next feeding. Feeding smaller amounts more frequently, or limiting how long animals have access to the bale, forces them to consume what is available rather than cherry-pick the best portions.
This approach requires more time managing the feeding process, but for operations where labour allows it, the savings over a full winter add up quickly. Replacing a bale when only a small amount remains, rather than waiting until it is fully depleted, also helps: animals will work through the remainder more reliably when there is nothing new competing for their attention.
Getting hay waste under control over winter is largely a matter of using the right feeder and managing how hay is offered. The investment in a quality feeder pays back in reduced hay costs across a full feeding season. If you want to look at feeder options that suit your herd size and the animals you’re feeding, give us a call at 604-857-2436 and we’ll help you find what works.