Hay chopper recommendations

[SGF]

We just learned from our vet that we have a horse that can only eat chopped hay from now on. I am looking for the best option to chop grass hay into 1-2 pieces. As a short term solution we ordered an electric leaf mulcher. I don't see this as a long term fix since it will be time consuming and likely will require putting the hay through the machine more than once.

We will only do a bale or two a day. The smaller electric hay choppers I found are either real costly or are ordered in bulk wholesale direct from the Philippines, etc. So far my favorite option was this Wetmore silage cutter https://youtu.be/qxmIciE8RvQ . Unfortunately my searches for these or like machines have been unsuccessful. Does anyone have recommendation on equipment that might work?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Small squares? Many different companies make a small gas engine-driven or electric motor-driven bale chopper. Patz. Jamesway. AgriMetal. ValMetal. Just to name a few (I think ValMetal and Jamesway are the same).

Not going to be inexpensive. Used ones tend to be used up. You have to do some soul-searching and figure out what your hay-burning friend is worth, and whether it may make more sense to have it put down.

 

[showcrop]

How about Alfalfa cubes? I have had customers with horses with no teeth who fed them.

 

[Charlie M]

Probably the cheapest way is with a 80 year old plus papac ensilage cutter. LOL I know you're not into antique farm machinery. I have one and works great for cutting up a bale of hay. I've gotten rid of some old bales in the past and chopped them up so they would spread on a field. I have a 1950's farm set up so it fits perfect at my place.

 

[Timmycornpicker]

I bought an old Gehl 800 silage chopper with a pickup head for $400 to pick up rain spoiled hay from the field to put in the manure compost pile, instead of going through the trouble of baling it and then basically giving it away. You could do what you want with the same kind of machine by throwing bales into the pickup, but you'd have to have something to blow the hay into, like a bin at the end of the barn. Could chop a bunch of hay that way at once and then get what you need out of the chopped pile everyday.

 

[MJMJ]

Alfalfa cubes are chopped and pressed. Should work fine. I'm pretty surprised your vet didn't mention that.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Most any old silage chopper will work to chop some hay. With something to chop into you could do several bales at a time like already said.

 

[Leroy]

I don't think that papac would be cheapest way as those choppers are scarce and getting scarcer. And wanted by Amish to fill their silos.. Cut the corn with a corn binder and use them to fill the silo. I would guess the price would be way higher now than several years ago as less of them around.

 

[ss55]

If lengths shorts than 1 to 2 inches is OK, a consumer lawn chipper/shredder could work. They chip ( slice ) to about 1/8 lengths or shred ( hammer mill side ) to about 1/2 lengths . Used ones with a 5 to 10 HP gas engines can be found for zero to a few hundred dollars.

A used hammer mill or grinder-mixer with a large screen ( one inch or larger ) or no screen might handle slices of a bale faster.

Myself, I would get rid of the horse but that may not be an option.

 

[Leroy]

Grinding hay with hammer mill to mix in hog feed did not use a screen. No need as it was fine ground without. Started trying to use half inch and soon discarded that idea.

 

[SGF]

Thanks for the suggestions. Here's some feedback.

We got the leaf mulcher today. It is doing a lot better than I thought it would but it is too slow to be a long term solution. We need to chop about four large trash bags a day for the two percheron draft horses. Only the mare needs it but they share a space so...

The horse isn't going anywhere. My wife is crazy about her and she's working really hard to do what it takes to fix the problem. We still aren't sure about the final feeding plan but are taking the vet's advice for now. I didn't want to overload the post with details but basically she's been choking with food stuck in her throat and the hay change is only a part of the food changes. The alfalfa cubes might even have contributed even after soaking.The vet isn't sure.

I will do some looking into the hammer mill and mixers. I didn't think of these two machines for chopping hay. I'm also trying to keep cost low. At this early stage we don't know if chopped hay will continue so the newer gas driven machines are off the table for now due to cost. I like the idea of an old silage chopper if that would work but so far I haven't had luck finding any even close to eastern NC.

I have no issue with old equipment. I'm no farmer and came to all this late in life but I have skidded logs,cut and raked hay and plowed behind our horses, albeit amateurishly. I think my newest piece of equipment is a 1968 JD 2020. Most everything is horse drawn from the 40's so I'm good with old. I'm just not familiar with the type of equipment I need for the hay chopping. I thought I got lucky when I learned about the machine I posted the link to but as I mentioned, no luck finding any like it so far. Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

[showcrop]

"I didn't want to overload the post with details" actually the opposite happens.

 

[MJMJ]

I m not a horse person, and may be confused. Hay has been causing the choke? And chopped hay is supposed to help? I m just curious, your vet would surely know more than me.

 

[hd6gtom]

Mathews Rotary Scythe.

 

[Timmycornpicker]

He wants to chop already baled hay, so I don't think that's an option.

 

[Kevin Happke]

Hello, Find a old Hay Knife ....it has two handles on it and the teeth are like 3 inches long ...there are about 2 feet of the teeth on the knife and can just cut the bale in half lenght ways between the strings....

 

[pogobill]

I've used my Chipper/Shredder with success as well. Can you just soak your hay? I have a horse that suffers from choke now and again. My vet recommended soaking the alfalfa cubes And mix in her sweet feed with it, and add lots of water. See said make it like soup! I didn't go that far, but the feed is quite wet. Never had an issue since.
I have soaked the hay now and again, but it's not something I do unless the hay is getting past its best before date, so to speak.

 

[DoubleR]

Get a grinder mixer. Some guys will grind hay up into there feed mixes. I run a couple of small squares through my Arts Way and mix it in with my cattle feed at times. I did the same with the JD mixer and the hammer mill I had before that.

My contractor friend had a small grinder he would grind up small squares of straw and blow it on newly seeded grass areas on his construction job sites.

 

[SGF]

My wife, an RN who unlike me understands all this medical speak gave me a full explanation that I won't even try to duplicate here, but here is my best effort.

The vet believes that because the mare is older floating her teeth again would have no benefit as there are no hooks, etc. She thinks that the shorter pieces of hay will be easier for her to swallow with less chance of obstruction since there is less chewing needed to reduce size. The horse won't eat wet foods. We get away with it some, but soaking hay or the cubes is the same as trashing it. She will deal with it a bit but it's a delicate balance. Also, wetting some feed types turns them to paste which could compound the blockage issue.

It's a really life threatening situation. Horses need to eat constantly but she often chokes from eating. My wife loves this horse and she is doing all she can to find a solution. Right now she and the vet's are experimenting with ways to feed hoping for a positive lasting result.

One positive note is that the leaf mulching machine is doing a good job of chopping the hay. Not the best long term solution but good for now.