Slow Feeder Nets Question... (in pasture, horse w/ shoes)

[kkmrad94]

I am looking at using slow feeding nets up off the ground in the pasture with horses that have shoes. We have electric fence so putting them up on the fence isn’t an option…

Looking for input on how people use slow feeding nets in the pasture for horses that have shoes. Wasting too much hay by not using nets in the pasture.

Previously had a horse TIP the bin over and get her shoe stuck in the net. Thinking about bolting the manger down to a stall mat… anyone have better ideas or pictures of how they did it? Hoping to figure something out before winter comes…

[Simkie]

When we had electric fence, I brought in four round pen panels to make a square, and hung the hay nets on that. Worked great.

Have not had any problems with shod horses as long as the bottom of the net, empty, is several inches off the ground.

[kkmrad94]

One of my horses is an itcher… so if it isn’t electric she will put all her weight into it. The other is a pawer when it comes to food… After having a mare get her foot caught in the net after tipping a bin over I’m hoping to avoid their feet anywhere near the net.

Sounds like it works though! My only thing is I am trying to find the most hassle free thing for in the winter. We did hang nets off of the gates for a while but the process of tying them down and getting them back open was excessive.

[Simkie]

@kkmrad94

We did hang nets off of the gates for a while but the process of tying them down and getting them back open was excessive.

??

That sounds like a lot of work. I just hung them by the drawstring, clipped back onto itself, wrapped over the top rail of the round pen panel. I do the same thing now on the four board fence.

Maybe you’d be better off with a hay hut over some netted hay?

Or just sink a few posts in the field and hang the nets from each one.

[MrsMontana]

I got tired of hay nets getting destroyed and switched to the Porta Grazer. Love, love, love it, and works great in turnout or in a stall.

[KLeaphart]

I hang mine from the rafters of my sheds. I have rope hanging down with a piece of baling twine (so the twine will break in an emergency) that I clip the net to. Mine is hung lower than normal because the pygmy goat and mini donkey have to eat from it as well. But if I were you I’d just hang it at wither height and you should be fine.

[Corky]

Do you mean a big bale hay net? Or one like you’d use in the trailer? For round bales, a net inside a plastic hay hut is awesome, although an itcher will eventually crack the hut and they aren’t cheap! For a smaller square, look on pinterest or google for images of barrels converted to slow feeders. You can take a dock barrel and cut out holes then mount to a post, do a half barrel/half net design or if you had one with a screw lid you could even toss it on the ground with some holes cut out and have them push it around as they eat. I’d think that would be much safer then a net with shoes involved.

[kkmrad94]

No poles or the itcher would take them out. … I mean a feeder large enough to hold a square bale.

What stops the porta grazer from tipping over and rolling into the fence?

[keatssu]

Take a look at the Nibblenet website. They have a lot of options. We use them in our stalls and outside on our fences. They are very sturdy and last a long time.

[Palm_Beach]

I use a round bale net and have a ring around the bale.

[kkmrad94]

Not so much looking for types of net as I am structures / methods of hanging the net.

The hut looks awesome but it is a little more labor intensive than I was hoping to get away with. I was trying to find a way to do a bin with legs set up. Just need a way to make it … tip proof.

[wsmoak]

If you need it not to tip, then set some ground anchors and attach it.

I’ve got a portable run-in shed and have it chained at the four corners to anchors. The top looks like this, though I thought it had more ‘threads’ on the bottom. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harvest-40-in-l-earth-anchor-with-4-in-dia-auger

You can screw them in so the top is below ground level and fill it all back in so there is nothing to step on and injure a hoof. Just keep in mind that if it’s buried the chain will rust and whatever attachment you’ve made (mine are quick-links) will probably seize up, so you may have to cut it loose when you want to move it.

[RInurse_Rider]

I use a 100-gallon rubber trough. Big rocks in the bottom to keep my big Canadian gelding from flipping it over. It does hold rain and get moldy. My next plan is to strap it to cinder blocks and drill more drainage holes.

[rememberthenight]

We built a 10 x 10 covered feeder for our large round bale haynet. Bottom wall is about 3’ tall. My cinchchix net is over 8 yrs old and still looks fantastic. I have one naughty gelding who occasionally jumps in the feeder in the winter… for some silly reason. He has caught his shoe on it once or twice. Luckily, nothing bad happened. For the average horse that wouldn’t find jumping into feeders when bored- it is a fantastic setup.

[ChocoMare]

No, it’s not cheap but it pays for itself in un-wasted hay. http://www.hayhuts.com/

I put my rounds in a Hay Chix net, roll it into a cradle and cover it with the Hay Hut. Less than 1% waste, no fighting