Hello …recently my low sugar hay supplier has run out and everything they have been testing isn’t coming back low sugar. I’m now having to feed a second cutting orchard/timothy that is more than likely not low sugar …the horses love it and despite being in slow feed nets are consuming it rather quickly-I’m afraid it’s going to be problematic for my laminitis/IR prone horses who all share a dry lot together …2 Dutch Wb mares , a gypsy vanner mare and 1 mini horse , 1 mini donkey and an aged Shetland pony …so my question is how do you soak hay for multiple horses?? Only one in that group absolutely needs it soaked …the rest could get away without …there’s no way of separating so it’s got to be for all of them….ive got 3 porta grazers that I’ve used previously for soaking …I’ll have to removed that hay and transfer to nets for turnout after soaking …this is just going to be a real big pita /nightmare for my barn helper …also I hate the idea of if the soaked hay doesn’t get eaten up then it’s will be wasted because it will go bad …this hay is expensive 
That would be frustrating.
I would cut back slightly on how much hay you are giving them.
I have always soaked in hay bags, so doing more than one hay bag just required a bigger soaking place (water trough).
I really do not think there is an easy answer for soaking hay for that many animals.
Would it not be easier to buy some pipe panels and make a smaller area for the one horse that requires soaking?
Possibly in the future but at the moment it’s not possible…but in actuality they all should have low sugar hay beings that they are in that “metabolic “ category
We soak hay in rubbermaid tubs. Stuff the tub with hay bags, fill, soak. hang the bags to drip a bit, then hang bags for the horses to eat. Use the tub water to water the barn yard.
I have 6 nets that would need to be soaked …which I suppose could be done in 2 sets ??…do you find that much hay gets wasted ? How far in advance are you soaking /draining before feeding ?? I’m wondering if my filled nets would fit directly inside the porta grazers for soaking ?? That way I wouldn’t have to transfer from porta grazer into hay nets
I would soak in two tubs, three per tub. I don’t feed enough that there’s really any waste, they love soaked hay and I don’t think they MUST have forage 24/7. My pasture horses snooze as a group for hours and hours each day. For me (prepares to be disemboweled for typing this) I’m ok with solid meals of hay and then a period of 3-4 hours of no food.
my horses don’t need lower sugar, they do need less dust, so often I can let mine drink the ‘hay tea’ which they adore. You can’t get away with that.
Any soggy wet bits left get gnats and funk pretty fast here in the SE US, so be careful whatever you choose.
You might want to send out the 2nd cutting to be tested. This year with the weird weather, my friend’s 2nd cutting tested much lower that her 1st.
That’s true …I can certainly send out a sample !
This was going to be my two cents. If you have enough to hold you over for a while, just have it tested so you know exactly what you’re working with.
When we were soaking, hay was weighed and in hay bags that went until muck tubs to soak. Anything bigger than the tubs was a pain to dump due to the weight.
Why not use water troughs to soak hay and put a hay net over it?
Figure out how much hay they actually need and reduce to that amount. Many people over feed.
My horses would be morbidly obese if I did not limit them. My fattest horse gets hay meals and can never have unlimited hay options. She will eat herself into her grave if I did not keep her on a strict diet. Even if it means she runs out of hay and has to fast between meals. She is very good at eating out of slow feeders. It doesn’t slow her down at all!
Some horses just don’t need 24/7 hay.
I just finished soaking hay from a large square bale that had too much sugar for my PSSM horse. I soaked one meal a day for two horses, but there is room for a lot more in the trough.
I put a 100gal water trough (if I had to soak for many more I would use the 150 gallon) on a cart like this https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/groundwork-1-400-lb-capacity-heavy-duty-steel-utility-cart
I use a bag like this, that I cut a hole in the bottom of for drainage, because I hate filling hay nets and my paint has an issue with his poll, but hay nets would work just as well if not better. https://www.amazon.com/DURASACK-Polypropylene-Construction-Demolition-BB-24UOFR-3PK/dp/B09YXTMTR6/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=2I4G29AF7G829&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6tzj6ZTolTCFwBUcQKu1x9PjtmdjgQX0MpbbqODtdGiyF_U4H3QfNhpOGrVJQ0QEAIQIugorkQStikXZCap1CNyFI_y7rfoqhVximjQJMlbCLKIjFBpjfFtRXYAoB3TMW3r1ZNWkCq0KXYbe7QjPqTE7BnzcnD8cac8AS_niIb0lok0BLrm5TANRASQpgB8vgPXUd7SD7qZG3XjlsN3iFZWTjdaW_UdcWrdAvGlfAaYO5jlCzdg_v-N44sybuZh9RcFmd5iRGHyHDv87e-5iRHUhV0Yic9gehfEQVm8a4_k.t27YokFP0jTCPjlUGNqKqOlfI7tHU6bsguxoepEY9u4&dib_tag=se&keywords=dumpster+bag&qid=1729792598&sprefix=dumpste%2Caps%2C1129&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
I wheel over to the hose to fill, then wheel to a different area and drain after soaking. I use the forks on the tractor to lift the bag and let it hang to finish draining, then bring it over to wherever I want to feed it and dump it out. I have found this to be the least labor intensive option.
My BIL has offered to weld an addition onto my cart to hang a winch from, but I haven’t needed to do that since I have been using the tractor.
Did you buy the net for the water trough, or make it?
- Acquire a wheelie bin.
- Drill a hole and place a spigot near the bottom of it, sealing so it is watertight.
- Place hay in bin, wheel to soaking location and fill with water from hose. Soak hay for required time.
- Open spigot and allow water to drain out.
- Wheel bin to feeding location(s) and feed hay.
- Rinse bin out.
What do you mean by a wheelie bin?
I think something like this:
A garbage can with wheels
Oh wow. Thank you.
I would not have thought of that idea.
That is some serious lifting getting a wet hay bag out of that thing. A good upper body work out.
Thats a great idea!!
Funny story. I was watching one of the newer Great British Bake Off episodes and one of the bakers mentioned a wheelie bin. I assumed what they meant and was correct, but did confirm my British coworker the other day 
You install a spigot on the bottom to let you drain all the water out for an hour or so before feeding so that the hay is damp, not soaking wet. When we had four that needed it soaked we just put the whole bale in with the strings on to soak then tipped the bin over on it’s side and pulled 3-4 flakes out for each net. But if you want to soak nets you can get smaller wheeled bins if needed or tip it on it’s side to slide the hay out. It really is pretty easy to use! Trickiest part is stealing the bin in the first place 
You can just tip them over on their side and slide it out.
