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Alternative to Haynets?

19K views 48 replies 17 participants last post by  caseymyhorserocks 
#1 ·
Basically I'm looking for a slow feeder for hay, that isn't a Haynet, if possible. Again, in a rush and need to type it out super fast before I go! Bye and thank you!:)
 
#2 ·
There are a number of box or barrel-type slow feeders:



I really like the idea of putting a whole bale into a hay net and then putting that into a trough:

(You can only kind of see in this photo that they have holes in the trough that the net ties through so they can't pull the net out of the trough)
 
#4 ·
I like the first one the most, but I think the second one would be the most do-able for us. Ow many times a day would you reckon it would need to be filled?
 
#8 ·
I've seen the nibble net before! I think we may just cut a rain barrel or something in half, then cut some wood for the top and cut holes in that, and then on the other half do the same but just make a bottom
 
#10 ·
Saddlebag, I do agree with the idea of ground level feeding and there are nibblenets than can be put on the ground.

We have so much sand here that that is why I don't actually feed hay directly off the ground... Yes, we use a sandclear product... I have our nibblenet attached to a fence and it ends just an inch or so above the ground. As our horse eats, the hay moves down and he is forced to follow it (down) to get his forage.
 
#12 ·
Good idea... I actually had a mat underneath the original placement of the nibblenet to try to limit Chuck's sand intake. Then as the buggies became voracious, I moved the net into an in/out stall with a fan to give our boy some relief from the bloodsuckers. The stall has a concrete floor, so that is handy.

Donna
 
#13 ·
I like the idea that they are bending down to eat rather then reaching up. I cant tell you how many times my horses eyes will start to tear when he ate from a hay net. I have to show those pics to my friend, I call her horse the hay vacuum, I have never seen a horse eat hay as quick as hers.
 
#14 ·
I've started using something called the hay pillow for my pony. She is a very aggressive eater and the hay lasts a long time for her. They are meant to just be put out on the ground, although there's also a hanging version. They are a lot more durable than just a net.

Slow Feeder Hay Bags - The Hay Pillow - The Hay Pillow, Inc.
 
#15 ·
I have a huge Cinch Chix hay net that I put in a big, heavy water tub. When stuffed, it weighs about 40 pounds, and Ahab can still drag it out of the tub and around his paddock. Also, the hay that falls out into the bottom quickly gets moldy. You have to tip the tub over every day, and that also gets old. Maybe a grate in the bottom would solve that problem.
 
#18 ·
The restrictive pan is EXACTLY the right side to fit in the bucket, perfectly straight. If it gets tipped in any way it catches on the rounded lip of the bucket. Plus the restrictive pan has 6 inch walls so it can never flip over in itself. Watch the video in the site and he demonstrators it. For the XL version it does the same thing but goes one step further in that the pan has tabs that need to be aligned to get it in ir out. Something easy for people with opposable thumbs but impossible for horses.


I have both sizes, the XL for my warmblood mare and the original size for my yearling. They push them over and stand them back up all day long and in the 4 years since I bought my first one (the green original version w/o the tabs, the pan has come out only accident once, which in guessing us statistically about right. The holes are too small to put a hoof through so it wasn't a big deal.

Like I said my horses are super tough on them (they're like horsey weeble-wobbles that dispense food.

Also they have a plastic drain plug that can be removed with a wrench for cleaning, or if your horse is a jerk and kicks it outside and it gets filled with rain. *raises hand*
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#22 ·
You can hang the hay nets so that they're just above the ground, so the hay is not elevated more than 12-18", but I still like some of the other ground based slow feeders better. Hanging a net that low is risky if your horse is shod, too. They can catch the back of a shoe in the net. It's also easier for them to put a foot on the net and rip it apart. The hay pillow I posted is also fed on the ground, but has a net in the front so is still a problem for shod horses. I'd love to know how well some of the home built slow feeders work. I haven't taken the time/money to put one together. Neither of my horses has traditional metal shoes, so the pillow and low hanging nets have been working for us.
 
#25 ·
Could I just use a bucket, hooked to a lower post on the fence and fill it with hay? Or is the barrel idea better? Could I use the bottom part of a barrel for a trough, and then do something to the other side?
 
#26 ·
bucket isn't big enough:-( I have some deep feeding troughs & my horses still like to toss the hay out of them:-x. Besides having a slow feed net or grate on them I don't see how to stop that practice:lol:
 
#27 ·
Okay, I think that we just might pick up another rain barrel and secure it- so no horseys have a humongo treat dispensing toy all of the sudden. It would be relatively easy to cut a circle of plywood and cut holes in it, to fit in the rain barrel on top of hay right? Would most likely the horses take turns in it?
 
#29 ·
Oh :( hmm... Do you think a standard rain barrel could fit two heads? Heh if not we could just pick up another one. How much do you think they would run?
 
#30 ·
#31 ·
It's still utilizing a hay net, but this was our slow feeder solution. The barrels are bolted into trees and then we just fill each one with hay once a day. We have 6 of them set up for 6 horses so that everyone can have their own if they don't feel like sharing.

We would have like to put them down a little lower, but we have a certain 16H mare that already tries to get the tops off...don't want to make it easier on her and then find her with her head shoved down in the barrel. Kind of defeats the purpose.
 

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