We used a wooden feeder that Brad built at our last place, and left it there for the resident horses. We would like to get a lower covered metal feeder this time. Possibly one that could be used with an orange slow feed net for large square bales, and possibly round bales. That would be ideal in my opinion.
Because of our sandy loam soil, our vet had us start our horses on Sand Clear and suggests we feed on mats under/around the feeder.
There are the standard round ground feeders that we've all seen, and work with nets. They also make feeders that seem functional and either come with a cover or you can add a cover.
Here are a couple square bail feeders we found to consider:
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| leery of the metal sections that sit on the hay I can see those causing problems |
These do not work with nets, but I like the top one that is lower to the ground. We may just go with a standard round feeder, stuff the squares into a net and build some type of cover. Any thoughts or recommendations on pasture feeders to share?
6 comments:
I have seen both of those feeders used with nets...the large, round-bale size. You might want to look at the HayChix website, I think they have a photo section with lots of ideas. Otherwise, I think the top feeder would work well with a large net. You can stuff the round-bale nets with a bunch of small bales. You can also drill a hole in a stall mat for an anchor loop and attach a smaller hay net to that. It keeps the net off the sandy soil and out of the mud.
The top one isn't bad. The lower the better.
We use round bale and they don’t ever eat it down to the ground. There’s always waste. My horses are a bit picky, and leave the hay they don’t want. We just rake it around and it becomes pathways during the Icey season. We go through a round bale every 3-4 days. T, Foxy, and Cowboy eat from small square bales.
Good to know these feeders work with nets. Thought I read somewhere they didn't. Thanks Kris. I'll check HayChix for ideas. Not a fan of their nets, we found the Orange slow feed are much better.
Agreed, we want a low feeder. I know some claim no waste, but thats close to impossible. Of course lessening waste is always a good thing! Harmony is fairly picky, Nemo and especially Koda not as much.
It will be nice to spread pasture hay days out, get it off our sandy ground and slow my piglet down some.
We've tried a lot of feeders and opted for the big round baskets that are in a holder on the ground. There's not much waste and they're easy to fill in the mornings. For years we used the hockey nets on the fence that my daughter devised and they worked really well and fit a full square bale in each one and the netting slowed them down. We also made "hay trees" out of, I think, a 6x6 post with hay nets attached to four sides. They work well too. I think you just have to see what works best for your horses needs and whats easiest for you.
We've tried several different ones over the years and have decided that piles on the ground work the best for us. There is some waste, but that seems unavoidable. We don't have sandy soil though, and if we did, we'd likely not feed the way we do. Lots of people around here use the large, old tractor tires on the ground. You can attach plywood or a rubber mat on the bottom which makes them heavy and the horses can get all the fine bits without ingesting anything on the ground. They will still fling some though...our horses are flingers. :)
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