Best hay feeders comparison and payback time article- Vets atUniversity of Minnesota

[shfarmgirl]

Thought this was very interesting and others might like to read it when seeking cost effective hay feeding options. It compares the safety and cost payback/hay wastage of different types of hay feeders. I use a hay net, better/heavier grade break strength and smaller holes than the one tested, with a hay hut and find my round bales stay clean, dry and horses are safe which is my highest priority, cost/quality being second!. Plus my bales last at least 20% + longer.
The article compared these hay feeders:

A. Cinch Net ($147*; Cinch Chix LLC, North Branch, MN)
B. Cone ($1,195*; Weldy Enterprises, Wakarusa, IN; model R7C)
C. Covered Cradle ($3,200*; SM Iron Inc., Sanborn, MN)
D. Hayhut ($650*; Hayhuts LLS, Deleon Spring, FL)
E. Hay Sleigh ($425*; Smith Iron Works Inc., St. Francis, MN)
F. Ring ($300*; R & C Livestock, Bethany, MO)
G. Tombstone ($250*; Dura-Built, Eagan, MN)
H. Tombstone Saver ($650*; HiQual, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)
I. Waste Less ($1,450*; JSI Innovations LLC, St. Croix Falls, WI)
J. No-feeder control

• Prices quoted at time of research (July 2010), delivery not included, and prices are subject to change.

Here is the link.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/selecting-a-round-bale-feeder/

[AmarachAcres]

I have the hay hut and love it. We’ve been pondering adding a slow feed net to it so that cinch net in the study kind of shows what we were thinking.

[tangledweb]

I feed round bales all winter and keep meaning to buy a feeder, but I’m not convinced the payback period for a ring feeder really would be anything close to 2 months because their methodology is a little odd.

“Hay that fell onto the ground surrounding the feeder was considered waste and was collected daily starting at 9:00 a.m.”

Every blade that hits the ground is only waste if you have a team of students scooping it up and weighing it. I don’t have that problem here, so an unknown percentage of my fallen hay gets eaten.

[trubandloki]

I would assume that it was gathered daily with the reasoning being that as long as there is a bale in front of them they would not be picking thru the stuff on the ground but still pulling from the bale.
My experience (I use a home built hay hut with a roof and a cinch chix net) is that the hay on the ground gets trampled and manured on.

Their numbers might be off a little because of the horse that takes a bit of time here and there to pick off the ground but probably not by much.

[tangledweb]

I get the reasoning, but I don’t think it’s very realistic.

It does not say if they cut the string or net on their bales at feeding time. If you put out a string tied bale out with no feeder and cut the string, you’ll get a 20% waste rate almost instantly.

In a wet winter I get significant waste from the bottom of the bale that is in contact with muddy ground. That study makes no differentiation between feeders where the bale is on the ground and ones where it is raised. All hay remaining inside the feeder at the end of a feed period was counted as not wasted.

My local waste rate is also greatly affected by how mean I am feeling. If I’m feeling sorry for the horses in -20 weather I’ll put out a bale a day earlier. If they are all looking a bit fat and the weather is mild I’ll let them eat scraps for a day longer.

I think it’s an interesting thing to study, and I can’t think of a better protocol, but I’m not taking the results literally.

I’ve been considering one of these for ages:
http://www.siouxsteel.com/images/uploads/product-images/polyfeeder8.jpg
I’ve never gotten around to it because I suspect it has an ROI of more than one season and there are always other things to spend money on.

[Bluey]

Those using hay nets constantly, do you have horses getting sore gums?
One study reported in The Horse was showing that horses were getting sore and abscesses from those and I think from grazing muzzles too.

I would sure monitor horses using any of those more than on occasion.

[trubandloki]

@Bluey;7403991

Those using hay nets constantly, do you have horses getting sore gums?
One study reported in The Horse was showing that horses were getting sore and abscesses from those and I think from grazing muzzles too.

I have not noticed any issues like that. My horses eat round bale during the day in a cinch chix net and at night they eat out of individual small hole hay nets.
I have noticed that eating the round bale in the cinch chix net rubs all the whiskers on their lips short.

[ChocoMare]

I am on our fourth winter with a Cinch Chix round bale net and Red River Arena Hay Cradle. Waste is from 1% - 4% – the higher amount being when it got too wet, too fast. Alas, I cannot afford a Hay Hut at this time, but it’s on the list!

An average round (350-375 pounds) lasts 2 draft horses, 1 light horse and 2 goats six to seven days.

I don’t have a tractor, so had to have a cradle that could rock. Only the Red River Arena one fit the bill (see video http://www.redriverarenas.com/feeders.html )

Since the CC Net is designed to hold the big rounds, I take up the slack by pulling it tight around the bale, closing the cinch and twisting it super tight into a bun.

Hopefully by next hay-feeding season the goats will be gone and we can switch to a Hay Hut.

[fatappy]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7404973]
I have not noticed any issues like that. My horses eat round bale during the day in a cinch chix net and at night they eat out of individual small hole hay nets.
I have noticed that eating the round bale in the cinch chix net rubs all the whiskers on their lips short.[/QUOTE]

I will second this. I stuff my haynets every day (lucky me). And during the day they eat out of haynets with 3" openings. At Night, nets with 2" openings.

No sores, plenty of whiskers.

Two of mine go into grazing muzzles and I have seen those sores. Nothing even sorta kinda remotely like that with the nets.

[vineyridge]

The round bales available here are usually 6ft x 5ft. I know hay rings will handle a bale that size, but what about the cinch nets? With the rings, I’d have to take them apart and reassemble them around the bale because there is no way those suckers can be moved with the lack of proper equipment that I have.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=vineyridge;7405683]
The round bales available here are usually 6ft x 5ft. I know hay rings will handle a bale that size, but what about the cinch nets? With the rings, I’d have to take them apart and reassemble them around the bale because there is no way those suckers can be moved with the lack of proper equipment that I have.[/QUOTE]

It looks like they are big enough for that size bale. Linky

[AmarachAcres]

We had 5 horses go from demolishing a round bale in one week to a round bale lasting almost 3 weeks when we got a Hay Hut.

They couldn’t paw it, pee on, poop on, or guard it from other horses any more.

[Texarkana]

Interesting study! Although I will say, having seen my share of random hay ring injuries over the year, I do not agree that all are equal in safety.

For example, that “sleigh” looks like it’s just waiting to eat legs! :lol: