Morning everyone,
Do any of you use or have used hay hoops instead of hay nets, If so pros and cons?
Thanks in Advance!
Can you post a link to what youāre referring to? I have used hay hoops, but the kind I had still involved a hay net.
1 Like
This one is through Valley vet. Item #40802.
1 Like
I used one similar to this but a few inches wider and deeper from Haychix. Easier to load with a larger opening - didnāt have to mash the flakes to fit. I also now have a corner hay hoop from Schneiders. I like this one the best of the 2 Iāve tried.
Thanks good to know.
Itāās 17ā long x 12 " wide with 2ā holes. Donāt know if this would last over night.
This totally depends on how much hay you shove in there and more importantly, the desire of the horse to eat it all as fast as possible.
The nice thing about this type of product is that if you find that actual hay bag is not working, you can likely remove the hay bag it came with and put one with smaller holes on the frame.
I have the one from Haychix that I used at a previous, non haynet barn. Feedback from staff was it was easy enough to load.
They are fine, but I personally prefer the hay bag in a muck tub method for loading. I also prep and weigh haybags since I have a very easy keeper which wouldnāt be possible with the hoop.
Speaking of, that reminds me I need to post mine to try and sell 
I love these:
https://www.statelinetack.com/item/tough1-fence-slow-feeder-net/E029336/
I mount three tie rings (O-ring type) on the wall - the two outer ones stay hooked, then I just unhook the center one to load it. Itās super convenient and also cost effective to replace. I donāt like the metal ring ones as much because they often hang pretty low.
A few years ago I got my sister this type of hay hoop for Christmas. She didnāt get around to putting it up until some time later when she was going to be away at suppertime and her husband would be feeding. Once up, she told me she wondered why she had taken so long! She did like the ease of filling.
But, her gelding showed up one day last fall with a rip on his hip. (It was similar to but much, much smaller than one documented on this board last summer.) Its cause was initially a mystery, but eventually (like months later) she figured out that he must have been rubbing his butt or leaning on the wall of the run-in shed and some part of the hay hoop hooked him.
Iām not saying not to use them, as she still does, but I thought I would mention it. And maybe keep in mind the possibility when choosing the mounting height.
I have this product. Iāve stopped using them. The biggest complaint is that they have to be very precisely placed and very level or they are a nightmare to close. It must be closed with the latch or it will slide up and down if your horse is aggressive in getting the hay out of the net. I also found that if the net was very full, it kind of stuck out off the wall instead of just hanging.
I would recommend trying to find a similar product that has a more forgiving closure.
We saw the closure off and use a snap to keep them closed.
I have them in my stalls and love them.
I have one and I like how easy it is to fill. The first thing I did was remove the net it came with and replaced it with a nice knotless net with 1ā holes. I think my net is also a bit larger than the one it came with. I can easily fit 8lb in mine with room to spare. Yes it will stick out a bit when full, but thatās to be expected.
I just weigh mine in a large Ikea bag and then dump it into the hoop. I have several bags and will also weigh and prep ahead of time. The ikea bags are easy to fill and cheap, much cheaper to have a half dozen ikea bags than a half dozen high quality knotless nets.
1 Like
A half dozenā¦pssshhhhh thats minor leagues 
.
Thats a good idea about the IKEA bags! Weāve got some travel coming up that I may try that out if I donāt have enough bags to hold him through.
With that saidā¦I have a barns worth of good hay bags at this point 
Enough hay chix bags to prep his for a week. With the very real possibility of getting snowed in for a few days over the winter, and my chronic health issues, I go overkill on making sure he is SET just in case.
I added to my collection after discovering double bagging a regular 1 3/4" Haychix inside a Gutzbusters 3/4" net really extends his chew time significantly. I donāt have enough of those to prep more than 2 days but thatās ok.
