Pros and cons? Tell me which one you prefer.
I use these: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/shires-deluxe-haylage-net-21147
My hay net destroyers havenāt made a single hole in them for over a year. The large size holds a 50 lb bale which is nice as I donāt have to touch hay bags as often. The small size holds about half a bale, 20ish lbs.
Nibble nets lasted two weeks before getting holes.
Iāve had excellent results with the real nibble nets - https://www.thinaircanvas.com/
I use them in my trailer and have them in the run in shed. My first set of trailer nets made 10+ years and the nets were still intact but the back finally rubbed through.
Nibble Nets says the toughest models have mesh on both sides, so I bought that style for the run in. Theyāre going on a year with no visible wear and they get beat up daily.
I also had the Hay Chix mesh nets up hold up well but the nibble nets are easier for me to stuff.
Thatās where I purchased the Nibble and Go nets. They are nice nets, but didnāt have the mesh on both sides so maybe thatās where I went wrong.
We have several Nibblenets that are 10 years+ and still useable. Over the winter, we hang them in the run-in as a way of keeping the hay contained and to slow down the eating monsters. They donāt look great any more, but they do the job.
@luvmyhackney - I think this is the model I have in the run in - https://www.thinaircanvas.com/collections/premium-nibblenets/products/nibblenet-Ā®-premium-double-nibble
I thought I had read somewhere that one type of net was better for the horseās mouth, teeth and gums. Iām thinking maybe the nets with the heavy web netting are better than the mesh ones in that regard?
Iāve tried a bunch of different nets and the updated Hay Chix nets are my favorites. They widened the mouth on them so you can easily pop them in a muck bucket and drape the ends over the lip. Drop your hay in and cinch. Much lighter weight than the web style ones and more versatile in my opinion.
I have some older ones and they are also good but the wider mouth makes a huge difference in ease of use.
If you want to go web style, I find the SmartPak ones to be fine. And you can usually get them on sale for much less. I now have 9 of those that donāt really get used because I so prefer the hay chix ones.
If you go with a standard style nylon net, the āstable handā product that Schneiderās carries makes filling much easier.
If you have a very determined eater like I do, the hay chix also has holes down to one inch. I am trying to convince them to go even smaller but they have told me they think they get too stiff that size. I tried a half inch net from Purely Ponies that my mare conquered in no time, but it got a hole after maybe 6 months so I didnāt get another. I think maybe nag bags makes a 3/4 inch hole net, but I havenāt tried it yet. With the one inch hole it takes my mare about 2 hours to eat 4 lbs of hay, so I have her on a schedule where she gets 4 lbs breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then 10 lbs at night check. With this schedule the only time sheās without hay for more than 4 hours is possibly overnight.
Another Hay Chix fan here. I have their extreme slow feed nets and they are great. They are holding up very well so far and as @Pico_Banana mentioned; easy to pop in a garbage can/muck bucket to fill. And they actually slow him down.
Hay Chix fan here. My horse uses Hay Chix nets all winter, for the last 5 years.
Not a fan of Hay Chix customer service.
I think what kind of net you buy (web style or net style) just depends on what you like best.
I find the nibble net style hard to fill and I have no problem filling the net style.
Iām not terribly surprised by this. Their shipping is also ridiculously slow, especially with how much you pay. They donāt offer free unless you spend several hundred bucks. Product is worth it, but make sure you order everything you need all at once.
I only buy them when they are having a 2-for-1 sale, which they usually do at least twice a year. I donāt ever have a problem meeting the minimum for free shipping. But even at 2-for-1, the extreme slow feed (the one inch holes) are EXPENSIVE.
Yes there are, I have two half bales and a full bale
Equine dentist mentioned that the knots in nets are bad for their teeth.
My sample set is two - My horses eat out of what the OP calls mesh nets. I have a bunch of the shires nets that @luvmyhackney posted. I have a some with a slightly larger hole too. I have been using this style net for at least 15 years with these two horses.
I get my horses teeth checked/examined yearly and no one who has looked at their teeth has ever expressed any concern about anything.
Same here. Itās either laminitis or extended empty stomachs or hay-nets and grazing muzzles for us unfortunately. Thatās a trade off Iām willing to take.
I also asked my vet about this. She said she has heard that rumor but had never actually seen it in any of her patients. She exclusively does teeth.
I have this one:
I can fit about 3/4 bale in it and it is easy to fill (it has a tube around the top so it āpopsā open when unclipped). Mine is attached to the fence but can be transferred to his stall if he is in for extended bad weather.
And my certified equine dentist and vet say it is unfounded. So I guess its a gamble. No issues here.