Feed, umm, crockery idea for pony.

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poiuytrewq

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Neighbours old pony, she’s ancient and eats little other than regular deliveries of speedy beet and Fast fibre mixed in together. This she eats enthusiastically and makes a huge mess.
I don’t care about the mess so much but it’s wasting a lot of food.
She gets it everywhere! (Including all over herself)

I’ve tried higher sided trugs, I’ve tried a clean rubber mat and just emptying the bucket onto it.
Buckets hooked over fences ( too small, lost most of it)
Currently using a normal red gorilla type flat bucket inside a tyre but the amount around the rim and that gets sloshed over, under, everywhere is crazy.
She’s hard to keep weight on and gets through more feed than all mine put together.

Any idea on slop saving ways or serving up her feeds?
 
Maybe a tyre bucket? The wide rim might help the food not to get stuck?
Or maybe something like this?

ainsleysaddlery.com

Nose Feed Bags

Featuring a wide opening to accommodate a variety of feed types, these bags are versatile for different feeding needs. An adjustable strap allows you to comfortably secure to the horse's head, ensuring the perfect fit without slipping off. Perfect for large groups, trail riding, shows and around...
ainsleysaddlery.com ainsleysaddlery.com
 
The orange rumevite tubs used for sheep feed blocks are good.

Didn't realise the price now , I've had mine over 30 years. Proves they are durable though. You may find a second hand one.


Rumevite Block Container / Holder Orange

The Rumevite Block Container is an effective way to get the most out of Rumevite supplement blocks. Use at grass with cattle and sheep and site over the grazing area in order to avoid poaching the ground. The container is self draining to help keep blocks dry. Allow 1 feeder per 15 cattle or 40...
www.burnhills.com
 
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Some ideas to try thank you!
We had a parralex thing, not actually the proper one but very similar but I found she didn’t bother with the food in the holey bits so actually wasted more.
A tyre bucket, the proper type would be better than the current tyre with a normal bucket for sure. That’s the plan unless something better came up. I’ll have a proper read through tomorrow and se what I come up with. Thanks all!
 
Mine slops his feed everywhere. Has done it since a 2 year old and he's now 19 and still does it. Absolutely doesnt matter what you feed him from. The worst is if he is fed near his door as he lifts his head over the door and spills it all over the door. So I always kick it in further and over more near his hay where it is 'windowless' so when he lifts his head and spills his food everywhere he can clean it up after too and there's little wasted.

Ironically also a hard keeper but he loves food. If you didn't know any better you would think he has teeth issues but no....just an extremely messy (and social) eater....
 
There’s one at our field exactly like this. If you hold his bucket for him he takes absolutely ages but wastes virtually none!
 
Last winter I bought a plasterer's mixing bath for Old Dobbin, as I couldn't find anything like a trough for him. He can stand there chewing thoughtfully, taking over an hour to clear his feed, and anything dropped goes back in the bath. He didn't like putting his head into a trug bucket and would take a mouthful and drop bits everywhere.
 
I use a large black tub which I think is some sort of cattle lick container. It has handle grips. Raising this as suggested above is a good idea which I’ll try with mine.
 
I use a large black tub which I think is some sort of cattle lick container. It has handle grips. Raising this as suggested above is a good idea which I’ll try with mine.
 
Highmileagecob said:
Last winter I bought a plasterer's mixing bath for Old Dobbin, as I couldn't find anything like a trough for him. He can stand there chewing thoughtfully, taking over an hour to clear his feed, and anything dropped goes back in the bath. He didn't like putting his head into a trug bucket and would take a mouthful and drop bits everywhere.
Click to expand...

I have a plasterers bath. I used it for hay in winter, or that was the plan. Mine has little ridges though, Its a forklift one so i think it would all just get stuck. Is your's smooth on the base?
 
How about feeding with a nose bag? I see some track systems using this method to feed multiple horses without worrying about horses stealing each others. Seems to work well and might help with the mess.
 
ImmyS said:
How about feeding with a nose bag? I see some track systems using this method to feed multiple horses without worrying about horses stealing each others. Seems to work well and might help with the mess.
Click to expand...
Someone else has suggested that above and in theory it does sound perfect. I'm not sure if it would work with a tiny feeble pony and quite a weight of wet food- Would she ba able to lift her head?!
 
poiuytrewq said:
I have a plasterers bath. I used it for hay in winter, or that was the plan. Mine has little ridges though, Its a forklift one so i think it would all just get stuck. Is your's smooth on the base?
Click to expand...

Yes, smooth base and sides. It looks like a large baby bath, and is strong enough to be kicked around a building site. Easy to clean too.
 
Cement mixing tray?

Would work similar to the clean rubber mat but they have a lip so more contained, could out bucket on so it catches the dropped or tipped on.

Just not sure how strong they are for tiny hooves but guessing pretty strong if designed for building stuff.
 
My 32yo is fed his sloppy mash outside on a daily-clean-swept concrete area (paving slabs will do if you've no concrete). He constantly raises his head to look at things and also quids while eating his sloppy mash so he soon ends up standing in a square metre of mash outside of the bucket. Then he steps forward to lick it off the concrete and usually puts a hoof into the bucket of remaining mash..... I leave him to it and he generally ends up having done his washing-up fairly well, at which point I let the two younger herberts out of their stables and they help him complete the washing-up by "wiping the surfaces down" for him.
 
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