The Very End of a Round Bale

Cows sure are some wasteful creatures.  Since they are cows and their brains are quite small, they are not concerned with how to effectively devour a bale of hay so that you get the maximum nutritional value from it.  Nope, given the opportunity, they will pull hay out of the bale, step on it, poop on it, pee on it and then lay on it.  Then they will moo and moo, wanting another hay bale to eat on.  Here is Daisy working on the very end of a round bale.

We use a hay ring to at least try to get them to eat responsibly, but the goats can easily get through it.  They, of course, climb on top of it, poop on it, pee on it and lay on it.  Especially at this time of the season where the grass is going dormant, the livestock are eating lots of hay.  They are conditioned so that when they can hear me unchaining the fence, they come to enjoy eating a new, fresh bale that I've rolled into the pasture.

Before that happens, I make sure that they eat everything that they can possibly eat off of the old bale.  I remove the hay ring since there is a 'sweet spot' in the middle that they can't reach when the hay ring still surrounds it.  In doing so, I remove the pallet from the bottom of the bale as they could step on the pallet and hurt themselves.  I usually roll the fresh bale on top of a pallet so that the hay isn't directly on the ground and absorbing water and mud. 

Of course they all come to eat the hay that they previously could not get to.  Naturally they'll stand on top of the hay they are trying to eat, pooping on it and peeing on it.  I always comment that this would be like humans doing the same in their plates of food.  The entire animal family gets involved in this fun.

They just don't know any better.  Poor creatures.  Once they are no longer trying to eat it, I'll roll a fresh bale out in the pasture on top of a pallet and place the hay ring around it.  Rinse.  Wash.  Repeat.