Hay in the field

[ILuvCowparsely]

How do you do it?
I’ve been feeding loose on the floor, in the same area so as not to wreck lots of my small field. However it’s the last week become so poached that they seem give trampling most of it in then messing round bored/asking for more.
I’ve been putting more in a different area a few hours after turning out (once the initial piles are completely wrecked!)
This is causing another large area of mulched hay and mud though.
I bought some huge containers to feed from but they pull it all out.
Not looking to spend a fortune as there are 3 horses who don’t share so would need a few hay hutches or similar.
How does everyone else feed hay with minimal mess and waste?
I’d love to put a round bale out but again not sure if they would share and not just trash it into the ground.

I won't feed hay in the field - it makes a mess and also causes deep crevices and boggy areas. Mind you none of our are out 24.7. Out from 7.30- 4pm not much grass but still won't hay field, different with field kept horses. If I till I would pro use the old fashioned hay racks.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Many of the issues we have in the winter months, feeding hay, gateways getting trashed, certain areas of their paddocks being trashed. These topics turn up every year but basically these are all issues to be sorted out in the spring or summer so you are ready for winter. When your gateways are all mud you should have put down the gateway matting https://industrialproducts-uk.co.uk...a94CEHWyMSZ9u2WVdkbAoIXeMHEs-W50aAhZSEALw_wcB or the plastic pieces that you grow grass through as it hides under the grass & also prevents the mud.
My horses are in their own paddocks so I have posts in their paddocks that I hang hay nets from. I have several posts so I move the location of the nets so I minimise damager to the ground.

 

[chaps89]

Lots of small piles, spread around. Rake leftovers every few days so ground can breathe. Accept there will be some waste. Roll on spring.....

This.
I wouldn’t hay in the same place each time, that area just gets boggy and yucky, by moving about each day the field doesn’t suffer too much. If there’s any leftover I do rake it up, and I don’t leave it too long else it’s a horrid job to do.

 

[dorsetladette]

my OH built us a hay feeder. Its 6ft square, the horses can eat from 3 sides and it has a roof high enough that they can't bang their heads. They 4th side is a tall gate that they can't get heads over to lean on hinges etc and also is facing the direction the weather generally comes from. We put a large hole bale net on to stop them pulling hay out until it falls lower than the side walls (about 3ft) and then I remove it. Works brilliantly. We keep the hay up hill of the hay feeder so even I can roll a bale in when needed.

 

[windand rain]

I don't feed much hay so just put a small amount in the most sheltered driest part of the field in this wind I put it in small holes haynets and tie it to the bottom of the post so the posts are not pulled out