Question for the net-wrapped bale unrollers

[Kosmo1]

I have a question for the people who unroll their net-wrapped round bales.

Due to the abnormally dry year we had in 2012 and the abundantly precipitous year we've had this year, we have a plethora of sunflower filled round bales. Consequently with this recent cold spell, I decided now would be a great time to feed these bales.

My dilemma, the dried sunflower stems are so tightly wound in the net-wrap that it makes it nearly impossible to detach from the bale itself. My solution has been to cut it, then feed it out like normal, and retrieve the net-wrap the next day as I feed in the vicinity. However, when I pick up yesterday's net-wrap it seems that I am not getting the full amount which I have "assumed" is being "consumed."

I realize most of you process your net-wrapped hay and the cattle eat it ground, but does eating it in unground larger quantities have any healthful repercussions?

 

[Haytrucker]

I don't have the most experience, but I have never seen any ill effects from cattle eating netwrap. As has been discussed here before, if they can find a way to do themselves in, they might. Just a thought, but have you tried unwrapping the net instead of cutting it. Might not work any better, or you might get half or more of it captured while feeding. I have unwrapped some pretty sticky russian thistle blends with some success. Good luck with the dilemma, I bet those cows are cleaning up whatever you feed here lately.

 

[porkchop]

As long as they don't choke on it I'd have to call it rumen scratch. When I was at school the "smart ones" were feeding plastic pellets and a super nutrient dense diet just to see what it would do. The cows looked good on their 'plastic' diet. (yeah, I hate to admit it but that was before net wrap)

 

[bverellen]

Sometimes frozen netwrap wont readily come off, I'll cut it, unroll the bale and then retrieve the wrap, sometimes I have to give it a good shake or 3 for it to dislodge.

Maybe this helps, no sunflowers here.

bart.

 

[Larrry]

I can remember as a kid watching my grandad post a calf and he was full of twine

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I used to get hay tub ground and with twine you couldn't hardly find any in the chopped hay but with net wrap you could see it all over the pile. I would either peel the net or not grind that hay after the first time.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Didn't Soap or somebody post a picture of a cow that had choked on net?

It might have been quite awhile ago. :?

 

[Soapweed]

Didn't Soap or somebody post a picture of a cow that had choked on net?

It might have been quite awhile ago. :?

That was afterbirth that the cow choked on and died. We lost two cows choking in that fashion within a week, and I've never lost one before or since from that method. :?

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Didn't Soap or somebody post a picture of a cow that had choked on net?

It might have been quite awhile ago. :?

That was afterbirth that the cow choked on and died. We lost two cows choking in that fashion within a week, and I've never lost one before or since from that method. :?

My mistake

i hope since I mentioned it that you don't have your first.

 

[Traveler]

You're going to get the occasional unexplained dead critter that has a gut full of plastic net wrap if you cut it open, or you happen to see a bunch of net wrap after the carcass has decayed. Both cows and calves. Best to shred it or keep it picked up if you can.

 

[gcreekrch]

We stand the net wrapped bales we have bought on end and unwrap them. Not much fun in a big bunch but its not where it isn't supposed to be then.

Lots faster baling, lots slower feeding than sisal, hey?

 

[Hayguy]

what's the word i'm looking for.....oh ya "netcrap"

frozen in twine is no fun either...

they say that processor's were invented for the guy's to lazy to pull twine but when it's all iced in it's easier to just cut/burn it off the rotor


i don't believe critter's were meant to eat plastic

 

[ANGUS327]

Among the most vile things ever invented.

 

[rancherfred]

I am glad to see that I am not the only one that hates that stuff. When I tell people around here I don't want a baler with net wrap and I won't buy bales with net wrap they look at me like I have lost my mind. Trying to feed bales with the junk frozen on one winter convinced me never to mess with that stuff again. Twine can be frozen on but it is very rare that I can't get all of it off, it just takes a little more work. Once net wrap has been frozen on I have never been able to get that junk off and I end up with about a quarter of the bale in the garbage pile.

 

[gcreekrch]

Neighbors set 4 or 5 days feed on end with the icy side to the sun. It does thaw a lot of the twine out.

We are a little anal about plastic laying around. The 2 years we did use plastic twine it took a full 2 hours longer to feed than with sisal.

 

[tenbach79]

I am glad to see that I am not the only one that hates that stuff. When I tell people around here I don't want a baler with net wrap and I won't buy bales with net wrap they look at me like I have lost my mind. Trying to feed bales with the junk frozen on one winter convinced me never to mess with that stuff again. Twine can be frozen on but it is very rare that I can't get all of it off, it just takes a little more work. Once net wrap has been frozen on I have never been able to get that junk off and I end up with about a quarter of the bale in the garbage pile.

What kind of net was it, the new holland black wrap or deeres net? When the net is frozen don't cut it, start at the end wrap and walk it around. Comes off a lot easier and take time doing it. But us lazy guys that use net I guess don't want to take time. Now we don't live where we get a lot of ice and when it does it don't last long but I do fill your pain. I think the black wrap from new holland is the worst stuff out there but that's just me. We use the cover edge and when we flip the bale over to put in a feeder it's a pain to get that small piece under the bale.

 

[buckranch1]

Maybe ive just been lucky, but I feed 3 days worth of feed at a time to some cows that I winter about 40 miles from home and I set the net wrapped bales out but I dont roll them out. They do a great job of cleaning it up and I just light the wrap with a torch to get rid of it. I have done this for several years with no problems.

 

[WyomingRancher]

I agree, the netwrap is terrible to deal with. The only thing worse than feeding netwrapped rounds is feeding large squares! I am just thankful after 10 inches of rain in September, I had banned large squares...that would have been a big loss in hay.

I feed with a tractor which has a bucket and grapple. Before spearing the bale, I lift it up high, and drop it to break the ice up on the wrap. It helps a lot if you are equipped to do it.

 

[Soapweed]

I used to despise netwrap, and still do if it isn't picked up. However, it does have some advantages. We purchased a Vermeer Super M baler two years ago, and it is set up to use netwrap. Now haying goes much faster, and I'd venture to say that one baler using netwrap can almost bale as much hay in a given time as two balers that have to stop and tie. With netwrap, it only takes two revolutions to wrap the bale, where it takes fifteen to twenty revolutions to tie with twine. Besides allowing much faster baling, it is bound to prolong the life of the baler.

When it comes to feeding, if the snow isn't too deep we feed all our hay with Hydra-Beds on pickups. Arriving on location, we lower the second bale so it is just off the ground a few inches. Then we get out of the pickup to take off the twine or netwrap. The netwrap is almost easier to undo than twine. The secret is to find the end and "unwrap" it, rather than cutting it. The problem at this point is that netwrap takes up a lot more room in the cab of the pickup than does twine. It is also messier and more hay particles gets on the seat covers.

Even though I have for years hated netwrap, my feelings have changed and it is now my preference. If we used a processor, I don't think I'd like it. One more subtle advantage of netwrap is if cattle mistakenly get into a bunch of bales, they do much less damage if the bales are netwrapped rather than tied with twine.

 

[R A]

I take an ax to weedy bales and weedy stuck and/or frozen net wrapped bales. I can't stand even an inch of twine or net wrap laying out there....or leaving any tiny amount behind!!!