Hay nets, disadvantages?

[zbgirl]

The new barn we’ve moved to usually places 2-3 flakes in their hay nets so horses always have something to nibble on. My horse (TB gelding), who is a slow eater and always has some hay left about for a snack, has also had 9 occurrences of corneal eye ulcers in the 5 years I’ve owned him. His hay had usually been fed on the floor of his stall. Since he’s a pig and will poop near and over his hay, I told the BM I’d be okay with him having his hay in one of those hay nets with the big single hole.

My thinking was to avoid eye irritation (so his face isn’t too close to the net and he can get the hay out more easily?) and maybe keep his stall from looking like hell with manure and hay everywhere. So the BM set up a net with one big hole, and I see my horse attempting to locate the softer hay that he prefers, eats some, but gives up and stands outside, leaving most of a flake in the net.

On grooming him today I notice his neck is tight and sore. I massaged it out, and pulled hay from the net…where he immediately began eating it. I’m embarrassed to have such a prissy princess of a horse, but it looks like I’ll need some options that don’t frustrate him. A friend of mine tried to use a slow feed net for her horse as he had ulcers. She has to stop because all the pulling made his neck and shoulders very sore.

Anyone use tubs, or different kinds of nets? I’ve seen those tall tubs with the special holes for fast eaters, but think if I slow him down too much, he’ll just be eating less, and I want his weight up a bit for the winter.

[stb]

Check out Porta-Grazers.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

A hay pillow might do the trick.
https://www.thehaypillow.com/

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

I’ve never had eye issues or any difficulties with the shires 2 inch bags. For one horse I used to add twine and snaps to the bottom so I could hang it sideways, flatter against their wall and eliminate the swinging. I went to a twine gage that my old mare could break if the got her foot between the net and th wall because she pawed on occasion.
They actually make one that hangs that way but it was way cheaper just to modify the regular bag and I knew she wouldn’t get hung in my design.

Dexter actually enjoys nose boxing his. We call it his wrecking ball. Lol. The holes are too small to get a foot hung and I make sure the top is well cinched and hung above pawing height. The 50 inch bag is easy to do that with and Dex lies down and eats from it. It’s surprising how easy it is for them to get hay out of those little holes. I use them for round bales in the pasture as well. I haven’t had issues with anyone getting a stiff neck maybe because they can get to three sides and can eat from various heights on the bag.

I tried full square bale bags and things like the porta a pillow. All Leo did was pick his up and shake it like a rag doll and beat his buddies with them. Lol. ofc he does that with anything that’s not screwed down…

[tazycat]

I don’t use nets or any feeder that slows horse down. Mine will just quit eating, rather then have to play tug tug to get hay out. Try putting it in a empty water trough with no net.

I don’t use any thing to feed hay in it goes on the ground. If they waste so be it.

[beowulf]

it depends on the horse and the hay net. my experience with them has been largely positive; it’s a good way to keep them busy and when a horse is busy they tend not to hurt themselves or others. it’s great for horses on layup who don’t have too much mental stimulation.

that being said there are certain hay nets that horses just don’t love. if i were you i’d go with a regular cotton rope hay net, not the box haynets with a small “window” to graze - IME the latter can make a horse who is not grossly food-motivated very frustrated. i have not had a horse get a sore neck from the cotton rope hay-net, as it is very easy for them to pull out the hay and snack on it. the box hay nets with the small windows i have had my horse on layup get sore on it; it seemed good in practice but the holes were too small and he had to work harder to eat which i did not want as he was recovering from a pretty severe injury.

i am not a fan of feeding in tubs personally - it really depends on the horse but the smaller tubs mean the horse has to put their entire head in it and i’ve seen horse eyes/nose get irritated by the dustiness of the tub, since they have to put their whole muzzle down in the tub and breathe that all in, in a closed space. they also can spook because their field of vision is obstructed; if you have to feed on the ground i would just do a hay pillow or loose.

haynets are fantastic and definitely have their place - it’s just about finding the right fit for your horse.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I use the slow feeder saver Jr. model for mine, it works great and is a good size for a stall. I don’t use the grates that come with it - don’t need to slow mine down. I just use it to prevent him from slinging hay all over his stall. I’ve had it for a year? I think… and am glad I bought it.

[danacat]

@beowulf

… there are certain hay nets that horses just don’t love. if i were you i’d go with a regular cotton rope hay net, not the box haynets with a small “window” to graze. …t’s just about finding the right fit for your horse.

Ditto. I use the ‘many windowed’ ordinary hay nets too – hung fairly low in the stalls. No sore necks, no frustration.

[theresak]

I have a horse that’s had eye issues and has a hay net - I’ve had him wear a fly mask in his stall for protection from hay debris and I clip the back/bottom of the net to an o-ring on the wall so he can’t toss the net over his head or get his face behind the net.

[Hermein]

Second the flymask idea–for many situations where horse eyes are vulnerable–dust storms, trailering without screens on the window openings, high winds, etc.

My one large concern in using the nets is securing them in a way that prohibits getting their feet and legs from getting caught.

[melula]

If he would rather not eat than play the hay net game and you want him to eat, lose the hay net and feed him on the ground. Any slow feeder option will prevent him from picking through the hay like he seems to want to do. You could feed him on the ground in a muck bucket to try and keep the hay contained.

[Tiffani_B]

I won’t use hay nets anymore after I had a horse get a very sore neck. We actually thought he was developing arthritis and I took him in for xrays! Switched to a Porta Grazer and it went away almost immediately. I hate hay nets.

[2tempe]

A fellow boarder at our barn has a horse who has eye issues, and has had surgery on them. He wears fly mask 24/7. This might be worth considering, as noted above. Have a few so you can wash regularly. Regarding hay nets, I’ve used nibble nets, 2" squares and had no trouble with sore neck, but that’s a survey of one, lol.

[2miniB]

My horses all have had neck/shoulder issues when I used hanging hay nets and nibble nets. I made wooden boxes, with clips to anchor the bags in place. These work great. Mess is minimal, and I only have to put out hay once a day. I have 4 total and can put out a total of about 2-2.5% of their body weight in hay once a day, and it lasts 24 hours.

Fellow COTHers recommended Nag Bags. The 1.5" openings work well for my horses, even the greedy minis.

[candyappy]

If the height of the net makes it painful for him to eat , than I would look at a feeder that allows him to eat easily but keeps him from being able to pull it all out and waste it( if there is such a thing).

I don’t blame him. I hated filling nets and then hanging them. Thankfully, I can feed mine on the ground and they eat it all.

[horsepoor]

No matter how I hung hay nets for mine (whether high or low), they always looked terribly uncomfortable in the neck as they ate and that made me stop using them. I only used hay nets for the easy keeper that I was trying to slow down their consumption – the rare horse of mine that actually needed to gain weight was fed on the ground or in a corner manger and with small, frequent meals. For my easy keeper herd now, I am using Porta-Grazers and very happy with those.

[mfglickman]

I’d love to do a haynet for my OTTB gelding in his stall but am afraid he will hook it on a shoe, even hung high, as the condition of his stall in the AM shows he can be quite active at night…

[Cat_Tap]

I use the the nibble nets. Wouldn’t be without them. No one seems to have a neck problem. My horses are all too fat so the nets slow down the eating time and no hay is wasted by being dragged around the stall. I hang them fairly low so it is similar to eating off the ground. The holes are too small for any foot to get caught in them.

[Mukluk]

I have bale nets and put a netted bale in a large trough. I secure the bale to the trough with baling twine. No sore necks and it makes housekeeping much easier for me (they always have food).

[zbgirl]

Well, thanks for all the great replies. As it stands now I’m back to the BM feeding on the ground, and as I am with him daily at the barn, I “re organize” his hay as needed. His neck is back to soft and fairly supple (for an old guy). His gelding neighbour next door is getting serial conjuctivitis; I’m not certain if its hay net related as hay nets are a new thing for him, too.

My vet (former race track) has never been a fan of eye masks left on - he cites numerous times a horse will scratch an eye with them, creating a corneal ulcer. Indeed some horses, like my princess can’t leave their eye alone when it itches or some other minor irritation. When he’s had an eye ulcer I have to put the Eyesavr Mask on him. Would you believe I have one for each eye? It has saved him from delaying the healing, but that’s another story.