Ground Hay Feeder

[trottingon]

I hope someone can help me? I'm looking for a way to feed hay to my 11.2 pony off the floor, but not directly from the floor....keep reading, all will become clear!

He is on a woodchip type bedding, so it is not suitable to feed directly off the floor, there have been suggestions to people in my position in various posts to use a hay bar, or to tie a haynet in the bottom of a haybar, but due to his size, they aren't suitable, he'd never reach the bottom of a pony size hay bar, and I'm fairly sure would try to jump in it to get to the hay at the bottom, he's a greedy so and so!

If I put his hay in a trug or another general container, the first thing he does is pull it all out onto his bed, and then start eating, which obviously I don'twant him to do as I'm worried he will ingest his bedding with the hay - he walks all over it and walks it into his bed.

I'm sure I've read about a container/trough with a steel mesh top which you can take out to put the hay in the container, sit the mesh back on top of the hay, then as the hay is eaten through the holes in the mesh, the mesh naturally lowers, but I can't find anything on the internet. Has anyone come across this type of contraption and would you know where I might get one from? Or does anyone have any other ideas?

Many thanks xx

 

[idlhunter]

Hi have you had a look at hay hutches? girl in next field to me uses them for her sec a ponies, if you type in hay hutch in google you will find the site for them, they are not cheap but work well and can be used in stable also.

 

[Randonneuse]

Maybe you could try and make a slow feeder like the ones on this link?
http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Slow+Feeders

I also found this link:
http://www.bitlessandbarefoot.com/keeping-horses-naturally.php

Sorry I'm not being of much help but a friend and I are planning on making one for next Winter!

 

[DanMurphy]

My suggestion is to keep your pony in a large stable, preferably with rubber matting, and have two-thirds of the floor space covered with bedding. I would feed hay on the clean bare rubber mat area. This is what I do with my horses/pony to ensure that they feed from a natural position, and that their bedding does not come in contact with their hay/haylage.

 

[CrazyMare]

My suggestion is to keep your pony in a large stable, preferably with rubber matting, and have two-thirds of the floor space covered with bedding. I would feed hay on the clean bare rubber mat area. This is what I do with my horses/pony to ensure that they feed from a natural position, and that their bedding does not come in contact with their hay/haylage.

This is what ours have too - two 13.2hs and a 17.1h.

 

[trottingon]

Thanks for these suggestions.

DanMurphy and CrazyMare - Unfortunately my stable is just a touch too small to separate off a bedding area from a feeding area.

idlhunter - I need to slow down his consumption, so would ideally need a mesh of some sort for him to eat through.

Randonneuse - Fantastic, it was the paddockparadise site that I was thinking of, but couldn't remember where I'd seen it!!!! Thank you. There's nothing on there quite suitable in the UK to buy, but it has made me think I might approach some steel manufacturers in my area and see if they'll make me a mesh top to go in a large rubber bucket, which would be perfect - you just wait, it'll probably cost me the earth, but he's mine for life so I'll get a good few years out of whatever I get, hopefully.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Kallibear]

How about building yourself a suitable sized haybay (sheet of plywood and two runners on the wall) then cut open a hay net and secure it over the hay in the feeder using bungie ties at the bottom? Be easy enough to rig up.