An idea for feeding hay in the field.

Archiesmummy

Archiesmummy

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Archie lives out 24/7/365 and I am now feeding him a fair old bundle of hay a day. I have been exaspurated at the amount wasted, even though I put it in a home made hay rack/crate, but the wind tends to blow it around and he loses an awful lot across the field.

Shopping in a well known DIY store I came across an extra large, lidded, compost bin. I took off the plastic front at the bottom, made the hole slightly larger so as he wont get his nose stuck and have been trialling it for the last week.

I pop the hay in the top, it drops to the bottom and I fill up. I then pop the lid back on and its watertight.

It has kept his hay dry, stopped the wastage and he seems to be feeding from it happily. As he eats he pulls more out and it drops down inside. I tend to overfill it so he doesnt run out so he doesn't need to try to get his whole head in and risk panicking.

I have stood it in the crate I had, tying it down with customised ties and it appears to be working.

For anyone without a crate it could perhaps be tethered to a post or customised to peg into the ground.

Just an idea. Its working for me.

NB: Please do not hold me responsible for any accidents in the field if you try this - this post is posted with good intention.

If you have any thoughts, good or bad then please let me know. As I said, it appears to be working and being made of plastic, with no sharp edges, it seems a good option ... but then I may not thought of every scenario.
 
My two are still out 24/7 at the moment. They get good quality hay night and morning but it is soaked in advance. This means I can just distribute it in several small piles dotted around so that they don't kill each other. It never blows away because the moisture content holds it down.

Could you try this, do you think? Negates the need for crates etc.
 
Rueysmum said:
My two are still out 24/7 at the moment. They get good quality hay night and morning but it is soaked in advance. This means I can just distribute it in several small piles dotted around so that they don't kill each other. It never blows away because the moisture content holds it down.

Could you try this, do you think? Negates the need for crates etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Archie isn't keen on wet hay, hence me trying to keep it dry, and this was adding to my wastage when it rains.
 
Ive seen these compost bins too and thought that they would be a great and somewhat cheaper version of those HayHutches for £100+ out there.
 
anyone got a link?
I use a big tractor wheel (usually free from any garage)with an extra large mega haynet heavyduty one in it. Bits of baling cord around the edge of the tyre and through the net here and there to weight it in keeps it in place:)
 
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