Half your Hay. . .

There's a proverb that says, "Half your wood and half your hay, you should still have on Candlemas Day."  While many variations of this saying exist, the basic truth remains:  Early February marks the midpoint of hay feeding season in much of the upper Midwest.  200 days without grazing makes for a long stretch.  For myself, having three adult oxen on the farm means the hay doesn't last long.  Zeus is a 7 year-old Dutch Belted (his mate, Hermes, died suddenly when they were 3) and Brutus and Cassius are 4 year-old Shorthorns.  Each weighs around a ton, so they eat about 50 lbs. of hay per day.  They'd eat more, but I feed twice daily- mainly because I like the routine of regular interaction for all of us.    Sometimes I feed square bales, sometimes round bales, although if I feed rounds, then I store them in the barn and peel them and feed them each day.  It wastes less hay, and keeps them at a semi-portly state rather than a morbidly obese one.