Buying hay: bale types, weights, and what to check
Hay is usually your biggest feed expense and your most variable one. Buying well — by weight, from a known cutting, stored properly — is worth more than any supplement.
Bale types and typical weights
- Small square bales (two-string): 40–75 lbs. The horse-owner standard — stackable, portionable, no equipment needed. Most expensive per ton.
- Large square bales (3×3×8 ft and up): ~900–1,800 lbs. Need a tractor, but much cheaper per ton.
- Round bales: ~800–1,500 lbs common; some over a ton. Cheapest per ton, but waste and mold risk are real — store under cover and inspect beyond the outer layer.
Key point: these are ranges. Density varies by baler, crop, and moisture. Two "identical" small squares can differ by 20 lbs. Weigh your bales — then price-shop per ton, not per bale.
Buy by weight, not by bale
A $8 bale at 50 lbs ($320/ton) is cheaper than a $7 bale at 40 lbs ($350/ton). Do the per-ton math every time; sellers price by the bale because it hides the difference.
What to check before you stack
- Smell: clean, slightly sweet. Musty, dusty, or sour = walk away.
- Look: leafy with leaf attached to stem; some green color (though sun-bleached outside is normal). Excessive stems, weeds, or trash = poor quality.
- Feel: dry and cool. Warm bales can indicate heating — a fire risk as well as a quality problem.
- Mold: break open a bale from the middle of the stack, not the edge. White/grey dust or black patches mean mold — dangerous for horses (colic, respiratory issues).
- Cutting: first cutting is stemmier; second/third cuttings are leafier and richer. Match to your horse — rich alfalfa third cutting can founder an easy keeper.
Storage matters as much as purchase
Hay stored on bare ground wicks moisture; tarps trap condensation. Pallets or gravel, under a roof, with airflow — that's the setup. Even good hay degrades: try to feed within a year, and feed oldest first.
Consider a hay analysis
For $20–$40, a lab tells you protein, energy, and mineral content — the only reliable basis for balancing a ration or comparing two lots. If you're buying a winter's worth at once, it's the best money in the whole transaction.
Sources
- Loving Nature Farm — Hay Bale Weight: Square vs. Round (accessed 2026-09-26): bale weight ranges by type.
- Utah State University Extension — Equine Nutrition: Forages (accessed 2026-09-26): hay analysis as the reliable measure of nutritive value.