A bale feeder apparatus, system and method is described. A bale feeder for feeding a herd of livestock includes at least three ring-shaped horizontal rails including a top rail, a bottom rail and a middle rail, the middle rail spaced above the bottom rail at a middle rail height measured from a ground, and a plurality of neck rails extending upwards and inwards from the middle rail to the top rail, each neck rail spaced apart from an adjacent neck rail on same side of the bale feeder at a neck rail distance, the middle rail height about equal to a length of a longest foreleg expected in the herd of livestock, and the neck rail distance falling within a range bounded by a widest head expected in the herd of livestock, and a narrowest adult shoulder width expected of any adult animal in the herd of livestock.