I hate struggling with the hay nets and I hate paying too much for them. I bought my own netting (1" holes) on E*ay and use twine to sew up my own. Make them wide enough to pull over a bale - you need at lest 5’ long netting to go around to make it really easy. Then you can decide whether you want to fit 1/2 bale or full bale.Hang them on the barn/stall/fence with eye bolts. If you use 2, you can reduce the amount of pulling and yanking they can perform on the nets.
You may be greatly underestimating your big guys! I’ve got a Perchx and a 16h QH eating just fine out of 1" mesh!
I see that PortaGrazer is having a sale… $50 off all models.
Need help with sizing.
i have an IR horse who gets a soaked/drained flake of hay 4 times a day.
He is 15. Hands and very clever.
would a mini portagrazer work or the XL?
the XL seems like he would tip it over vs the mini size seems less top heavy.
what size holes? 3.5 or 4"
he has Been eating out of a shires 1 inch hole hay net
but my shoulder doesn’t like lifting soaked hay which is why I am looking at the portagrazer.
fivehorses - if you’re going to continue to feed 4x a day I would go with the mini. It will be easier on your shoulder. I can fit 2 flakes in the mini and 3 in the XL. I started with the 3.5 holes but found they were too small and my horses were leaving teeth scrape marks on the pan trying to get the hay out. The 4" works much better for them (both horses are 15 hands).
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4" holes are what PG recommends except for a few instances. Also, tipping the Porta Grazers over is part of the fun - at least according to my horses. It takes about two minutes to figure out how to right them after tipping. NBD.
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Oh I think my horse will love playing with his ports grazer. It will occupy him and be a boredom breaker.
will get the 4" holes and the mini. Thanks!
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You can get slow feed nets for round bales. Considering your allergies, your best bet would be a hay hut or a round bale ring with a net. You’d only have to mess with hay once every 3 weeks, maybe less.
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Wow- I have a Friesian mare that powers through her hay in her portagrazer even with the pan with the smallest holes. So you put the hay in a hay bag in the portagrazer-I am going to try this because I am at my wits end with this mares power eating. thanks for the idea!
Agree - portagrazers are very entertaining!
If the horses are barefoot, the Hay Chix nets can be tossed on the ground out in the pasture, no problem! Same with stalls. They come in various mesh sizes and bag sizes. I have a roundbale net (again, if barefoot, no ring is needed) and a “mini net” for the stall. I have a 20% off code in my signature, and they are currently running a FREE SHIPPING promotion for a limited time.
The barn where my horse is for the winter use slow feed nets for round bales. All the horses chew holes in them and stick their heads in the nets. they do not seem to be a “slow feed” option to me.
They can be determined! My net is made from the same stuff used for fishing, so it’s pretty durable. It’s 3? 4? years old, and they did chew one hole in it, and I just tied it shut with baling twine. There are different brands, and different quality. I got mine off ebay.
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I have tried the Porta Grazers and mine are particularly adept at getting their feet inside of them. I had one give himself a nasty bump on the tendon from getting his shoe caught inside the inner ring edge, another get his shoe stuck in the round holes and just spaz out, pull his shoe and part of the heel bulb off on the outer edge. Not long after that I got an email from Porta Grazer saying that some of the grazers had not been smoothed on the edges properly and to beware of the rims… I have a mare who literally eats thru the rings on a monthly basis. It was a good try for me, but I don’t think I would do it again. Mine are a troublesome group of ding dongs! Started with Nibble Nets, but they became power nibblers!
I use a hay pillow with my pony. I bought the first one in August, and she tore the mesh by January (she flings it around, stomps it, etc), so I bought a version II the second time so that I can replace the mesh panels.
I second that they can smell mildewy though :-/ I don’t know if I’ll continue using them once I move out of TX - it looks like the place I’m hoping to board at next has free choice round bales in the pastures (and there will be real grass again, so the pony may get a grazing muzzle now that I know she has Cushings), so maybe I’ll just use the pillow in her stall where it will stay dry…
