Hay feeders for the field....

[SatansLittleHelper]

Does anyone have any experience of either the Hay Hutches or Parrallax feeders..??
3 biggish horses and a mini Shetland live out 24/7 and we are kind of sick of Hay being wasted by being trampled into the ground.
We can't use anything that needs to be attached to anything as the feeders ideally need to go in the middle of our hardstanding and the horses to be able move all around. Needs to be something that the mini can reach into as well as the big guys and needs to have them feeding low down so it's more natural than haynets. Wooden pallet type feeders won't be much use as one of the cobs is a thug and I could foresee damage/injury ??

 

[Sprig]

Mine live out and we use IAE sheep hay racks on wheels. They are totally brilliant. No waste. I can't recommend them highly enough.
https://mcveighparker.com/special-o...Wg461iBS0pk1owCcERA5PCCYtRB3WC4xoCUmkQAvD_BwE

 

[Fruitcake]

I’ve had a Hay Hutch for years and it’s lasted really well. Clever horse can get the lid off if I don’t rotate it the exact number of degrees, but I’m in the habit of dong that now. OH drilled a few holes in the base for drainage as we feed soaked hay. I caught the mini cob sitting on it to scratch his feather a few times over the summer, but it still seems to have survived! I’ve definitely found it worth the money. I think it must be about 9 or 10 years old now.

 

[M1lbie]

I have 2 hay hutches and a hay cube as I have to feed soaked hay, hay hutches have done 5/6 years and are still good, clever pony removes lids if they are not fixed with the bolt that is provided, he also can tip them over if they are not weighted down but they have survived all the abuse and work well. I used to put them out in the field but now they are on hard standing. Wastage is much reduced.

 

[millikins]

I have a plastic tombstone round bale feeder which I haven't used for the last 2 winters. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have enough horses to get through a bale in 3 or 4 days. It reduces the waste on the ground from loose hay but creates mats of stinking waste inside the feeder that kill grass regrowth. I also don't like my small ponies being able to just stand and eat, I need their foraging to be more difficult.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I have a Hay Hutch. Still get waste hay but I've never just fed from the ground so I can't compare amounts. I'm considering getting one of the nets that goes in them so they can't pull big chunks out. I have a medium one between two horses and a Welsh A. They share nicely so it works.

 

[cauda equina]

I have a Parallax one (Hay Saver) for a pony and a micro shetland and really like it. A bit of hay gets scattered around, but not much.

I chose it over a Hay Hutch because I was worried about the neck-craning that appears to go on with HHs, and also I think the Shetty might just pull everything out without eating much of it (a Stubbs Hay Roller was useless because he did just that)
The only downside IMO is that it's open at the top, so rain can get in. Mine have it inside their shelter so everything stays dry

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I've got a couple of medium hay hutches. I bought the first 10 years ago, I think, and it was second hand then. Its got a wee dent in it, but that was me when I got it home!
When we went from 2 to 3 ponies we decided it was easier just to get another and they both look great! Haven't used them the last couple of years but they still live out and look perfect.

 

[Winters100]

I use a hay bell http://jfcagri.com/equine/horse-haybell/ and put a round bale in a giant haynet inside. I find the haynet to be necessary as otherwise they pull a lot out and make a mess. Works pretty well for mine

 

[FFAQ]

I use tractor tyres if it's windy, but it can get a bit poached around them. If it's a nice day, I just put loads of small piles on the ground, but once the field has become a giant mud bath it's very wasteful!

 

[sunnyone]

My neighbour used haybells , or similar, and complained bitterly that his horses rubbed their manes raw when retrieving the inner parts of the bale. He gave them away in the end. He said wasting hay was better than treating those raw wounds.
I only buy small bales because of this. I have wooden field shelters and have attached 4 metal racks to each: 1 on each side, and 2 inside. Thus they can choose to share, or not.

 

[jumbyjack]

My shetlands have a mini hayhutch, they have beaten the crap out of, chucked it over a wall sat on it and generally ill treated the poor thing. It's still amazingly undamaged, tough little gadget!

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Thanks everyone for the input.
We currently put the hay on the ground in several piles so it gets wet if it rains anyway so not terribly worried about that. The sheep feeder thing looks interesting but I can see my cob being an arse with it. We buy huge bales and then peel off flakes to put in the field so don't need a round bale type feeder.
It's a nightmare trying to decide....tempted to buy a medium hay hutch and a parallax to give variety ?

 

[Winters100]

My neighbour used haybells , or similar, and complained bitterly that his horses rubbed their manes raw when retrieving the inner parts of the bale. He gave them away in the end. He said wasting hay was better than treating those raw wounds.
I only buy small bales because of this. I have wooden field shelters and have attached 4 metal racks to each: 1 on each side, and 2 inside. Thus they can choose to share, or not.

Interesting, mine have hogged manes, but I have certainly never had any wounds or rubs on them. I wonder if he was maybe using the ones designed for sheep which have smaller holes. Or maybe his horses are just bigger than mine!

 

[sunnyone]

An interesting thought Winters100 about sheep holes but the chap had a PRE which was about 15h1 I think, and its yearling foal. Some PREs here have a very thin natural coat which may make them more sensitive to rubs. As the owner only used large hay bales I assumed the holes were horse sized and I regret to say I have no means of checking now that he and the horses have moved away.

 

[Britestar]

I have a small hay hutch for a cob thats being rested in a small area. Has been great. He eats most of contents daily, keeps him busy.

 

[rabatsa]

I use a sheep ring feeder and a good quality net over the bale. The 12 hand mule was able to eat from it as well as the two bigger animals. The net is essential to prevent waste. I use large round bales but have been known to put a couple of small bales inside the net in the feeder.

The sheep hay rack linked to above does have sharp corners and mine took one for walks when sharing a field.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I and several other people on my yard have hay bells and I've not heard anything about mane rubbing/wounds and a couple of them are Arabians.
OP - I have a hay hutch I have no had for about 9 or 10 years. The bottom started to come apart a couple of years ago but it was just a case of putting more bolts in - really easy and the company were super helpful with it. My pony batters it though and kicks it around the field. I no longer put the lid on it as pony played with the lid removing it and even when I bolted it down she still managed to get it off the hutch itself.
Regarding waste - the hay is contained so does not blow about like if it is in piles and the waste is minimal. I had a medium and a small for 2 large ponies and that did them in a 24 hour period. (I now roll a large bale into a net and under a hay bell simply for time constraints but I still have the medium hutch. I sold the small to my friend and she loves it).