Feeding hay in the field

E

Evie91

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 May 2012
Messages
2,172
Location
Warwickshire
Visit site
Currently feeding hay in the field ( I have sycamores. The leaves and seeds are falling and despite twice weekly mowing and raking seem to be everywhere. I'm haying to try and ensure they don't eat any seeds).

I've currently got nets hanging up (but I hate stuffing nets!).

Piles on the floor - horse seems to prefer but ground around the piles is getting poached and I'm worried if I keep moving them I'll kill all the grass underneath. Also when windy the sycamores leaves seem to blow up against the piles.

Considering feeding a big bale - was thinking of putting it on a pallet on the hard standing. Question is do I need to cover it? Will it go mouldy before its eaten (I have one horse and one pony)? I'm currently putting out half a bale a day - there's always bits left but not much, horses currently out for 10-12 hrs a day.

Any suggestions appreciated.
 
I use big tub trugs and move the locations around the field to stop poaching. They occasionally blow away in strong winds, but I've never actually lost any yet!
 
Aha good plan - I could always put a brick in the bottom to stop it blowing away, saves wastage from pile and more importantly saves me having to fill nets!
 
I have a hay saver thing now. But before that I got a huge tub from the garden centre. It had holes in the bottom which let the rain out. I also bought one of the round decorative paving slabs and put it in the bottom. Save them blowing away.
 
I have wheelie bins with holes cut in, the hay stays dry and the bins can be moved around to avoid poaching of the ground.

I have a big bin with holes on two sides and two bins with individual holes

They were an absolute godsend last winter, i even used the smallest one in a stable
 
It won't go off in a big bale and it doesn't need covered. However they will waste plenty. A net on the top stops some waste but its not perfect either. Its the least work tho.
 
I use haynets on the ground (hayballs). They need to have the small holes and have the neck string tied back on itself so no feet can get caught (helps if there aren't any shoes either). They can move them around, pick at them, share them, play with them and they have the advantage they don't strain necks, but doesn't work in a very muddy area.
 
Ace research Annagain....really useful.

Solway Recycling do a monster hay feeder, you may have to dig around their website to find it.

it looks great...but if you waste say 30% of a bale at £25, you need 47 bales before it's paid for itself. But I suspect the 30% wastage may prove conservative if we have a really wet winter.

Also, my idiot seems to enjoy sculpting the things....Tate Modern here we come.
 
I'm feeding mine atm in tyres - think they're from a truck as bigger than a car but I can move them by hand. Have two tyre stacks (2 tall) which stops hay blowing. Only feeding a few small bale sections day and night so no wastage. When ground starts turning I move them.
 
We put our in tractor tyres in the winter, although won't do this year as have two young mini ponies now and no doubt they'll fall in them or something!
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. The link had some great ideas too - loved the hay shed thing ( with open sides) but bet something like that would cost ££££'s!
 
I've seen in Facebook recently the latest craze is to put hay in a wheelie bin and cut a hole near the bottom.
It's like eating off the ground and can be moved witness wastage.
 
smellsofhorse said:
I've seen in Facebook recently the latest craze is to put hay in a wheelie bin and cut a hole near the bottom.
It's like eating off the ground and can be moved witness wastage.
Click to expand...
Where do you put the wheelie bin? If that's in a field not anchored down then surely it just get trashed?
 
We have a pallet with a cut off white plastic bowser sitting on top, makes you two big square, deep bowls basically and they will last forever!
 
I use wheelie bins and I secure them to a post or field shelter. I also use a tractor tyre and a tall freestanding 8 ft manger.
Friends swear by this big bale buddy. They come in different sizes. The only drawback I see is limiting how much they eat unless you choose the slow feeder one.

http://www.bigbalebuddyuk.com
 
I was just trying to show people what the wheeli bin would look like. Agree you could do it cheaper. Personally I'm going to get a hay hutch this year.
 
victoria1980x said:
I was just trying to show people what the wheeli bin would look like. Agree you could do it cheaper. Personally I'm going to get a hay hutch this year.
Click to expand...

we have hay hutches at work and find them pretty useless;

1, the horse pull the hay out of the holes straight under their feet

2, if you feed soaked hay it sweats and there are no drainage holes

3, if it rains it goes in the holes and cannot drain out of the bottom so the hay sweats

4, the are blummin heavy to move

5, they are expensive

I have an old household loft water tank for haying mine in the field, i have made a hole in the bottom for drainage, the horses eat over the top of it so no wastage, it was free, it drains, there is no top so no sweating, easy and light weight to move
 
The wheelie bin idea sounds like a good one, thanks for posting the link, I was trying to imagine what it would look like so good to see.
The big bale buddy looks good - but the thought of having to put on a giant Haynet puts me off!
 
I have a Big Bale Buddy for sale. I bought it when I was at my previous yard and don't use it now....not feeding in fiekd. Pm me if you are interested.
Forgot to say there are reports of ponied getting stuck and dying in tractor tyres.
 
Last edited:
Big bale buddies are good until you get to the end of the bale. I used one of the big bale nets to slow them down with the bale buddy over. If your horses are shod you cannot use just the hay nets. Bit of hassle and knack getting them on and certainly takes two of you unless you have a tractor to hand. However, they certainly reduce waste and slows them down. My three left unchecked will go through a big bale in five days in the depths of winter.
 
twiggy2 said:
we have hay hutches at work and find them pretty useless;

1, the horse pull the hay out of the holes straight under their feet

2, if you feed soaked hay it sweats and there are no drainage holes

3, if it rains it goes in the holes and cannot drain out of the bottom so the hay sweats

4, the are blummin heavy to move

5, they are expensive

I have an old household loft water tank for haying mine in the field, i have made a hole in the bottom for drainage, the horses eat over the top of it so no wastage, it was free, it drains, there is no top so no sweating, easy and light weight to move
Click to expand...

that's rained on my parade lol

what size do you use out of interest?
 
Here are some pics of my home made wheelie bin hay feeders. The bins cost around £30 each and then a few £s for the hasp fastener and eye run we screwed to the front to retain a rope for securing to a post.

IMAG0337.jpg


418.jpg


IMAG0339.jpg
 
Last edited:
100_1414_zps2ac5e478.jpg





My hay hutches - 2 small, 1 medium - are bolted on to tractor tyres for stability and have drainage holes drilled in them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top