Hay and bedding delivery service

Horse owners, boarding stables, hobby farms, smallholders and people with goats, sheep or backyard livestock.

You mark up the price per bale, bag or load and add a delivery fee. Regular winter feed customers and repeat monthly orders give steady sales.

• Judging hay quality
• Driving and loading a truck and trailer
• Building relationships with growers and customers

• Hay quality: mould, dust and poor bales can harm animals and cost you customers, so check every load
• Check your provincial rules on weed seed in hay and any rules for moving hay between provinces
• Check commercial vehicle, weight limit and load-securing rules in your province
• Check how GST/HST applies to feed and bedding sales with the Canada Revenue Agency
• Prices swing in drought years and demand peaks in winter, so keep some cash buffer
• Heavy lifting and fire risk if you store hay, so keep stock small and dry

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $2,000 to $15,000, depending on the truck and trailer you already have, your first stock purchases and any storage. Treat this as an estimate and price your own setup.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on order volume, season and what you charge. Prices swing in drought years and demand peaks in winter, so keep some cash buffer.

Check your provincial rules on weed seed in hay and on moving hay between provinces. Check commercial vehicle, weight limit and load-securing rules, and how GST/HST applies to feed and bedding with the Canada Revenue Agency.