Does anyone have experience with a round bale feeder that is safe for foals? Currently I’m just letting it get spread around and wasted, but I’d love to prevent some of the waste if at all possible.
Hay Hut. There’s not much they can get tangled in, though I had one foal and a few goats try crawling inside it. Extraction is easy. 
I still consider my ~8 y/o hay hut one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. We were feeding out of a galvanized metal roundbale feeder (similar to this) before that. I have a strong suspicion it was responsible for a few of our freak paddock accidents involving lacerations, which was one of the reasons I swapped.
I was scared that’s the answer. They’re roughly $1k around here. And I’ll need to add a net for my fat hog gelding pasture.
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It is not a cheap solution but I promise it is worth it. I paid about $850 when I bought it 8 years ago and that was a staggering amount of money for me - then I piddled around for a few years before I bought a HayChix net (another ~$350). I wish I bought both sooner. While it’s a PITA to put the hay net on each time we replenish the roundbale, it only takes about ~6 minutes out of my day, and the benefit is it really does reduce waste. I would say before the Hay Hut, they were probably wasting about 60-70% of the hay. With the hay hut I saw a big reduction, but still a lot of wastage. With the net + hay hut, the waste is really in the 10% or less range.
I wish I bought both sooner, because the hay wastage was a huge PITA to pick up and it did ruin a few pieces of my pasture because I couldn’t stay on top of it. The reduced waste, reduced vet bills, and reduced labor (including having to use the skidsteer, which always %#%^ing breaks) has more than paid for both tenfold. I’m actually considering a second one for the mare.
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Currently I put our hay in big water troughs that no longer hold water and it works great for the paddocks that don’t have babies. There is very little waste. Hard to justify to hubby to move away from a free option, lol. Maybe I’ll be able to find a used one somewhere that we can try.
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We have used these for years and years and recently added the nets. So easy for one person to move, very safe for horses. Certain horses can chew holes in the nets but they can be repaired.
I have two hay huts, one in each pasture. They have made a massive difference in hay wastage, and they’re really easy to use. They were definitely worth the investment. My vet has a large herd of Icelandics, and he’s got two hay huts and wonders now why it took him so long to invest in them.
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I’m also tirde of hay wastage and if we keep getting winters like we did last year in Ontario (mostly mud!!), we need a better hay feeder as well. I feed small squares as I only have 4 ponies (usually 3 in the winter as I board one out) and its much easier for me to feed small bales when its dark out and I’m alone.
I put a question out on hay feeders on my facebook and these came recommend to me:https://systemequine.com/product/hay-optimizer-slow-feeder-with-1-6-holes/
I just purchased 2 of them as my ponies don’t always like to share and I have one old guy that will just walk away if someone looks at him funny. I can’t say how good they are quite yet (though about 10 different people commented that they have them and love them) as I don’t get them for about 2 more weeks. I hope they make a difference! I like that they have the netting on them already so I don’t need to spend another $250 + for a net. Their netting replacements are $99, so thats a bonus as well. I can put 4 bales of hay out and that should last 2-3 days. So I won’t have to toss out hay in the dark with my flashlight at 4am anymore! Nor will my geldings pee on the hay anymore (I swear its their favourite past time - peeing on a flake as soon as I put it out).
I have heard the hay huts are great as well, but since I don’t feed rounds, the cost was more since I would still have to purchase hay nets at around $250. I also worried with that set up that my old pony might get hurt when he’s eating with his head in the hut and someone comes to chase him away. He’s the bottom of the herd and one of the young ponies loves to chase him. The poly rings look great as well, I like the open concept but I would have to pay for nets as well, so an extra cost. Plus with my ponies and feeding small squares, I would need to build a floor or put on pallets so they could reach the hay easier.
My husband is a carpenter and could build one out of wood with a roof, but the cost would be higher once we “teeth” proof it, as all of my geldings are beavers and love to chew on wood. So we did decide on the hay optimizers once I went through it all in my head. Not cheap, but hopefully will make things easier and save on hay in the long run.
*sorry, not sure why I replied to you @Argo!
I use my big tire feeders, that I made myself, and they were free. I don’t OFTEN put a round bale in them, usually just loose hay, but I have put a round bale in them occasionally. A small round bale fits. We make small round bales, so it all works out for me. I don’t know what size of round bales you are using, and whether they would fit in one of these or not. But maybe they would.
The tires are free from a tire store that services BIG heavy equipment. Logging equipment here, but probably other types of equipment as well. The tire store will load them onto your truck for you. They have already been paid the fee to recycle, so if they give them to you, they don’t have to give that fee to the recycle places. Because YOU are recycling them.
You take them home and cut one side off the tire with a reciprocating saw. Drill a hole first, to get the blade in. It’s easy, it comes off no problem. Then turn the tire over and drill some drainage holes in the other side, so that no water pools in the lower surface of the tire. One of our small round bales fits perfectly in the tire. Remove the twine or mesh first, and lift it with your tractor with a cargo strap around the bale. At least, that’s how I do it. If you are in a high rainfall area, the feeder can be located inside a shed (with a high enough roof to work under). The feeder can be moved around at will with your tractor, but the horses don’t move it, and there is nothing to get caught up in. Most round bale feeders I see, I don’t like for horses. Nothing with metal pipes etc.
