How to Size a Hay Ring: Measure Your Bales Before You Buy
A hay ring should be one size up from your bales. Here is how to measure a round bale, which ring fits which baler, what the 24" Mini and skirt panels are for, and how to add a panel later.
Short answer: measure three of your round bales across, not one. If they are all 7 ft or under, buy the 7 ft ring. If they are 6 ft or under, the 6 ft. The ring should be a little bigger than the bale so it drops in easily and the panels adjust to snug it up. A ring that is too small is firewood. The AGI adjustable poly ring comes in 5, 6 and 7 ft, and you can add a panel later if you change balers.
What a hay ring is
A hay ring is a fence around a bale. It keeps the bale off the ground and the animals on the outside, so they eat what they pull instead of standing in it. The old ones are welded steel bars. The poly ones are solid panels locked together with a pipe, and they come apart to move.
How to measure a bale
- Stand at the flat end of the bale and measure straight across the circle. That is the diameter, and it is the number that matters.
- Do it on three bales from different parts of the stack. Balers drift, and the last bales of a field are often smaller.
- Measure the width too, end to end. The 7 ft ring takes a 6 ft wide bale with room; a 5 ft ring takes a 4 ft wide bale.
- Write down the biggest diameter. Buy for that one.
Which ring for which baler
| Your bales | Typical baler | Ring |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 4 or 4 × 5 | Small round balers, mini rounds | 5 ft, from $1,050.95 |
| 5 × 5 or 5 × 6 | Most modern balers, the common size | 6 ft, $1,175.95 |
| 5 × 6 with loose wrap, or 6 × 6 | Large round balers | 7 ft, $1,275.95 |
| Small squares stacked, or 3 × 3 squares | Any | 7 ft, or the Mini for small stock |
Prices are CAD with the NAG Bag net included. If you are between sizes, go up. The panels adjust in; they do not adjust out.
The Mini and what a skirt panel is
People search for "hay ring skirt" and mean one of two things.
On a steel ring, the skirt is the solid sheet metal band around the bottom that stops animals pulling hay out at ground level. On the poly ring, every panel is already solid from the ground up, so there is no separate skirt to buy.
The 24" Mini poly ring is the low version, the same 5, 6 or 7 ft across but only two feet tall. It holds a full round bale and lets ponies, minis, donkeys, goats and sheep eat over the top without climbing in. The 24" single panel is the Mini's add-on panel; use it to widen a Mini, replace a worn panel, or make a small corner feeder.
Adding a panel later
Changed balers and the new bales do not fit? Add an AGI full-height panel to go from a 6 ft ring to a 7 ft. Same pipe lock, no tools. The net will need to go up a size too; the Net Topper is sold by ring diameter.
Setting it up
The ring ships flat. Stand the panels in a circle, thread the pipe through the locks, and cinch it. One person, no tools, about five minutes. Drop the bale in with the loader, or roll it in by hand on a 5 ft ring, then adjust the panels until they are snug against the bale. Pull the net over the top and clip it to the pipe kit.
Uncle Jeeter says: "Measure three bales, not one. Balers drift, and the ring doesn't."
Questions people ask
Can I put a 6 ft bale in a 7 ft ring?
Yes, you snug the panels in. That is what adjustable means.
Can I put a 7 ft bale in a 6 ft ring?
No, and you will not enjoy trying. Buy the 7 ft.
What are the dimensions of a poly hay ring?
Nominal 5, 6 and 7 ft inside diameter in full height, and the Mini at 24" tall. Exact panel counts are on the product page.
Do I need a pipe kit?
It comes with the ring. Buy a spare pipe kit only if you are adding a net to a ring you already own.
How much hay does a ring save?
Loose bales lose 30–50%; in a ring with a net, 2–4%. The dollars are in How Much Hay Does a Horse Actually Waste?
Next step: measure three bales, then pick your ring size or message the barn with the numbers.
