Monday, July 27, 2009

Out of the Blue...

I got a phone call on Saturday. It was a local farmer (whom I've never met) saying that he just picked up a gorgeous crop of second cut grass/alfalfa hay out of his field and that he heard I might be looking for some. He brought over a sample bale and asked me what I thought a fair price would be. I said $3.00 a bale/delivered.

The hay was nice, so I said I'd take 200 bales. As it turned out, the farmer brought his (VERY handsome!) son along to help him unload the hay.

All I had to do was put down the pallets and the two men unloaded and stacked 168 bales! (I'll get the rest in a couple of weeks)

Mr. Farmer did suggest that perhaps I'd want to show my appreciation for all his and his son's hard work but throwing in a little extra cash for all their hard work. I really couldn't argue with that.

I pitched in an extra $40 and everyone was happy.

Especially my SHEEP! I put a woven wire fence panel up against the freshly stacked hay and let the girls into the barn. As you can see, the fence panel did NOT deter them. (poor, starving creatures that they are!)

FLASH DANCE and DREAM say...


"We just wanted to check it out to make sure that it's good and you were spending our your money wisely..."

15 comments:

  1. What a nice hay feeding set up for the girls. Looks like good hay and a good price, at least for around here.

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  2. Congrats on getting the nice hay Nancy. Looks like the girls like it. I hope that's not a permanent hay feeding set up though. :-)

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  3. That does sound like a good deal. And isn't it a nice feeling to have a stock pile for the coming winter?

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  4. Considering we had to pay $5/bale for the exact same kind of hay AND pick it up and unload it ourselves, I'd be in heaven for that kind of deal! Good for you and your sheep!

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  5. the square bales are getting harder for us to find. We got ours for $2.50 apiece but drove a "fer" piece in the country to get it. In our little utility truck, we can only get so much at a time. I'm sure Mike would've been happy to pay $3.20 a bale to have it delivered and put up for him.

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  6. That's NOT supposed to be a hay feeding set up! I put the fence up to keep the girls from eating the hay. You can see how well that worked. For now, I just shut them all out of the barn. They've got the nice, long covered "porch" area for shade and shelter anyway, so they don't need to be in the barn until I can put something (tarp? sheets?) between the hay and the fence.

    Yes, it was a good deal. Although, the bales aren't real big. I'd say they run between 25 pounds for the smallest ones to 40 pounds each for the rest. I like to figure about a bale of hay a day for 10 ewes so will probably feed a bale & a half when feeding the smaller ones.

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  7. Ok, I feel better. I've been paying $11.00 to $12.00 per bale but they can weigh 130 pounds and over. Nevada has alfalfa everywhere it's the grass and grass mix that cost the most.

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  8. Can't beat that with a stick!

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  9. Good price for hay. I am looking around here for second cut (nothing is ready yet because of all the rain) and a 40lb bale will cost $7.50 stacked and delivered. Your sheep are looking good Nancy :)

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  10. WOW good deal! I am in the boat of only can store so much and haul so much at a time. Thinking of building a panel barn like the goat barn to store hay in.

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  11. Anonymous3:50 PM

    Love the photo of the sheep all in a row, trying to eat the hay. No surprises from me commenting on your photos, eh Nancy? I always enjoy them. Does is show that I wish I had my own 'spinner's flock'?
    Diane L./Bloomington,IN.

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  12. Yes, $3.00 is so wonderful!! Those "little" things that makes us so happy!!

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  13. Great price, but the size of the bale makes it sound more reasonable. Have it delivered and stacked is great. I'm not sure how much 'the good stuff' will cost this year, as I've not heard from my hay guy. (Trying to hold out for a second cutting). Tarps work really well to keep the 'starving sheep' out of the hay. Just make sure you secure the bottom well, so they can't push it up.
    Tammy

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  14. Beautiful pictures, but thank goodness you stopped letting them eat it!!!

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