Horses are hay burners. They wasted a bale a week last winter. We have not replaced the crumbling marine board on the lean too- but makes a good net holder. They pulled out all the good forage from the round bales and soiled the rest. So this winter we decided to use hay nets. This means unwrapping a bale and stuffing nets every morning and night. I was able to make a bale last 4 weeks instead of 4 days. I get a workout everyday. Last summer no one was selling hay as second cuttings were not expected. Wet springs and wet summer means hay can't dry and is turned and sold into silage. We bought barn kept cow quality 6 foot bales at $50 each. We usually by about 45 bales but this year only got 25. The plan is working. We do not have a barn big enough for bale storage. So we bought black bale wraps. They are open on the ends and keep snow and rain off the tops/bottoms. Only have about 3% spoilage over 2 years of outside storage. This means on lean years we have back up hay when it can't be bought. Our herd had pasture rotation during the rest of the year.
It was 10 degrees a few weeks ago. I was warm but my fingers were not. Very painful to have frozen wet hands. My hunt for the best farm waterproof gloves continues. I have neoprene one but they failed me this year. They are over 8 years old so I guess time to get new ones. The parka/coat I am wearing is a Lands End mens 3x parka. I bought it used on ebay 10 years ago. I am much smaller now but the coat is still great. Waterproof and very warm, I love Lands End coats. I replaced the original plastic zipper last year with a sturdy metal one. Good for another 10 years. I can move around in the coat, carry tools and am cushioned if I fall. It has held kittens, chicks, eggs and a hummingbird in its pockets over the years. And the parka is machine washable. Everyone who works with the land in winter needs one of these coats.
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