feeding hay in the field x 2 horses.

[luckyoldme]

probably been done to death in previous years but hay ho !
this is my first year with two horses on their own. Previous years they were fed ad lib haylage from a ring feeder with three other horses.
I have a home made hay hutch but i had this brilliant idea of asking on here what others do.
Horses are out 24/7 one 30 year old heavy built tb type and a Percheron x built like a brick poo house. both horses will be in for a feed each morning but im looking for the best way to give them ad lib haylage.
i would love to see what everyone else is doing or what new ideas i can come accross!

 

[DD]

I give my 2 a bucket feed in the morning, those buckets which hang on the fence, whilst they are eating I put out the hay in the field in a large circle 6 or 8 piles for them. I move the area about so it doesn't get poached or put it on hard standing, where it has to go in a row not a circle for lack of room.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Not a fan of hay in the field due to mess and boggy areas- and yes some horse peeing on it and moving onto the next pile, but you cannot avoid it for grass kept horses. I prefer mobile hay box or rack so it can be moved round the field to avoid trashing it

If I was in your position I would get something like this on a smaller scale http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tractor-A...228239?hash=item284095740f:g:PRkAAOSwLiJZxsHn

Or nets on the fencing line to avoid trashing the rest of the field and each day hang haynet on a different post.

 

[TheMule]

I use wooden tile crates, work a treat. I have added a top bar on to stop them being able to pull big chunks out

 

[Equi]

If you own the land and plan to do this regularly, i would be in favor of making a hard standing area with two or three hay racks or tubs or whatever you decide to get. Ive seen people make things out of just four pallets nailed together, might be on on the bottom too or a hard base or something

 

[MotherOfChickens]

do they have to have it ad lib? I just feed hay around the field-have done it for up to three horses. by not putting too much in each place they don't churn up the field and don't pee on it (a pony specialty!). but they always have grass so don't don't need it ad lib. have used a wooden tile crate on hard standing though and nets before now.

 

[MagicMelon]

As others have mentioned, if its your own field then Id definately highly suggest getting an area hardcored. I have a big hardcore yard (which my stable block is on top of as well) which leads directly into their field so they come and go as they like. On the area they have a regular round bale feeder which splits in half so the farmer leaves a bale at my field entrance then I just roll it in and push up onto a pallet then pull over a big haylage net which is brilliant for minimising waste and stopping hay blowing about, then pull the feeder bits round to secure. Works really well. Yeah it doesnt have a roof so the hay does get wet but to be honest mine get through a bale every 10 days or so, so its not like its lying around long enough to go yucky. But you'd definately need a hardcore area really otherwise anywhere else will just get heavily poached, mine get to spend a large portion of their time out of the mud avoiding mud fever.

 

[scats]

From about Jan onwards, I put piles of hay out during the day for my lot. Have done it for 3 horses and now 2. I tend to put 1 more pile than horses and leave a bit of room between each.

 

[luckyoldme]

its not my field so hard standing is out..i was thinking more of something i could move around(they got really boggy round the feeder last year and would like to avoid that!..
Ive seen a converted ibc cage it could be filled every day and moved round!..if not i like the idea of the piles of hay.

 

[meleeka]

I use wooden tile crates, work a treat. I have added a top bar on to stop them being able to pull big chunks out

I use tile crates too but I have haynet rings in the bottom so I can still feed from small holed nets for my fat natives.

 

[Abacus]

I bought 10 large wooden hay boxes, which are each 3 foot cubed. £15 and they are fantastic. I have a track through the middle of the fields and the hay boxes are in the fields either side so I just walk up the track throwing in hay to the boxes, I don't have to drag a heavy wheelbarrow through the mud. I also take their feed bowls and give them the bowls inside the boxes so that they don't get kicked around the field and muddy, and blown everywhere on windy days. The horses are now so well trained that they wait by their box and don't stand around the gateway, which has really helped around the gates. It makes me smile to see them all standing patiently in their pecking order waiting for feeds!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/396..._post_id=1599816503413240&ref=messenger_share

 

[JillA]

Hay balls - filled haynets with the neck cord pulled tight and the loose end tied back on itself with all the loose cord tied in. Works really well with mine, but they don't have shoes and my land isn't overly muddy except by the gate. I know someone who ditched the neck cord and used a carabiner instead, even safer, but in about 8 years I have never had one caught up.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

top tip- drag hay/haylage along on a tarp rather than a wheelbarrow if muddy-or a builder's rubble sack works too. a proper long handled pitchfork is also useful for tossing hay over hedges! hay pillows are a good idea if not muddy-unfortunatley South Lanarkshire is way too wet.

 

[Beth206]

We put piles of hay out in the field and move them around when the field isn't a total bog- I think TM's idea about using tile crates is a good idea, I might put it to my YO. We do however have a hardstanding in front of the stable block and tie soaked nets up there on a morning and an evening.

 

[irishdraft]

I feed my 2 hay in the field I just take up enough for each night and put on the ground. Every few weeks I clear up and move the area I use partly because the gelding will pee on it. It's not caused a problem but I am lucky my winter fields are quite dry so not much poaching.

 

[Antw23uk]

its not my field so hard standing is out..i was thinking more of something i could move around(they got really boggy round the feeder last year and would like to avoid that!..
Ive seen a converted ibc cage it could be filled every day and moved round!..if not i like the idea of the piles of hay.

I fed hay on the open yard last year until they were in the top field and then I cut my IBC in half, put one half upside down in the bottom (the bottom piece) and then put the top half on top of it back inside the cage part then filled with hay. By using the top half meant it had a drainage hole built in for when it rained.
Only issue was pulling out more hay than they needed and it blowing away so this yeah im thinking of modifying it with either a large net or 'something' to stop the wastage. Then you just drag it round the field every few days. I found the size and shape of the IBC meant my grumpy gelding could only pull faces at my mare but not reach her to chase her off it (he walked round one way and she just kept moving round the other way, lol)

 

[canteron]

You can get nets to put inside a hay hutch - which slows down the rate of eating and stops some of the mess. You can also attach the hay hutch to a rubber mat- this stops the horses moving it about and some of the hideous muddy patch, but does make it a 2 man job to move!

 

[LaurenBay]

those that have homemade wooden crate feeders, can you post pictures please.

Abacus, thanks for the FB link! have just messaged him but sadly I think I may be too far for delivery!

 

[ceva]

I have two horses together, they are out 24/7 even in winter, I have a hay rack made by my blacksmith looks a bit like a higher version of a shopping trolley and has two wheels on one side so can be moved, they have that and hay on the floor as well, they are both happy to share so no falling out. In the day paddock I have a plastic builders crate which is big enough to put in enough for two, again they are happy to stand together to share, so it all depends on the temperament really and how well they get on, the only time hay gets wasted is when it rains and they refuse to eat it. I can also move them about so no poaching at all, its perfect. the other Liveries use wooden crates, but my horse would chew those.

 

[WelshD]

I have wheelie bins with holes cut in them - very little waste and the hay stays dry