Hay Nets for Round Bales ???

[joyalexandra]

Anybody any ideas please? I buy hay in round bales for winter, and I have a sheep feeder which fits neatly round the bale. However the horses eat the hay very quickly, so last year I put the hay in the feeder twice a day to make sure they didn't scoff the lot in one go.

Is there such a thing as a hay net for a round bale? This would seem to make sense in that the bale could go in a net, then inside the sheep feeder, which would make the bale last longer, and reduce wastage.

I guess it would have to be something which could be tightened each day, otherwise towards the end of the bale there would be masses of netting flopping about.

 

[teresagarsden]

My old haylage nets were made from fishing nets, how about finding a supplier and making your own exactly how you want it.
You may even be able to pick up some cheap second hand ones.
Good luck
Teresa

 

[joyalexandra]

Thats a good idea Teresa, however I'm fairly useless. Think I may get in touch with a manufacturer who makes hay nets tomorrow to see if they have any ideas. It could save so much time, fighting under the tarpulin, wrapping it up again, humping the hay across fields and so on. If I could somehow line the feeder with the hay net, get the farmer to drop the bale in the feeder, take off the nylon mesh, tie the haynet up..then I'm in business.

 

[Jericho]

not the same thing but I bought some netting on ebay, exactly the same sort of material and holes the dimensions as small hole haynets, which was 8 by 12ft and have fashioned it to make a very large opentop suspended haynet in my fieldshelter. Works a dream as I just chuck the hay in the top. Its all very safe as holes are very small amd there is absolutely no way they could get a hoof / leg through anything or over the top and its secured with breakable string just in case. It slows their eating, stops all wastage and cost about £40. I prefer this to the 2 expensive and now redundant haybars in the shelter!