Most of my 5x6 round bales have a fair amount of alfalfa in them and were made very tight. In addition as mentioned above, alfalfa bales are just naturally stemmy. Older cows especially like the grass bales because they are easier on their teeth and gums.

The younger cows like the grass bales because they can pull off a mouthful much easier off of the grass bales than the alfalfa bales. I bought some grass bales that were much lower testing than the alfalfa bales but you would have thought that grass was sugar coated the way they tore into the grass bales.

One thing that helps is if you take the spear and loosen the alfalfa bales when they get part way through.  Or RCD's idea of dont give them a choice. All at once.

I loosened a couple really tight alfalfa big bales with the loader spear tonight before dark and they came over and got into it like it was May grass.... I want them eating a lot of good hay with this zero and lower weather coming up. Low tonight is forecast at -2 F with wind gusts to 28 mph = -20F wind chill. They are also in final trimester.

Jim at Dawn