I’m looking for a way to contain hay for my boy. My barn owner is upset at the amount of wasted hay. However 50-70% of the hay he receives is my own hay. I cannot use anything with a net or a grate. It needs to be an open feeder, which I realize may or may not contain his hay. I know he may pull it out anyways. . . .
I found this one: https://www.sstack.com/dura-tech-mesh-corner-hay-feeder/p/42406/
I was wondering if anyone has used it? Pros/cons? any photos of it in use?
Thanks!
I also thought this thing was pretty slick, and picked one up last time it was on sale, but still haven’t gotten around to installing it.
Something I did find when free feeding hay to a hay waster is that shaking out the flakes improved wasting pretty significantly. Not sure if that’s something your barn would be willing to try?
Why does shaking out the flakes have an impact?
Anecdotally, it makes it easier for them to pick through and get the best bits first, so they’re less likely to fling/paw flakes all over the place trying to do it themselves.
Or at least that’s what I’ve noticed with my horse.
My horse walks and eats. He has a small stall size run attached - so he can go in and out. . . he drags it all over.
It makes it loose hay instead of packed hay, so when they grab a mouthful they are getting less extra so less is dropped on the floor.
I have a hay dragger, so I was interested in this topic. After looking at the product, I don’t think it’ll suit my needs, but it is attractive. My biggest concern is that it’s stationary, by which I mean that if I have to pull hay from a stall (eg; horse has been sedated or is colicky) I can’t take the whole shebang out. I’d have to fish for hay from the top. Ditto for cleaning it out completely if there are sticks, wet hay whatever in the bottom.
My problem has been solved by using slow feed hay bags hung on the grillwork between the stalls, and left open on top. Easy to fill and easy to pull out if necessary.
Have you ever watched a horse eat a flake, especially if you’ve put it in some sort of container? They grab a corner with their teeth, lift, and shake, pulling it out of the container and dropping it on the floor of the stall. Repeat until the flake is apart, now all over the stall.
If you shake out the flakes, they can nose through the loose hay and pick the bits they want. They might still pull out some, but overall it’s much less of a mess.
yes. Though my guy will simply leave the parts he doesn’t want. My personal hay is baled a bit too loose (so loosed you wouldn’t need to shake it out at all) and he still spreads that around. He’s a walking/eating type of guy. I was really hoping someone here has used that feeder though. I’m tempted to try it. I want something that doesn’t take a lot of floor space (paranoid about casting) and is safe. This appears to meet those needs unless I’m missing a safety issue with this.
That’s a good point. I found a similar thing to this on a UK site and I think that one could be removed easily. I would probably still figure out how to fish the hay out of this if it solves my issues.
I got one too and I haven’t installed mine either. I did get this one https://www.sstack.com/easy-up-corner-floor-hay-rack-no-lid/p/42662/ and installed it on the corner of the run-in. It works well, but if the hay doesn’t get finished, you do have to reach in/over to pull out the old stuff. I did mount mine just a little off the floor (maybe an inch or two off the mats) and zip tied a piece of water noodle over the spot where the two parts meet, because I thought it was rough.
With regard to the mesh one, I’m considering installing a little bit high and putting a small rubber feed tub underneath it to catch any fines that sift out. I was thinking I’d see how it works with chopped hay…
Found a picture of the big one in use
The big one - I’ve seen people just put up boards to triangle off the corner. Which I might do as it’s easier, but it takes floor space and adds to my paranoia about casting.
When I owned my own place, that’s what we did–plywood in the corner. They’d still pull some out, but it helped.
What’s the reason for no net or grate? I made a “bargain” with the barn worker that my horse wouldn’t waste any hay or pee and poop on it as long as he filled the feeder. Cleaning a stall with a lot of messy hay takes a lot more time than opening the top of a feeder to load hay…
I’ve been super happy with my porta grazer but found the 8 hole insert didn’t slow my horse down at all. I leave it loose in his stall and he quickly figured out how to tip it over and tip it back upright again.
Inscisor issues - he can’t have a net/grate.
I’m not familiar with a forager? I don’t know if that’s the best solution though as it’s not covered from rain. And in the summer they are inside during the day - hopefully to stay out of the sun!
Can you share a link?
I know you said no grid but this hay bag has big holes and does not slow consumption down at all. We use it for our horse and he does not have any issue pulling his hay out without touching the squares.
I’m a huge fan of the PortaGrazer. The horses use their nose to nudge the pan and lip up the hay to pull it through. With the largest size openings, it may work for your horse despite the incisor issue, especially if your hay tends to be loosely packed.
It’s pricey up front but I’ve had mine going on 5 years and used it for two different horses. It looks like new, both horses took to it no problem, there’s almost no waste, and my barn manager loves how easy it is to fill compared to a traditional net or feeder.
how would this be any different than using boards to create a feeder?
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