Round Bale or Square Bale?

[ChickenCanoe]

I found it.
It is a relatively modern invention. Way after my time.
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Why+...It all started in 1892,Chalmers (A-C) in 1937.

 

[res]

We use both, and bale both on our own land (in KS). Vastly prefer rounds or mid-squares, even when we only had 2 horses at home. Bigger bales are consistently a better deal when you consider price per ton.

It is a common misconception that rounds/large squares (>600lb) are "bad" hay. In fact, they can often contain better hay than small squares. It is all dependent on who puts them up.

You don't need special equipment to handle a few round bales. They can be pushed off a truck or trailer and rolled by hand into a barn or sheltered area. When you are ready to feed them, flip them over so they are sitting like a cinnamon roll, and "peel" them. You can then feed them just like the flakes of a small square. Mid squares... well, those you kinda do need equipment to move them. They don't roll. You can shove them a few inches, and you can unload them by tying them off and pulling the truck or trailer forward until they slide off, but they are going to sit where they land!

Did you know that the small compressed Standlee bales of hay and straw at TSC came off the field as mid squares (or large squares)? They are stored as big bales, and then they are fed thru a "rebaler" that literally cuts the big bale down into tiny bales, compresses them, and zip ties them/shrink wraps them. It's actually a pretty amazing process. We purchase our mid squares and small squares from a local producer that uses a rebaler.

 

[Araucana Nest]

Round bales for me because I have horses and cows and goats and they go through a lot of hay. It is less expensive in round bales and the hay comes out of the same fields so there is no difference in quality. I keep them under canopies inside hay rings and it takes one horse three weeks to go through one bale. I have them delivered and just need to roll them to their respective places with my tractor.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We use both, and bale both on our own land (in KS). Vastly prefer rounds or mid-squares, even when we only had 2 horses at home. Bigger bales are consistently a better deal when you consider price per ton.

It is a common misconception that rounds/large squares (>600lb) are "bad" hay. In fact, they can often contain better hay than small squares. It is all dependent on who puts them up.

You don't need special equipment to handle a few round bales. They can be pushed off a truck or trailer and rolled by hand into a barn or sheltered area. When you are ready to feed them, flip them over so they are sitting like a cinnamon roll, and "peel" them. You can then feed them just like the flakes of a small square. Mid squares... well, those you kinda do need equipment to move them. They don't roll. You can shove them a few inches, and you can unload them by tying them off and pulling the truck or trailer forward until they slide off, but they are going to sit where they land!

Did you know that the small compressed Standlee bales of hay and straw at TSC came off the field as mid squares (or large squares)? They are stored as big bales, and then they are fed thru a "rebaler" that literally cuts the big bale down into tiny bales, compresses them, and zip ties them/shrink wraps them. It's actually a pretty amazing process. We purchase our mid squares and small squares from a local producer that uses a rebaler.

I did not know about the rebaler process. I appreciate the education.
In the Ozark hills, most fields are fairly small, rarely as large as 50 to 100 acres. Most of our fields were in the neighborhood of 5 to 10 acres, few larger. Even if large round equipment was available, we probably wouldn't use it. Some of our fields were so small we might only get 10 square bales out of it.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Have used both here for the horses. On big round at the moment as we bought in bulk straight out of the field. Easy to load with machine on trailer too.
Did use small square a couple of years ago but we had to hand throw out of the field then hand throw again from storage to the farm which seemed way too much hard work but they are handy.