How much does it cost to feed a Shire on average per year?

Katie

Everything. They cost everything.

john

U are a horse thief. There is no shire horse I made that up. You thieves are Soo stupid.

Judy and the Beast

They will eat about a half a bale of hay a day. If the average cost of hay is $6 a bale that is $3/day or just over $1200 per year in hay (there will be some wastage/bad bales). The cost of hay is about 1/4 of the cost of the things overall they need. Supplements and vitamins will cost a few hundred each year as well. So approximately $1500 per year. It largely depends on the cost of hay in your area. Some areas like California or Texas will have very high prices. Others, like the midwest, will have lower costs. Hay in Wisconsin runs about $4 a bale. I've heard in California it can be over $12. With fires, it may be even higher....

Miss Luke

That really depends on the price of hay in your area. A good rule of thumb for calculating the amount of forage a horse needs to consume each day is to multiply its weight by 2% (or 0.02.) Your Shire could easily weigh 1,500 lbs; he would need about 30 lbs/day of hay. He may need more if he's worked heavily and/or has poor or no grass in his pasture; he may need less if he's got very lush pasture and is rarely worked. But you're probably looking at at least a half-bale/day. At $8/bale (what hay is presently going for in my area), that works out to $120/month. On top of that, your Shire may also need grain, which may cost you another $30 or so per month. As Partly Cloudy said, however, your expenses only START with feed....

partly cloudy

an average sized horse produces 5 tons of manure a year. feed will not be your biggest expense. you will have to find a professional draft horse farrier...clean straw for stall every day, 2 x's a year vet visit, and annual dental work.

Nekkid Truth!

What is a "shire"?