Does this exist? Hay despenser?!

K

kizmund

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 July 2012
Messages
258
Visit site
My horse is good doer, or probably better described as an amazing doer! She could live off thin air.
Currently her weight is spot on and she looks the best she ever as done.

She's going to be in at night and out during the day probably until the end of May as fields are not ready for it yet!

I hate leaving her overnight with little to eat and her pile of hay she'll stand and eat continuously until it's all gone.
What I would love is to give her a section when I leave at 7, another at 9/10 and another in the early hours before she gets breakfast at 6.30.

So is there such a thing as a hay dispenser?!
I'm imagining a hay bar type thing, that you fill with hay and is timed to release a certain amount of hay during the night.

I've had a quick google search but have come up with nothing!
I had the thought when I went to see an elderly relative and they had one for their cats!
 
Never seen one horse sized, I'd imagine they'd just break it! How about feeding her some straw to keep forage moving through her all the time? Or soak hay so she can have more?
 
That's why I'm surprised someone hasn't already done it, if anyone knows how it could be possibleand wants to make one I'd be your first customer!

Polosmum: am already soaking her hay all day and shes in work 6 days a werk. She's probably a perfect weight ATM and I know going into spring I'm going to have a battle!
I don't know much about feeding straw, Im assuming it's a special type? Do you just give it with hay to 'pad' it out?
 
I have a similar problem. If I gave my mare all her haylage at once she would have wolfed it down within 2 hrs max.
Because she is kept at home, she has 1/4 when she come in about 6.00pm, 1/4 at 8.00pm and the rest at midnight. She also has a good amount of oatstraw chaff to give her something to nibble on throughout the night. Unfortunately if I just give her straw she gets impaction colic, which she is prone to anyway.
 
OP, when you look at the cat sized ones the tricky thing for hay would be the space you'd need outside to store the hay waiting to be fed.

I feed straw to pad out hay for my good doer. I've one that loves it and will eat it first before hay, and another that will scoff hay then stare at straw like it's snakes! But it's always gone in the morning so in the early hours he must deem it edible.

People will say only feed oat straw (its softer and easier to digest - but not that easy to get hold of), some people have problems with colic and wheat straw, but 1000's of horse eat their straw beds without any problems.
 
They have one in America that sits on the ground and is box like. It works with springs somehow. Horse has to work to get it out. It was safe but for the life of me can't remember the name of them. I think there was a post on COTH about them.

Terri
 
Put hay in a small hole (haylage) net that is inside a second small hole net. This allows 'trickle feeding' which is better than taking in a wodge of food then going without for a few hours.
 
Large, small holed nets can be hung low like this sort of arrangement but you have to consider safety if you horse is shod. http://freedomfeeder.com/
There is a design I can't find atm for the stable corner with bars for hay dispensing. It's the shape of a hay bar but is covered so they can't eat out the top only through the bars. Found one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-uASDSt63M

Lots of slow feeder ideas here some suitable for stables. The grids used are shop display grids. http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Slow+Feeders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL0o_N_W_w8
 
Polos Mum said:
OP, when you look at the cat sized ones the tricky thing for hay would be the space you'd need outside to store the hay waiting to be fed.

I feed straw to pad out hay for my good doer. I've one that loves it and will eat it first before hay, and another that will scoff hay then stare at straw like it's snakes! But it's always gone in the morning so in the early hours he must deem it edible.

People will say only feed oat straw (its softer and easier to digest - but not that easy to get hold of), some people have problems with colic and wheat straw, but 1000's of horse eat their straw beds without any problems.
Click to expand...

thanks :) what straw do you feed? Mine's bedded on shavings now because she was eating her straw bed so can't see any problems with her not liking it :rolleyes: Also can you soak the straw? and would you feed it half straw half hay?
 
oldjumper said:
Put hay in a small hole (haylage) net that is inside a second small hole net. This allows 'trickle feeding' which is better than taking in a wodge of food then going without for a few hours.
Click to expand...

I've always wondered about doing this but was concerned that the muscles on her neck would be weirdly developed from all the straining to get a mouthful. Has anyone else found this or am I concerned over nothing?
 
amandap said:
Large, small holed nets can be hung low like this sort of arrangement but you have to consider safety if you horse is shod. http://freedomfeeder.com/
There is a design I can't find atm for the stable corner with bars for hay dispensing. It's the shape of a hay bar but is covered so they can't eat out the top only through the bars. Found one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-uASDSt63M

Lots of slow feeder ideas here some suitable for stables. The grids used are shop display grids. http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Slow+Feeders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL0o_N_W_w8
Click to expand...

They are some great ideas, thank you :)
 
I had this idea a while ago I actually had a meeting with a designer but was going to cost lots ££££ so I didn't go through with it in the end!!
 
Or you could get a hay bar then put a ring low on the ground then use a Haynets to slow down without the worry of her getting tangled and also the worry of neck developing wrongly
 
sam72431 said:
I had this idea a while ago I actually had a meeting with a designer but was going to cost lots ££££ so I didn't go through with it in the end!!
Click to expand...

Yeah am surprised there is not already one on the market, but in reality it would have to be big enough to fit a few sections of hay in, be durable enough for the horse not to wreck it and have a timed element too :eek:
 
kizmund said:
thanks :) what straw do you feed? Mine's bedded on shavings now because she was eating her straw bed so can't see any problems with her not liking it :rolleyes: Also can you soak the straw? and would you feed it half straw half hay?
Click to expand...

You can't soak the straw as it goes horrible. I would mix half and half hay and straw as the straw gives a good long chew but cos of being lower in minerals and protein it is best as 50% max of forage.

I feed oat straw with no problems but I do also get horses teeth done every 6 months and watch carefully for any issues. Best way to find it is to find a field with oats in and then track down the farmer and see if they have a small baler they can rebale the rounds into. Oats are harvested later than the other arable crops so keep an eye out from when you see harvest in full swing, they are the slightly greyer more grass like crop.
 
sam72431 said:
Or you could get a hay bar then put a ring low on the ground then use a Haynets to slow down without the worry of her getting tangled and also the worry of neck developing wrongly
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, I've already got a haybar too, might see if I can drag bf up the yard this afternoon to help me sort it! Thanks
 
It would need to be a sort of corner cabinet mounted above the manger or haybar and timer so that the bottom flips down and lets the hay drop down at a set time during the night. However, if the horse is dosing, it would probably give it quite a fright and could therefore be dangerous. Maybe would need a warning noise or bleep a few seconds before it opens to condition the horse.
 
OP I feed wheat straw without problems - they drink a little more so make sure there is plenty of water. I'd go as far as half and half and I have soaked straw before (on vets advice) for an extremely far lami pony, only for 30 mins or so and it was fine - never tried soaking it for longer.
 
Well, just be different, my horse has his hay ration and a pile wheat of straw.
I soak both even though the straw is really clean and lovely, I don't soak the straw for a long time, like others he usually eats the hay first, but the straw is gone in the morning, i have tried trickle nets and doubled nets, he just lunges at them like he is starving I worry about his back and neck muscles. I have resorted to throwing a whole pile in the corner of the stable, amazingly he nibbles away, no lunging and trying to grab big mouth fuls. I did try him ad lib, my god he can eat some hay!! he had the record for biggest hay eater at the last farm - 50 horses and hes only 15.2hh
 
Wagtail said:
It would need to be a sort of corner cabinet mounted above the manger or haybar and timer so that the bottom flips down and lets the hay drop down at a set time during the night. However, if the horse is dosing, it would probably give it quite a fright and could therefore be dangerous. Maybe would need a warning noise or bleep a few seconds before it opens to condition the horse.
Click to expand...


That's pretty much what I was imagining. Good idea re. the noise, if I ever make one I'll include that :D
 
I feed Barley straw to the good doers. They all like it, and I haven't had any problems with colic, or with laminitis - those prone do well on it.
 
amandap said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL0o_N_W_w8
Click to expand...

We saw this on YouTube months ago. We made 2 feeders, after I was able to source the grid (called gridwall and available on ebay). The gridwall comes 2' wide and 4', 5', 6', 7' and 8' long. We bought two 4' and one 5' grids. We added 2" flat iron strips to the top of the lid, and 1" angle irons to the four outer corners to prevent our donkeys chewing the wood.

Without question, this is the best feeder I have ever used! There is absolutely no waste and the donkeys and horses took to it immediately.

I see, now, that the people making this one have gone commercial and are fabricating and selling them. When I saw it on ebay, it appeared to be a one off. I can't recommend it highly enough!
 
Polos Mum said:
OP I feed wheat straw without problems - they drink a little more so make sure there is plenty of water. I'd go as far as half and half and I have soaked straw before (on vets advice) for an extremely far lami pony, only for 30 mins or so and it was fine - never tried soaking it for longer.
Click to expand...

mjcssjw2 said:
Well, just be different, my horse has his hay ration and a pile wheat of straw.
I soak both even though the straw is really clean and lovely, I don't soak the straw for a long time, like others he usually eats the hay first, but the straw is gone in the morning, i have tried trickle nets and doubled nets, he just lunges at them like he is starving I worry about his back and neck muscles. I have resorted to throwing a whole pile in the corner of the stable, amazingly he nibbles away, no lunging and trying to grab big mouth fuls. I did try him ad lib, my god he can eat some hay!! he had the record for biggest hay eater at the last farm - 50 horses and hes only 15.2hh
Click to expand...

Will try some straw, I'll do tiny quantities at first and see how she goes with it.
When I do take food into the stable she's very polite and waits for me to put it down etc before she gets stuck in! But I know what you mean with those trickle nets, it almost encourages them to aggressively pull it out as thats the only way they can get some!
Ha I too tried her on ad lib a few years ago, in the hope that she wouldn't eat so much as she'd have it there all the time. No luck; the more I gave her the more she ate haha, I think I could put two bales in there and it would be gone by morning!
 
I have been pondering on this for years, we need as sort of conveyor belt thingy in the roof that drops hay at intervals ! alternatively, you need a really really nice yard owner that is an insomniac.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top