I have two geldings in a smallish paddock, with a run in shelter, and when we get the copious amounts of rain that we’ve gotten this past summer, it can turn into a mud pit. I try to keep it picked out, but once it gets muddy, feeding hay on the ground is a real pain, as they churn it into the mud, pee on it, and then I have to clean it out or else the mud gets worse. I do feed sometimes with haynets in the shelter, which works pretty well, but the mornings I have to work, it is too time consuming to fill nets. (I have ordered a couple more, so I can fill them the night before to hang up in the morning). I’ve tried a kiddie pool, which worked really well till they trashed the crap out of it (boys!!!) I feed from round bales that I fork out and just fill the wheelbarrow to dump in the paddock, which works great when it’s dry. Just looking for any other ideas that people may have!! Not gonna roll in whole round bales, too much waste even with nets, and these boys are not hurting weight wise. Just wanna keep them occupied, and not wasting hay.
Friends use old water tubs to feed where feeding on the ground is not a good option.
Could that work for you, even if you have to buy a smallish tub for that?
I use an old metal trough which works pretty well, although they can still pull hay out and waste it, the waste isn’t as bad as if fed off the ground.
i saw one online where they took a big blue plastic drum, cut off the bottom, then drilled holes around the sides and used zip ties to secure a slow feed haynet so it hung below the open bottom. They attached it to the fence so all they had to do was drop the hay in the top and the horses ate from the bottom.
totally brilliant!!
If you want to do whole round bales, net it, shove it onto something to elevate it off the dirt and cover it with a Hay Hut… yeah, they’re pricey new but I found mine used on Craig’s List. Netted and covered = 1% or less waste. Everyone’s happy, slowly munching.
We have a tombstone style round bale feeder. We put pallets in the bottom of it to keep the hay off the ground, and we have fashioned a cover for it to keep the hay try. The whole thing is movable, so each time we put a round bale in, we move the feeder so the ground doesn’t get too torn up.
I admire your willingness to pull hay off the round bale to feed; that’s a pain! I think netting the bale and using a hay hut or other sort of hay feeder might be a big improvement on your routine and eliminate some hay wastage.
For round bales we were placing the pallet under the round bale and then we build a basic corral with no top. It was about 3 foot high. We selected the height based on the top rail in the low/to mid chest height. I don’t remember the exact height since we built the original ones about 3 years ago. I am no longer at that farm to measure them.
The corners were 4x4 with a top and middle rail of 2x4 glued and lag bolted to the 4x4. We had a short piece of 2x4 in the middle of the 2x4 just connecting the 2x4 but not going to the ground. It was sized to barely fit around the round bale. We would just lift it over the round bale once it was in place on the pallet. It kept them from trampling the hay, sleeping in the hay, peeing/pooping on the hay. They wasted only a little bit. The corral was easy for two people to move but if I could move it by myself if I had to. It was just awkward more than heavy. It was cheap and easy to make. It is easy to move.
I plan on making a few for the new place I board at for the fields my horses are in. They put out flakes from the big rectangular bales and there is quite a bit of waste since it gets muddy/peed on/pooped on. Would it be nice to have a hay hut or one with a roof? Sure but it isn’t in the budget especially since I don’t own the property.
Still loving the Tarter Equine Hay Basket we bought a few months ago, for feeding hay in the sacrifice paddock. But we’ve also used a large Rubbermaid water trough that had sprung a leak and was no longer suitable for its original purpose.
I just googled ‘blue barrel hay feeder’ and there are hundreds to look at. Here the barrels cost $5.00 at the co-op feed store. Just be sure they are food grade, never used for chemicals.
I think you need to address the run-off from your shed’s roof to fix the footing inside the shed. Gutters and a rain barrel or two should help.
Here is what we built – frame for a small-hole hay net so that it can be filled from outside the fence.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wsmoak…posted-public/
(If I tried feeding him from a tub, he would first take all the hay OUT of it and spread it around before eating some.)
-Wendy
Large used heavy equipment tires, with the top rim cut off them with a saw. They are free at your local tire store, ask the employees there for the right type, the type that you CAN cut the rim off (no metal in the sides). The BEST type of tire is called a “floatation” tire, which is a tire that allows heavy equipment to drive over soggy, swampy land. On it’s side as a feeder, it is about 3’ high, and 5’ wide, and horses CAN NOT toss the hay out onto the ground out of them. Leave the rim on the bottom part, it elevates the hay you put in it off the ground. Drill some holes in that lower side, so that if water gets into it, it can drain away. These tires are HEAVY, they stay where you put them, even with help from horses. There is no way a horse can damage itself with a rubber tire, nothing to get caught up in, no where that a leg can get stuck in it (like some commercially available metal hay feeders). My horses love them, and a few weeks ago, one gelding had his foot up on the side of one of them, to make an inspection of his own hoof. Very useful. The other nice thing about them is that they create a “safe zone” for a timid horse, who may get moved off the hay pile in other situations. Because the timid horse simply keeps himself on the far side of the feeder from his more aggressive paddock mate, uses the feeder itself as protection/shelter. Works well.
The tire store can load these large tires for you when you go to pick them up, with a fork lift. But it is best if you have a tractor at home to get them off your truck, and move them to where you need them to go. A tire store is happy for you to take these tires, they have to PAY to have them removed and taken to recycle. Check them for nails that may be the cause for their replacement, they are easy to pull out if you find one.
This is genius! Did you build this yourself? Do you think someone with very little know-how could rig one up? My boarding barn is very flexible about me having a net in my mare’s paddock - I buy extra bales for it - but they still feed her flakes on the ground at lunch etc. If people could just toss hay into the net like this it would be a huge win.
Sure, it wasn’t that hard to build… but if you don’t already have woodworking equipment and at least a little experience, you’re probably better off finding someone who does and showing them a picture. We have a Kreg jig and clamps which really helps get the corners all squared up, and it does have some angles involved with the roof part.
Of course the horse will not care if it’s a bit out of square, but it can be VERY FRUSTRATING when things don’t come together correctly and you waste wood having to re-cut it, so decide what you want to deal with!
-Wendy
I just tried one of these and am ordering more. We attached ours to the fence with bungee cords.
http://store.slowfeeder.com/ezfill-bag/
Thanks for all of the ideas! I guess the best solution for me right now is probably to continue with the haynets, when it is wet and mucky out.
I just did this! I have four of them set securely on the fenceline with lids so I just drop hay in from the top and go! I love it so far, but I have found that regular hay nets were too tight for my liking, so I purchased bulk netting and have secured it to the bottom of the barrels so that the hay falls in nicely and doesn’t get backed up or stuck in the barrel. I think I can get at least 6 flakes in each barrel.
I ran across this idea for feeding inside a run-in shed and wanted to drop it in this thread…
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/382172718371527370/
I’m not sure if the openings would be considered stanchions, but that’s what comes to mind. Also if you’ve seen the Maddens’ European-style barn for the retirees, that’s a similar idea. Large area for the horses, and they stick their heads through openings where hay is fed.
-Wendy
If you are hanging Hay nets in the run in I highly suggest investing in some Hay Hoops. They are not horribly expensive but work best when installed with a wall. Ive often wanted to try and figure out a way to attach them to the fence, but we have Wire fencing, so no boards. I suck at attaching pictures, but the design makes them super easy to use, and you can use whatever type of hay net you want super small nibble nets or something bigger. They hold up great. we have had them in our stalls for when the horses come in at night for at 3 years and have only had to replace the nets… but thats mainly because we have some very fat horses who get annoyed with the size of the holes and want to make it easier to get out hay. if that happens I just usually try to fix the holes but knotting some baling twine across the hole… but eventually i just replace the nets.
I would not feel comfortable with my horses eating thru the welded wire fencing.
Are your horses barefoot? If so I would get some netting like that is used for the round bale nets.
I am not sure how the pool would stay on there in the wind.
Thanks - I wasn’t so sure about it myself and will opt for the net instead.
Yes they are both barefoot.
Without the rigidity of the fencing, I am wondering about the pool staying put also. I can drill holes in the rolled over rim & had planned to use some 1" plastic rolled waterline (like what’s used for underground). I was going to make a circle of matching circumference using a coupler for the water line. Then I could place it inside the rolled rim and zip tie it to the top of the metal grid work (fence/cattle panel). Not sure now - but I have no other option for a roof right now.
