Hay bags and porta grazers again

[anon68314200]

My precocious Dutch Harness Doofus has just about finished off his very sturdy Smart Pak Slow feed hay bag in less than 6 months.

This time round, I was looking at a Porta Grazer and the hay pillows. I am concerned he will paw the hay pillow, or Schneider’s robust looking equivalent, to death pretty easily. But I also can imagine him tossing the Porta Grazer around for entertainment.

There are two porta grazers in my barn, and I like them a lot. But for that price point, my regret would be profound if it 1) Died quickly 2) caused a disturbance being bounced around the stall. I would have to ask the farm owner if I could secure it to a wall with hardware. A hay string tether is NOT going to cut it.

Han anyone secured their porta grazer by actually bolting it to the wall ?

[Amy3996]

I have a PortaGrazer that’s going on 5 years old. That sucker is sturdy. It’s quite heavy when full so it’s not easily jostled around, especially when it’s anchored to something. We use a bucket strap through the handle of his Corner feeder and attach it to an eye bolt. There’s only about 4-6” of rope between the handle and the bolt, so it’s not moving around much.

I’ve also lengthened that strap a bit to loop around the bar of a stall front in places where adding hardware isn’t possible.

[erinmeri]

Our barn has struck out with Porta Grazers, sadly. The horses that need slow feed, either for dietary reasons or for soaked or steamed hay use the Smartpak small net bags. I have four from Smartpak and rotate them. It’s been over a year and none have needed replacing.

Separately, I also worry about tooth wear with the Porta Grazers.

[MiddleAgeHorses]

Hay pillows are a no go for my horses. For some reason they just won’t eat from them. One gelding does paw it and toss it around. I have just been hanging nets a little lower since they’re both barefoot.

[Amy3996]

@erinmeri

Separately, I also worry about tooth wear with the Porta Grazers.

N=2 on this, so small sample size, but the PortaGrazer has had no negative impact on dental health for my guys. I have the largest size openings (4”) on the pans in mine, so maybe the smaller ones present more of a risk. With the large openings, my horses are pushing the pan with their nose and then lipping up the hay, not prying or yanking with teeth the way they might from a net.

[erinmeri]

@Amy3996

N=2 on this, so small sample size, but the PortaGrazer has had no negative impact on dental health for my guys. I have the largest size openings (4”) on the pans in mine, so maybe the smaller ones present more of a risk. With the large openings, my horses are pushing the pan with their nose and then lipping up the hay, not prying or yanking with teeth the way they might from a net.

Our barn has struck out, but others love them. I certainly don’t have an opinion either way. I honestly wish they worked for us.

[ERNurseonaHorse]

I bought my fat pony a porta-grazer! He flung it all around his stall and made a mess. I anchored it in to the concrete wall and he eventually ripped it off the wall! Small hole hay nets have fared batter, but he does rip holes in them every so often.

[ladipus]

@anon68314200 I have 3 porta grazers that I got last summer because I had to start soaking hay …I use them primarily just for soaking because my Hoover horses eat the hay to quickly in the porta grazers because the holes in the pan are a lot larger than my hay chix small hole slow feed nets …they are wonderful though …very sturdy …the horses took to eating from them fairly quickly…I have one horse who occasionally knocks it over but it’s really not an issue at all …for mine though it doesn’t slow them down enough.

I have hay pillows for my minis and pony -they work well for them…but as for the horses Hay Chix nets are my favorite

[lorilu]

I saw this product at a recent Equine Expo at WEC Ocala. Right now they have pasture feeders - REALLY sturdy plastic, and the attached netting is substantial. They are pre-ordering a stall version that holds 25#. Its in the brochure but not the website. I’ll get a pic of it. https://hayoptimizer.net/our-product/

[Gardenhorse]

I have the helix feeder. Similar idea to the PortaGrazer, but soft sides, and it collapses when they eat the hay. My mare isn’t super rough with it, but she does throw it around the stall a bit, and it’s been pretty sturdy so far. I’ve had it for around 3 years now.

HelixFeeder Collapsible Slow Feeder for Horses - Free Shipping to Canada and...

[lorilu]

I have seen the field version at the local Seminole store. Very sturdy

[quote=“lorilu, post:11, topic:783916, full:true”]

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[CHT]

Do you notice any extra tooth wear? Have you used it in cold/snow?

[NaturallyHappy]

I have a DHH in my barn. He can get a front foot in a port-o-grazer, I kid you not. He can get a front foot any place it does not belong. Fortunately, he doesn’t panic. What worked for us (he is IR) is the Tough 1 hay hoop Big Dee’s and Schneider’ sells. It’s mounted about 4 feet off the ground. If the hay net is too long, I roll it up like a standing wrap and zip tie it. I don’t know why it works so well, but it does.

[SadieRidingHorses]

I got my mare a portagrazer earlier this year when she had to go on stall rest. I had considered it earlier (I don’t love hay nets) but the stall rest convinced me to bit the bullet.

After some embarrassing/ridiculous trial and error (I put the lid in upside down, experimenting with anchoring it to the wall in different ways), she got the hang of it and now seems to love it. Her hay lasts longer and she seems calm and relaxed while eating out of it - very different from watching her try to rip her haynet off the wall. So in my experience, a good purchase.

[Gardenhorse]

@CHT

Do you notice any extra tooth wear? Have you used it in cold/snow?

I have not noticed any extra tooth wear. I only use it in her stall, so don’t know how it would do outdoors/in snow.

[Feathered_Feet]

Portagrazers are notoriously tough and durable. A friend of mine has had them for her stalled and pastured horses (minimal pasture so supplemented with hay) for years, and loves them for extending hay access.

I’ve had the best success with the large corner feeder style, with an eye hook in the corner and a short tie from the handle to the eye hook to keep it upright. I think it’s a fantastic way to extend hay overnight with the head in a natural position. You avoid the neck twisting associated with hay nets, no evidence of wear and tear on teeth. (for what it’s worth, my horses are shod so hay pillows and their ilk are out of the question.)

The only downside is that the company is apparently a pain to deal with if there’s a dispute, but I had no issues

[lenapesadie]

I have the largest Porta Grazer. It’s been in use I guess about 5 years now. Very sturdy. I tether mine to the stall wall usually. If it’s not tethered, my horse kicks it around like a soccer ball lol. It’s held up fabulously.

No wear on my horse’s teeth. It does slow my horse down eating hay but I can see if a person needs 4 lbs of hay to last 12 hrs it wouldn’t be enough of a slow down. The Porta Grazer was a legit game changer when I boarded! Staff had no issues filling it and I got many comments on how nice it is. I keep my horses at home now and regularly consider getting a second one. My second horse is a hard keeping older boy though so he doesn’t really need any slowing down.

My vet spent some time examining my Porta Grazer when she was here last time and thought it was pretty slick!

[Knubbsy]

I got a Savvy Feeder for my mare for shows and ended up using it for her stall rest this winter/spring. When empty, she will pick it up and drop it, but otherwise is a happy camper. She WILL drag it around though, for some reason she really wants it in the middle of the stall but will clear the middle of the mat of shavings. There’s a little bit of a learning curve in not packing it tight in the corners but otherwise, it works well. No teeth wear, just whisker wear.

[George_T_Mule]

We have had the SavvyFeeders in service for most of a year now. They do get extensively relocated during use, but the critters seem quite happy with them, and we have found a happy spot where there is generally a little hay remaining in the feeder when I go to refill them, morning and evening. So more or less a Free-feed situation. The goal was to always have some hay available if anyone wanted a midnight nibble. It’s working. Waste from these is minimal, and they are durable. About my only negative comment would be that their estimated hay capacity is overly optimistic. We feed mostly Timothy, and I “fluff” the flakes as I go while loading. I would say 10lb is about it when filled this way. More than that, and the hay is compacted to where the critters have a hard time pulling a satisfying mouthful out, and they complain about it. (Flip the full feeder upside down and glare at me: “WTF, Human ?!?”)
I always weigh their servings (I have an old commercial platform scale in the barn), and typically serve out ~8lb/feeder, 2X/day. They get an aditional ~2lb overnight in a “HayPlay” toy, plus about a pound of pelleted feed (50/50 Sweet-feed + Ration Balancer at the moment) with their meds and supplements mixed in for breakfast.
Plus assorted treats; carrots, apples, horse cookies, peppermints, sliced bread . . . not not in significant quantities, but very popular. “Spoiled Equines R Us”.

[Tee]

I’ve had my Portagrazers now for two years (I think). I lOVE them. My oldest gelding hated it at first and was very resentful, but now he loves it, as do the other two. The now 3 year old does like to stick a foot in it (why, I have no idea), but doesn’t panic and is now big enough to get it back out. I used to leave it unsecured for him so that he could knock it over and get his leg back out. BUT, someone decided that using it as a toy was more fun, so his is secured now. I shared this video on the other thread, but this is how I finally figured out how it was getting squashed.

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