Ideas for slow feeder for soaked hay cubes???

[Stonemoore]

Hello. I have a mare with equine asthma, who gets soaked hay cubes only, no hay, as this has been the only way to keep her from wheezing.

The problem I’m having is she eats her hay cubes really quickly. I feed 4x per day, but she spends a total of maybe 3 hrs of 24 eating those four meals. Far from ideal for gut health and ulcer prevention. Does anyone have any tips for slow feeders for wet hay cubes??? Right now she eats from a large rubber tub on the ground, which she usually tips over onto the ground, so I don’t think putting rocks in it will slow her down. Any great products out there for feeding hay cubes I haven’t found?

[GraceLikeRain]

What about one of the short water troughs with some large rocks inside? Hard to imagine easily flipping on of those but certainly not impossible I guess

[Cindyg]

I have this automatic feeder (Equine Automation). It’s surprisingly not expensive and works brilliantly. I don’t use soaked cubes in it, but theoretically, it is possible. You would need the chute at the maximum steepness because friction is going to work against you.

Then there is the EEZKeeper and the Stable Grazer, which are essentially the same design. You can’t just put wet cubes on the trays, but you could put small buckets of wet cubes on the trays and let them spill out into your feeder or onto a stall mat.

You can nail your rubber tub to the ground with giant spikes.

Restricted feeding is really difficult. Everything’s a compromise.

[lorilu]

It’s expensive but might work… https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/graddual-feeder-21133?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=nb_shopping_barn_dsk_3p&utm_campaign=&utm_term=2109840628&gclid=CjwKCAiA4o79BRBvEiwAjteoYICVZUgzqjBiFwYM2BhGH1yWNt5SsWtefnQfB1qQ4yUu29Iy4g3bIBoCTH8QAvD_BwE

Or this is similar: http://www.mypre-ventfeeders.com/

[Stonemoore]

Thank you, I hadn’t seen the Equine Automation one before.

[AnnaB264]

I made my own slow feeder balls for hay cubes and carrots and apples. I am pretty sure it would work for soaked hay cubes as well. I can give you more info if you think this could work for you. Here is a video link of my horses playing with them: hay cube feeder

[trubandloki]

@AnnaB264

I made my own slow feeder balls for hay cubes and carrots and apples. I am pretty sure it would work for soaked hay cubes as well. I can give you more info if you think this could work for you. Here is a video link of my horses playing with them: hay cube feeder

Does the ball open up all the way so the inside can be cleaned out? If not then I can not see it working well with soaked cubes because they would coat the inside and get gross in there.

[AnnaB264]

I actually drilled holes all around it to drain any rain water, so to clean them I first squirt a hose inside (which rinses out most of the yuck), and then occasionally soak them all in a muck bucket with something like diluted Lysol or other disinfectant, then rinse.

I also add dry treats to mine, which I think keeps them dryer in general and keeps them from getting gunky. Mostly I just find I need to do the Lysol treatment if they have been sitting in the field unused for a while. My horses have gotten so clever at getting everything out, I don’t have to worry about damp feed left inside.