for some reason i found the trash can with the screws in the rim much easier than the muck bucket. not sure why. perhaps because the net is held in place so i don’t have to keep adjusting it. perhaps because it is taller, so i don’t have to bed over.
[QUOTE=aliceo;8634920]
for some reason i found the trash can with the screws in the rim much easier than the muck bucket. not sure why. perhaps because the net is held in place so i don’t have to keep adjusting it. perhaps because it is taller, so i don’t have to bed over.[/QUOTE]
I found when using a larger size net that sometimes using the hook open technique that only opens the top of the net does not make it any easier to get hay down to the bottom of the net than not using anything at all.
I use a bunch of those larger size greedy feeder (really tiny hole) hay nets. With the muck bucket I can slide them over until the bottom of the net is right there, then I drop the hay in and pull the net up and all is well.
Clearly, as this conversation proves, your mileage may vary and everyone should experiment to figure out what works best for them.
I made a cube stand out of 2 x 4’s with screws on top ridge for the feed room. It is up higher to help my back, and I can open the net all the way and then pull it off the nails and tie and lift.
I think the Porta Grazer is a good feeder, however for us to do one in every stall, it’d cost over $5,100. For about 1/4th of that, I can make a slow feeder for every stall as well as additional feeders for all of our paddocks outside. They may not be as “pretty”, but they’ll perform nearly as well. With 20 stalls and multiple horses & paddocks, I’ve got other places to use that money.
Initial investment was the primary reason for us to take so long to jump on the “slow feed” band wagon. Hence the need to come up with something much less expensive, yet functional. We started with the metal grates, but once I found a good, affordable source for nets, we switched everything over to nets. Once we had the outside slow feeders going, I started working on the stall feeders.
Sorry, but I have a difficult time investing $250-$350 into a feeder that holds less than a bale of hay.
JMO
Brian, I don’t blame you. The Porta-Grazers are nice, but pricey. I certainly couldn’t sink $5000.00 dollars into hay feeders either. I only needed 2, and that still made me cringe a little bit.
[QUOTE=Brian;8635147]
I think the Porta Grazer is a good feeder, however for us to do one in every stall, it’d cost over $5,100. For about 1/4th of that, I can make a slow feeder for every stall as well as additional feeders for all of our paddocks outside. They may not be as “pretty”, but they’ll perform nearly as well. With 20 stalls and multiple horses & paddocks, I’ve got other places to use that money.
Initial investment was the primary reason for us to take so long to jump on the “slow feed” band wagon. Hence the need to come up with something much less expensive, yet functional. We started with the metal grates, but once I found a good, affordable source for nets, we switched everything over to nets. Once we had the outside slow feeders going, I started working on the stall feeders.
Sorry, but I have a difficult time investing $250-$350 into a feeder that holds less than a bale of hay.
JMO[/QUOTE]
For stalled horses that get fed three and four times a day and if you only have a few horses - it’s doable - but I get if you have more horses.
I have seen these ideas for home-made slow feeders and thought they were pretty neat.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/464926361507463588/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323696291937790192/
http://carrieeastman.blogspot.com/2013/01/diy-hay-mineral-feeders-for-goats.html
[QUOTE=doublesstable;8636050]
For stalled horses that get fed three and four times a day and if you only have a few horses - it’s doable - but I get if you have more horses.
I have seen these ideas for home-made slow feeders and thought they were pretty neat.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/464926361507463588/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323696291937790192/
http://carrieeastman.blogspot.com/2013/01/diy-hay-mineral-feeders-for-goats.html[/QUOTE]
The feeders shown in the FB video I posted, only get filled morning & evening. They hold more than enough hay so a stalled horse has access ad lib. We don’t have to “meal” feed 3 or 4 times a day.
My wife & I were discussing this topic last night. She brought up a question regarding the “pan” in the Porta Grazer the horse eats through. Once the pan drops low enough in the feeder for the horse’s eyes to be below the top of the feeder, how does the horse keep from getting dust or small particles in it’s eyes as it breaths while eating? I know there are holes for the dust or chaff to fall through to the bottom, but there is also a lot of surface area that is solid for dust to settle.
When you consider a resting horse will inhale and exhale about 16 gallons of air per minute and the size of the Porta Grazer, I thought she brought up a good question.
If I had one, I think while it was dark, I would take a flash light and shine it in the feeder while the horse was eating from the feeder to see if there were any airborne particles for my horse to inhale.
Just wondering…
[QUOTE=Brian;8636199]
T
My wife & I were discussing this topic last night. She brought up a question regarding the “pan” in the Porta Grazer the horse eats through. Once the pan drops low enough in the feeder for the horse’s eyes to be below the top of the feeder, how does the horse keep from getting dust or small particles in it’s eyes as it breaths while eating? I know there are holes for the dust or chaff to fall through to the bottom, but there is also a lot of surface area that is solid for dust to settle. [/QUOTE]
That IS a good question. I’ve noticed a few things after 18 months of use of 2 Porta Grazers – I have an XL with the biggest holes in the pan, and a Mini with the smallest holes. I got the big one for the Standardbred, and the Mini for the minis.
All 3 horses prefer the Mini feeder. I think it’s because they can see around them the entire time, and, they seem to enjoy the smaller holes, too. They can get more hay out of the XL with the big holes, and they make a racket banging the pan inside the feeder, and the feeder against the barn wall or fence. I don’t secure them, and they play soccer with the big one, in particular. The minis enjoy knocking it over and eating from it sideways. The horse likes to walk it around in a circle – I think he just likes the noise. They use it more for fun than for eating – it’s always the last to empty. They take turns with it, so it’s interactive, too.
They do collect all the dust & chaff and I’ve worried about that, but it seems to fall through nicely to the bottom where it collects. For my latest addition, who has heaves, it is a great hay soaker – I fill it with hay, fill it with water, then drain with the plug.
My herd-ette is rough on them, so I appreciate their ruggedness. They also ‘taught’ my big diva horse to use a slow feeder – he’d wigged out at the first few hay nets he faced. After using the Porta Grazer for awhile he started eating out of the mini’s 1" hay net and now prefers his 2" Nibble Net for most hay-eating. So, for special cases, they’re good :lol: But yes, pricey, and no, I’d never invest in them for a herd!
[QUOTE=Frog Pond;8636311]
That IS a good question. I’ve noticed a few things after 18 months of use of 2 Porta Grazers – I have an XL with the biggest holes in the pan, and a Mini with the smallest holes. I got the big one for the Standardbred, and the Mini for the minis.
All 3 horses prefer the Mini feeder. I think it’s because they can see around them the entire time, and, they seem to enjoy the smaller holes, too. They can get more hay out of the XL with the big holes, and they make a racket banging the pan inside the feeder, and the feeder against the barn wall or fence. I don’t secure them, and they play soccer with the big one, in particular. The minis enjoy knocking it over and eating from it sideways. The horse likes to walk it around in a circle – I think he just likes the noise. They use it more for fun than for eating – it’s always the last to empty. They take turns with it, so it’s interactive, too.
They do collect all the dust & chaff and I’ve worried about that, but it seems to fall through nicely to the bottom where it collects. For my latest addition, who has heaves, it is a great hay soaker – I fill it with hay, fill it with water, then drain with the plug.
My herd-ette is rough on them, so I appreciate their ruggedness. They also ‘taught’ my big diva horse to use a slow feeder – he’d wigged out at the first few hay nets he faced. After using the Porta Grazer for awhile he started eating out of the mini’s 1" hay net and now prefers his 2" Nibble Net for most hay-eating. So, for special cases, they’re good :lol: But yes, pricey, and no, I’d never invest in them for a herd![/QUOTE]
Being able to “see around” is another thing she’d mentioned. For the price of one Porta Grazer, I can build 3 of these. And I did just that for our outside horses.
https://www.facebook.com/brian.lamb3/videos/10206211156580989/
This feeder holds 3 small squares or 7-8 3x3 flakes. We had 8 horses on three of these boxes and had virtually “0” wasted hay.
Here’s another one I made using an old stock water tank that was cracked…
https://www.facebook.com/diynets/videos/1558799967765799/
Total cost…<$65 plus a cracked poly stock water tank that was basically junk.
With all of the mud problems we had last winter & earlier this spring, I can’t help but wonder what the Porta Grazer would have looked like after being pushed around in the mud, let alone having to refill several times a day.
JMO
[QUOTE=Brian;8636366]
Being able to “see around” is another thing she’d mentioned. For the price of one Porta Grazer, I can build 3 of these. And I did just that for our outside horses.
https://www.facebook.com/brian.lamb3/videos/10206211156580989/
This feeder holds 3 small squares or 7-8 3x3 flakes. We had 8 horses on three of these boxes and had virtually “0” wasted hay.
Here’s another one I made using an old stock water tank that was cracked…
https://www.facebook.com/diynets/videos/1558799967765799/
Total cost…<$65 plus a cracked poly stock water tank that was basically junk.
With all of the mud problems we had last winter & earlier this spring, I can’t help but wonder what the Porta Grazer would have looked like after being pushed around in the mud, let alone having to refill several times a day.
JMO[/QUOTE]
Those feeders look like they’d be a ton better then the porta Grazer. At least horses don’t have head stuck inside of a feeder breathing in hay dust.
Sorry i wouldn’t spend 350$ for a plastic feeder when you can make one way cheaper. Can find better ways to spend that money. My horses would destory that porta Grazer within a month.
I wouldn’t do Porta-Grazers in large numbers either, but thankfully I don’t have that many horses. They work great for me, dust ends up under the pan, and I keep mine secured in the matted overhang area so I don’t have to deal with them rolling around in mud. Anyone that questions the durability hasn’t seen one in person. In a battle of destructive horse vs. PG, my money would be on the PG.
I used to just fill a small hole hay net, replace the strings with a carabiner clip, then toss it out in the pasture for them to push around and eat from.
However, my gelding is an old man, and hates…everything, so he was getting frustrated by the holes and not eating enough from them. My little gelding did great.
I have a 55 gallon drum mounted to a tree, with a small hole hay net hanging from it. All I have to do is put the hay in the drum, push it down a little into the net, and the horses have plenty for 12 hours at a time. For some reason, this works better for the old man, and he stays happy with this kind of feeding plan. Waste is minimal.
[QUOTE=doublesstable;8634007]
I have my horse in a 12 x 12 box and use the XL Porta Grazer. Here is a pic so you can see the size.
https://www.facebook.com/shel.sanderson.9/posts/1129216820456733[/QUOTE]
Adorable horse! <3
I am still looking for a good solution for my mare, who is picky and will waste not-to-her-liking-hay both in her stall and outside. I want her to eat with her head down, so hanging hay bags / hay nets hey racks are not an option.
Right now I set up her night hay (4 flakes) in a tub. Tub is heavy and she can’t tip it over, but does push it around in her stall. Still, if she doesn’t like the hay, she will nose it out and spread some of it all over her stall. I know using a hay net IN the tub would work better, but barn workers (myself included) hate to fill hay nets…
For the paddock, I tried a tub…but she manages to get all the hay out of it. I would love to try the trashcan with holes at the bottom, but there is no tree or sturdy post that I could bolt it to.
I have seen pictures of hay “boxes” made out of metal “grid” with a nice smooth round rim. These I think would work great, she’d have her head down, could see, and can’t get a hoof / shoe caught in it because the grid is small…but I don’t know where to find them or what they are called!
Don’t use a metal grid. It can break their teeth. Use hockey netting instead.
[QUOTE=sassy45;8636417]
Those feeders look like they’d be a ton better then the porta Grazer. At least horses don’t have head stuck inside of a feeder breathing in hay dust.
Sorry i wouldn’t spend 350$ for a plastic feeder when you can make one way cheaper. Can find better ways to spend that money. My horses would destory that porta Grazer within a month.[/QUOTE]
Our Haflinger has a knack for destroying any sort of netting material we have tried. I think she grinds her teeth back and forth in a sawing motion till it is shredded. The Porta-grazer is awesome for her because as hard as she tries, she cannot destroy it. She tosses it, paws at it, kicks at it, and even climbs on top of it - it does not show any signs of wear. I think she gets more frustrated with it than the others because her lips are the fattest so she has the hardest time pulling out the strands of hay. My hard-keeper thoroughbred gelding eats very well out of it.
As for dust, if your hay is dusty it is very handy that you can wet it inside the tub. I have not noticed any symptoms such as coughing nor watery or irritated eyes with mine, but our hay does not tend to be dusty anyway.
[QUOTE=aliceo;8638516]
Don’t use a metal grid. It can break their teeth. Use hockey netting instead.[/QUOTE]
I think this is almost like saying, “Pellets make your horses choke”. I think it depends on your horse. Before I started building slow feeders, I spoke to or emailed three other barns that had used the grates for as long as 5 yrs. All of them said they had no issues. I’m not saying they are or are not safe to use, IMO, it depends on how aggressive your horse eats it’s hay.
We switched to nets, not necessarily because of potential incisor problems, but truthfully, I couldn’t come up with a way to keep the grates in place once the horses figured out how to get them out of place. The nets just happen to work better for the type of feeder I make.
After watching our horses eat from both types of slow feeders, I think we do have some horses that could have issues if left on the metal grates long enough and others that would have no problems.
All that being said, IMO, some horses just seem to find a way to “self destruct” regardless of type of feeder as well.
[QUOTE=Brian;8636366]
Being able to “see around” is another thing she’d mentioned. For the price of one Porta Grazer, I can build 3 of these. And I did just that for our outside horses.
https://www.facebook.com/brian.lamb3/videos/10206211156580989/
This feeder holds 3 small squares or 7-8 3x3 flakes. We had 8 horses on three of these boxes and had virtually “0” wasted hay.
Here’s another one I made using an old stock water tank that was cracked…
https://www.facebook.com/diynets/videos/1558799967765799/
Total cost…<$65 plus a cracked poly stock water tank that was basically junk.
With all of the mud problems we had last winter & earlier this spring, I can’t help but wonder what the Porta Grazer would have looked like after being pushed around in the mud, let alone having to refill several times a day.
JMO[/QUOTE]
I have a few of those water tank tubs and that would be great for horses with big stalls or multiple horses.
I have my horses in a box and that would take up too much real estate.
The Porta Grazer I don’t find dust being a problem. And he’s a big horse so his head barely goes in there. You can wet or soak hay too.
It’s the best option for my situation. This horse will chew holes in those nets.
I had a horse chew a hay net and vet tubed him and a wad of hay net came out.
It really depends on your horse and your situation.
[QUOTE=mfglickman;8636750]
Adorable horse! <3[/QUOTE]
Awww thank you!!! 
My dad and I made one for my horse that turned out pretty well. It was a wooden box with a puck board for the top. The puck board was free so it was easy to fill and moved when there was less hay in the box. We put a lip on the top to stop him from removing the slow part of the slow feeder 
The only problem (and that was a pretty big one) was that my horse is a dunker and the leftover hay would gather up at the bottom and get soaking wet, leaving the perfect situation for mold :eek: If I were to do it again I would either drill holes in the bottom of the wood or use a material that would be easier to clean.
(He is no longer using this model as his living situation has changed. No more stall rest and we got his weight under control)
Photos:
One of my barn buddies had a porta-grazer and it was awesome, but pricey.
