Big Bale Feeder
Great way to feed round and square bales while reducing wasted hay. It pays for itself in 1 year!
We’ve added a 3/8" reinforcement rod above and below the feeding holes for extra support against large, pushing rams or ewes.
Note: We sell wire panels, hinges and snap clips individually. This way you can design according to your situation or need. See “Customization” section below for more information.
Not for use with cattle, horses or horned animals.
California Residents: Proposition 65 Information
Instructions/Diagrams:
Customization
How many panels, hinges and clips are needed for a round bale?
- 4 ft dia. bale:
- 5 panels, 4 connector hinges, 2 snap clips
- 5 ft dia. bale:
- 6 panels, 5 connector hinges, 2 snap clips
- 6 ft dia. bale:
- 7 panels, 6 connector hinges, 2 snap clips
Specs
Wire Panel:
- Hot-dip galvanized steel
- 48" tall x 40" long
- 4 - 8" x 12" eating holes with 1/4" reinforcement rods top and bottom
- 3/8" dia support rods (outer rods & 4 vertical internal rods)
- 1/4" dia rods elsewhere
- 4 head-holes per panel
Benefits
Big Bale Feeder—10% wastage, $297 wasted hay.
Other feeders—25% wastage, $750 wasted hay.
The $453 difference pays for a Premier Big Bale Feeder feeder—in only 1 year!
- Reinforced, double rod eating holes for pushy rams and ewes
- Folds flat—easy to store and move
- Adult sheep can’t get inside it
- More durable than feeders made with cheap farmstore wire panels
- Adapts to most round or square bale sizes
- Ships FREE via Ground service when ordering more than one panel. Most need 5–7 panels.
Shepherd’s Choice™ Management Tip
Due to weather variability during the haying season, producers may be feeding poorer quality hay during the winter months. As a result, late gestation and lactating ewes will need more protein in the grain mix. One can use soybean, dry distillers grains or corn gluten feed. The hay may also have less energy per pound—grain feeding levels may need to be increased by a half- to full-pound per day. Lastly, if your hay is mostly grass, consider feeding at least 1% limestone in the grain mix to improve calcium levels.Looking for ration advice? We can help customize a feed ration for your situation.
How to Use
1. Panels are easy to carry and store
2. Joining panels with wire hinges
3. Adding a large round bale
4. Wrap panels around bale and close with snap clips
Tip: To eliminate risk of sheep tipping over an empty feeder and thereby injuring themselves, drive a single steel post into the ground and secure 1 corner of the bale feeder to it. The post can stay in place all winter. Having noted that we rarely do this. We simply allow the sheep to tip the feeder over. Our last injury was 4 years ago—and we use 20 feeders all winter long.
Precautions
What NOT to do with Big Bale Feeders:
- Don’t use them for cattle or horses.
- Don’t use them with horned sheep or goats. We have tried this and know that they may get their heads caught and die.
- Don’t place bales on their curved (rolling) side. Bales may mushroom and collapse upon a feeding ewe.
- Don’t lift the feeder with the tractor loader. This puts unnecessary stress on the welds.
- Don’t let panels freeze to the ground.
- Don’t feed more than 40-50 ewes per feeder. Too many ewes per feeder may cause them to fight for access—which can result in poor-doing (or even dead) sheep.
Listed below are recommended optional components or related items. Your particular situation may require alternative recommendations. Please call and talk to our consultants if there are any questions at 800-282-6631.
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Wire Panels and Accessories
Wire Panel Hinge, 48" tall
Item #965401 -Provides a strong, reliable connection that is also a 360° hinge. Use to easily attach wire livestock panels and gates together.
$5.50 -
Handling Equipment
Snap Clip, Zinc Plated
Item #965405 -Use to connect wire panels and hang poultry waterers and feeders.
$2.00 -
Handling Equipment
Snap Clip, Stainless Steel
Item #965406 -Use to connect wire panels and hang poultry waterers and feeders.
$12.00 -
PortaTroughs
PortaTrough™ 3
Item #938010 -Easy to clean 3 ft livestock feeders used to provide grain, minerals, salt or water. Stackable for easy movement and storage.
$49.00 -
PortaTroughs
PortaTrough™ 5
Item #938000 -Portable 5 ft feeder withstands all weather and animal conditions. Stackable for easy movement and storage.
$86.00 -
2025 New Products
Livestock Scratching Brush, large
Item #293100 -Stiff bristled scratching post for sheep, goats, horses and cattle. Helps animals stay clean and removes irritants, like parasites.
$52.00
Write a Review
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Cynthia P
This feeder has changed our lives with our sheep. We have a small hobby farm to produce wool fiber, and we have reduced the vegetable matter contamination to at least 50%, if not more. Thank you so much Premier!!!!
Now, could you consider designing one for horses?? The tractors repeatedly picking up the traditional round bale feeders destroys them over time. We had a horse rip her nostril open recently due to a jagged edge caused by metal fatigue of picking the ring up to place over the round bale. The beauty of this design is it does not require a tractor.
Gary J from Greensburg, KS
This is our second Big Bale Feeder. We've had two other brands. The first, a blue one, was pathetic. It allowed way too much waste and lambs would crawl in and play on the bales. The second, a red one, was immensely better but if a bale was of poorer quality, the sheep tend to not eat the bottom of the bale which won't allow the feeder to move into the bale, but not a bad feeder. The Premier allows the adult sheep to put there head into the feeder to eat into the bale, it keeps all lambs out, and the bale is consumed entirely.
Teresa A from Kansas
These bale feeders are AMAZING! We were feeding a bale per week to each group of approx. 25 does and now a bale lasts at 3+ weeks. My only regret is we didn't buy these sooner. They will more than pay for themselves this winter. We have mostly horned goats and have not had any problem with them getting caught.
Linda G from North CArolina
I have lost count of the different feeders I have tried to save hay when feeding my herd of 50+ goats. Nothing seemed to work until I purchased a Big Bale Feeder! I now own three of them. If you own goats, you know how much hay they can waste. I was feeding a round bale a week to my senior doe pasture. After purchasing my first Big Bale Feeder, I am now buying one every three weeks. At this rate the feeder will pay for itself in jus a few months. While it does not totally eliminate waste, it has certainly made a huge difference. I would certainly recommend this product to anyone with goats. I even use it with my horned goats and have not experienced any problems.
Kathleen L from Illinois
I'm very pleased with this feeder. Nice, heavy duty panels but light enough to move. With this drought I had to do something to save on hay. I would say a bale is lasting 3 times longer in this feeder. The hay has some course stems in it but I just pull those out every couple days and they do a pretty good job of cleaning up the good stuff.