BIG BALE BUDDY- innovative, safe, affordable bag style round bale hay feeders
17 hours in...
I bought a Big Bale Buddy two weeks ago. I so wish I had found and purchased one years ago. My round rolls usually last me 3 – 4 days. I usually spend about 10 hours cleaning up the waste and burning it per roll. Well I put out my Bale Buddy and the first day there was a small amount of waste. Picked up what was clean and put it back in the Bale Buddy. No waste the next 4 days. I got 5 days out of my round bale. That means I am saving over $70 a month on hay.
Day 3
Also, there was NO cleanup afterwards. The horses ate all the hay except a little pile of hay dust that I dumped directly in the burn pile (wouldn’t even fill a coffee can). Just the time savings alone is worth a huge amount to me. I ordered one Big Bale Buddy.
Day 5
I will be placing an order this week for two more so all of my fields are nice and tidy. I was worried about safety of my horses especially when the hay level was very low. However, it is totally safe. One of my horses even so helpfully brought me the empty bag to let me know it needed a new roll. All 8 of my horses are happy eating out of it and none of them mess with it much. Thanks for such a simple yet genius product! I am attaching three photos. One is 17 hours after putting out the Big Bale Buddy, the next is day 3 (when I would usually be replacing my bale), and the last one is day 5.
Wanda Malphurs
Crystal River, FL
What does the vet say?
Thank you very much Jenise, I am very pleased with my big bale buddies so far. The first 2 buddies where used in 1) a paddock where our 2 broodmares and their 5 month old foals are with a run in. The mares and foals adjusted to the buddy very well and I am on my third round bale with them. It collapses just as you said it would and then I just dump the last bit onto the ground for them to clean up. No tears or any thing like that. The second buddy went into a daily turnout paddock where our horses in training are turned out 1 - 2 or 4 at a time. We also put a round bale in each of the other daily turnout paddocks and removed the strings as we always have done in the past. We rotated the horses into the buddy paddock in varying numbers. These are all active thoroughbred 3 day event horses with shoes and corks on all around. They all love the bale buddy and have not attempted to destroy it as yet. The bale buddy paddock still has a nice shape to the bale with it about half eaten, the other round bales in the other paddocks, on the other hand are strewn about and peed and pooped on. This test result is what lead us to invest in 4 more bale buddies for all of our paddocks. We think you have a great product and are recommending it to people. It is a much safer alternative than putting the bales out with the strings on or in metal feeder as both can cause leg injuries.
- Dr. Usha Knabe, Equine Veterinarian, Orangeville, Ontario
Thinking outside of the box...
Last month I ordered a large Big Bale Buddy and was surprised at how well it worked. We have 18 horses ad have tried a few ways to utilize round bales but this is so easy!! I just ordered four more.... Can tip them on their side when rain/snow comes. Flip them back upright with the tractor with no damage or loss of the hay. Thanks so much, will recommend your product. Pam LaFave, Stonegate Stable
"We are seeing a hay savings of 25% since we started using Big Bale Buddy.It is effective , durable, inexpensive and easy to use, also completely safe for our horses, everybody should have one!" Joanne and Marty White, J&M farms, L'amble Ontario
Using our bale buddy for the first time. It was easier than expected to put on and there is not nearly as much hay loss as with a metal feeder and our horses didn't have any trouble adjusting to it. I am SOLD!
Renee Randall, CMT
The old farmer started to laugh...
I bought my bale buddy this year at Road To The Horse. I got it home and went to the local farmer I purchase my Hay from. I have always used square bales so I was excited to try round bales. I brought out my bale buddy and the old farmer started to laugh and told me I wasted my money . I let him talk me out of using it. On my way home I left a lot of my hay on the road and days later a Huge mess because of all the wasted hay in my field. Next trip I would not let him talk me out of using it.I got home with 99.9% of my hay and my mare fell in love with it. Next trip the old farmer told me again i wasted my money and my horses would have it torn up in no time. Week after week I continued to use the Buddy. On one of my last trips another person was there and they saw me putting the Buddy over my bale and the old farmer started telling them about his doubt at first but, it had turned out to prove him wrong . All I could do was smile ,at that moment I knew I had made a GREAT purchase. Thank you for a great product.
Pam Holland
Clarksville, Tn.
3 horses, 1 donkey & 2 Pygmy goats
I have been using it a couple months now. We have had rain, snow, and ice in the 2 months I've used it. I have already told my horse friends they need one. I have 3 horses, 1 donkey, and 2 Pygmy goats on a 4x5 round bail. It lasts about a week, it has been unusually cold for central Louisiana. My horses are much happier. My OTTB is actually keeping weight this winter, a fight we have every winter. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful product. Vanessa Mink, LA
Darcy Blount Love our Big Bale Buddies! Saving us tons of $$$. Thank you!! 😊
I still love our Bale Buddy
I just wanted to tell you how much I STILL LOVE our bale buddy. So many benefits of this product, but here are some of my favorite benefits:
**Easy to store – I use it between December and March. When spring comes, I hose it down, dry it out and store away in my barn.
**On sunny warmer days (and after the bales have been munched on for several days lightening the bale) I can easily move the bale out of the barnyard so my guys aren’t pigging out all day on hay
**Durable – this is our second year and the bale buddy is still holding up to winter weather.
** Compact and tight so it easily fits under my barn overhang
Thanks again for this wonderful product – still don’t know why any would bother with a heavy clunky round bale feeder!!
Best, Cheryl Kelly
Mid-Atlantic Region - Feeding two handsome geldings
Then WE were the ones laughing!
I have a small horse farm in Northern Wisconsin & we have been using the Bale Buddies for a couple winters now & we love them! Thank you again for a great product. I love that all the other farmers on our road laughed at our bale buddies as they drove by, until they realized how much hay I was saving & how long our bales were lasting (10-12 days depending on the horses on them). Then WE were the ones laughing!
Melinda Grahek
Pink Socks Farm, Marengo WI
'...already I can see it was worth it.'
I have had my Bale Buddy for two weeks now and I could not be happier! No waste and my two horses are happy. Now my neighbors are looking into getting one and I have shared your website with all of them. Thank you very much.John Reid, Spokane, WA.
I just got my Big Bale Buddy and already I can see it was worth it. Very little waste at all !!! Once on the bale I put the bale on a heavy duty pallet in my barnyard to keep it from sitting in water/urine, etc. I LOVE IT and will be recommending it to all my horsey friends. Thank you, Heather & 4-legged friends (Buster, Amigo, and Mouse) Heather Hilson, Walton, NY
Hi guys!
I thought I'd share with you the link to my blog where I'm in the middle of reviewing your product. I LOVE IT! I'm on day 6 of feeding a 700lb round bale and there's hardly any waste, the bale has enough shape that I was able to relocate it not to mention, there's edible hay left after 6 days and 5 horses! Last year I would end up having to put out another bale by day 7 and I was only feeding 3 horses at the time. This product will pay for itself in 5-6 feedings. You guys Rock! Thank you.
Lindsay Klik LaBella, Dutch Hollow Acres, Avon, NY (585) 991-6706
http://www.DutchHollowAcres.com
http://www.AlpacaBytes.com
The hay savings is huge.
We love our Bale Buddy. I was very skeptical at first, but it
really is wonderful. It is safe (even when our pony climbs in when the hay is almost gone), and the hay savings is huge. You really have a great product!
Lori Heins, Rochester, MN We received the Bale Buddy last week and, as you can see, our horse (named Buddy) loves it. We do too! A great product. Thanks,Linda Abbott
I think the big bale buddy is great. We have had it on less then a week and can't believe how much hay it has saved us already .
Lorna Mackay, Kincardine, Ontario
I'm investing in another...
Amanda Shipley LOVE LOVE My bale buddy!!! I'm going on my second winter with it and actually purchasing a second one for this winter so I can put two round bales out! The BBB has saved me so much money and very little waste!!
I just wanted to drop a little note to say that the Big Bale Buddy has been one of my best investments. At first it was very difficult to get the Buddy on but now that it is broke in it can easily be a one person job. I purchased one a month or two ago and its wonderful so now I'm investing in another for a second pasture I have. I just wanted to say Thank You and I hope you have a Wonderful Christmas!
Sara Hayes
Charters Settlement, New Brunswick
Saves me a fortune
Love mine and so do my girls saves me a fortune.
I absolutely love the Bale Buddies . It has allowed me to feed almost all of my horses round bales outside, as before they would trash the bales and I would have so much waste. The amount I am saving is huge.
Sandy Mcloughlin, Tarwin Farm - Ontario
North Pole, Alaska
My gang like their bale buddy.
We purchased our Big Bale Buddy several months ago. we are feeding 8 American Paint Horses of various ages and all genders. When we first tried to get it on a bale it was a little hard and we had to trim off some of the bale. On our second bale. the Buddy had loosened up and we had no problems getting it on without trimming any. Our horses have had no problem getting adjusted to it and we have had only a handful of hay on the ground. I have suggested it to other horse owners and hopefully they will purchase theirs very soon. What a cost saver. Buddy is worth every penny and had already paid for itself in hay savings.
Sue Johnson
I recently ordered a big bale buddy after my horses were wasting over half a round bale in 8 short days! Now there is little waste and the hay stays clean right down to the last bit. Already I am saving money on hay with the bale buddy. I love this product! Not only is it a hay saver, but I feel it is safer than metal round bale feeders and there is virtually no maintenance. Thanks for a great product.
Sally Cooper
Mifflinburg, PA
So much LESS waste
My gang loves them.. we use the large bale buddy net and then the green bale buddy cover. So much LESS waste then without!
I purchased the Big Bale Buddy hay bags in January and I couldn’t be happier with them. They have definitely saved me a lot of money because the horses are just not wasting the hay the way they did before. I think I have saved at least 20% on hay costs since I started using the Buddies. We are also saving time with clean up as there are no strings to have to pick up after they have eaten their round bales.
I am happy with the safety aspect of the bags as well. I have always been hesitant about getting steel feeders as I was concerned about one of the horses getting hurt. There are no worries whatsoever with the Big Bale Buddy. As an added (and unexpected) bonus, my horses are now fearless of tarps as they think now it might possibly hold food for them.
I have to also comment about the service from Jenise at Buddy Incorporated. She returns calls and ships the product promptly and has been excellent about replacing 2 of my Buddies that have gotten holes in them from the horses. This is seriously one of the best farm investments I have made and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Pat Gras
Rockridge Arabians
Say Bonjour. Je suis une grande consommatrice de Big Bale Buddy, j'adore vraiment le concept, j'en ai plus d'une dizaine dans mes écuries et j'en suis vraiment ravie. Je me permets de vous faire partager ces photos de mes poulains qui les adorent également!!!
Cordialement,
Mlle Audrey Thirion
Gérante des Ecuries du Mouret
WE'RE ON TO THE 2ND BALE IN OUR NEW BALE BUDDY. I JUST LOVE IT!!! THE HORSES AND MULES ADAPTED TO IT RIGHT AWAY. WE'LL DEFINITELY BE SAVING MONEY ON HAY DUE TO LOSS OUT SIDE OF THE FEEDER. THERE IS VERY LITTLE HAY ON THE GROUND AROUND THE BALE BUDDY.
YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL PRODUCT, THANKS.
KARRI KOELLING
KOELLING MULES
"Thank You"
I have been using it a couple months now. We have had rain, snow, and ice in the 2 months I've used it. I have already told my horse friends they need one. I have 3 horses, 1 donkey, and 2 Pygmy goats on a 4x5 round bail. It lasts about a week, it has been unusually cold for central Louisiana. My horses are much happier. My OTTB is actually keeping weight this winter, a fight we have every winter. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful product. Vanessa Mink, LA
I have used the same Big Bale Buddy (1 Bale Buddy for 3 horses) for the last
3 years and it looks almost new. I have one horse that tells me it's time to put another round bale out by taking the Bale Buddy and shaking it at my other 2 guys. The same horse will stand in it like it's a wading pool - and he has front shoes. It does not have as much as a snag or rip or pulled thread. I am very pleased.
Gwen Zafting
"Love it!"
My husband and I have just used the Big Bale Buddy for the first time and LOVE IT!!! We have 4 horses (2 new this year) and were worried about all of the wasted hay...not to mention the goats getting into the round bale feeded and using it for their personal "facilities". Last winter we had a "sick" horse because of this.
Last year, we fed 1 bale every 10 days (two horses). We expected to have to feed twice as often as last year, having twice as many mouths to feed (1 bale every 5 days). To our surprise, our first round bale lasted 7 DAYS! We are both so very happy to have stretched the feeding by 2 days. This product is such a wonderful idea for such a great price.
Thank you Big Bale Buddy for saving my family money and worry!
The Bahnmiller Family, Onsted, Michigan