I used one similar to this but a few inches wider and deeper from Haychix. Easier to load with a larger opening - didn’t 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 I’ve tried.
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Thanks good to know.
It’‘s 17’ long x 12 " wide with 2’ holes. Don’t 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.
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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 wouldn’t 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. It’s super convenient and also cost effective to replace. I don’t 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 didn’t 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.
I’m 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. I’ve 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 1” 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 that’s 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.
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A half dozen…pssshhhhh thats minor leagues 
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Thats a good idea about the IKEA bags! We’ve got some travel coming up that I may try that out if I don’t have enough bags to hold him through.
With that said…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 don’t have enough of those to prep more than 2 days but that’s ok.
Bumping this thread to ask a question -
Grundy eats her hay pretty fast, and she’s already in a 1" net. I tried double bagging, but then it’s too hard and she gives up with a decent amount of hay left.
The hay nets aren’t hung, they’re clipped into a trough-type ground feeder for better posture. Is that causing the issue with the double bagging, perhaps?
Anyone else have tips on how to slow her down a little more? They get fed at 4am/4pm, and she’s all empty by 2am/2pm.
Ive found double bagging the 1" nets together is too limiting in general be it hanging, or on loose on the ground. I wouldn’t think the way you have them clipped is making it any harder.
I do a 1 3/4" hay chic inside a 3/4" slow feed Gutzbusta net and that works splendidly. 7 lbs or about 2 measly flakes will last him between 3-4 hours with that combo.
I also did a 1 3/4" hay chix out in his drylot with him in a Flexible Filly muzzle and that slowed him down but he would still get through most of his bag. That was before I got the haychix/gutzbustas combo. I like that better.
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Sorry, I should have been more clear.
I had put a 1-3/4" net inside of the 1" net, based on what you had written here. I also tried it in reverse, with the larger net on the outside. She gets too frustrated and gives up, with about 1/2 a flake left - ultimately she was “without hay” for the same amount of time due to the frustration, so I went back to just the 1" net.
I’d like to stay away from muzzles, as hay time will soon be her only non-muzzled time - they will be introduced to the pastures here in a few weeks, and both her and the Old Man will be muzzled.
I ordered some of the 3/4" gutzbusta nets, to see if that slows her down just a little tiny bit more.
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Ahhhh got it!
What about the 1" or 3/4" net inside something like a Helix or a Portagrazer? I sold my PG, but am thinking of getting another, or something similar for turnout for him to keep him busy and have something to bang around.
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Good idea, I could try that. Now that you mention it, I actually have a cargo net that I can clip inside that feeder that might provide just enough of an obstruction that it would buy a bit more time without becoming too frustrating. It would also prevent her from flipping and slamming the net around to get an advantage on it lol.
Thank you for the brainstorming!
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You bet!
Just an aside - GreenGuard also makes Hay Play bags/pillows that have the larger holes. I have played around with those with the small hole net inside and outside of the bag, but the first gen bags really didn’t hold up well, and of course are quite pricey.
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I’ve thought about that, but I really don’t want them eating off the ground in the dry lot. As I’ve mentioned in my barn building thread, that material never set up well and is loose like sand. They would ingest a boatload of it if I fed them loose.
I was considering making some sort of gantry to be able to hang a net where she couldn’t pin it against anything, though. I could put mats under it so the hay wouldn’t ever be directly on the ground.
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If she’s walking away because it’s too tough to get the last bits out of the almost empty net, maybe splitting the day’s hay into smaller nets is worth a shot. Make it a little less “fishing for a small fish in a large pond” type thing. Maybe tying a big net through the middle, making two compartments, could accomplish the same?
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I’m not totally understanding what you’re saying - more than 2 feedings? I can’t really do that on the weekdays, with my work schedule. She’s already fed more than what she “should” be getting by weight (2.5%+), but it’s tempered with mediocre quality hay.
I’m definitely not understanding the second part.
Edit: Also the net is not really almost empty - it’s got at least half of a large flake in it (edit for clarity - flake is off of a small square, but these suckers are BIG flakes). I tried sitting around and helping her for a few days to keep her motivation up (she thought that was grand fun), but without me there, she gives up and she’s not a giver-upper.
