Hay Steamers.. can you really make a safe one?

[RumbleTheTumble]

I am considering getting a hay steamer. Firstly, has one really helped your horse?... and... Can you really make a safe one? If the hay does not reach high enough temperatures the danger seems to be that you actually encourage more bacteria into the hay. Also, if the box or plastic that you use (ie a wheelie bin) is not 'food grade' or able to take those higher temperatures without leaching nasty plastics into their hay. Has anyone tried the Nuveq steamer?... how do folks think it compares to the Haygain one (which has previously had not-so-good reviews on this forum)?... Thanks

 

[Hobo2]

I have never seen bad reviews on the haygain steamer. Apart maybe the price maybe.
it is well worth the cost it steams evenly and is great for my dust sensitive horse.

 

[Steerpike]

I originally had a home made hay steamer and then purchased a hay gain, much prefer the hay gain as it gets much hotter and more thorough than my home made one.

 

[Tiddlypom]

how do folks think it compares to the Haygain one (which has previously had not-so-good reviews on this forum)?

What poor reviews of Haygains?

Nothing that I yet aware of, whether home made or commercial, is a patch on the Haygain.

It was quite interesting a few months ago when people were discussing how long steamed hay can be kept before feeding it. Haygain says up to 24 hours, and indeed I have found that to be the case, even in a heatwave.

People with less good makes/home made versions said that their steamed hay has to be fed soon after being steamed or it goes off . Which does go to show that their hay steamers are not steaming the hay thoroughly, which is worse than being useless, it is actually harmful.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Haygain all the way. I’d love one but can’t afford it! I’ve tried home made steamers but they are just no where near as good.
We always had a haygain at my old work and it was brilliant, they hay smells amazing!

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Haygains themselves are great, nothing else comes close, but if anything else as good as ever marketed, haygain may well be in trouble as their customer service is shocking. I've had two, both well looked after and a catalogue of problems that haygain customer services have always gaslighted me into thinking it's either my fault or 'never happened before' yet a simple search of a few Facebook groups shows this is very much not the case. I now have hayledge as sick of the cost of replacing parts on haygains and their awful customer service.

 

[RumbleTheTumble]

I have never seen bad reviews on the haygain steamer. Apart maybe the price maybe.
it is well worth the cost it steams evenly and is great for my dust sensitive horse.

Thank you that is helpful. I saw it on a couple of FB groups and on this forum. Simply that they do not replace parts very readily and that the boiler part does not seem to last very long. Apart from that, I have seen good things and the lady that does their promo video is very good. That little video is very informative. Nuveq do a hay steamer. They don't seem to be so well known... maybe because they aim more at professional yards? They are certainly more costly, but maybe they are more robust? I wondered if anyone had, had a nuveq.

 

[RumbleTheTumble]

Haygains themselves are great, nothing else comes close, but if anything else as good as ever marketed, haygain may well be in trouble as their customer service is shocking. I've had two, both well looked after and a catalogue of problems that haygain customer services have always gaslighted me into thinking it's either my fault or 'never happened before' yet a simple search of a few Facebook groups shows this is very much not the case. I now have hayledge as sick of the cost of replacing parts on haygains and their awful customer service.

Yes, that is the sort of thing that I have read in a few places. However, the steamed hay itself does seem to be really beneficial which is great news. Haylage is a bit too rich for my ponies 'native blood' I think! I am sorry you've had all those problems. You haven't come across Nuveq then? Seemingly a very professional piece of equipment.

 

[RumbleTheTumble]

Haygain all the way. I’d love one but can’t afford it! I’ve tried home made steamers but they are just no where near as good.
We always had a haygain at my old work and it was brilliant, they hay smells amazing!

Thank you...very helpful.

 

[Hobo2]

So far in 5 years the only thing I have replaced is the cap on the boiler which came in about 3 days and cost £22. We do have it linked to a timer which shuts it off at one hour . I would not use one without putting through a timer as I have a brain like a sieve and would boil it dry which would damage the boiler .

 

[TPO]

I've had two haygains and they've both done/are doing a good job for me.

Steamed hay has made a difference to my horse with mild asthma. The rest all get steamed (or soaked in far cobs case) hay to support their respiratory systems.

I've found the customer service good in that they provide parts quickly. They did offer to do a repair for me but it was very spendy. My dad's an electrician so all I needed was the parts. I guess any decent electrician could do the same but it would invalidate any warranty. I bought mine 2nd hand so didn't have that concerns.

Eta I use a timer too

 

[RumbleTheTumble]

What poor reviews of Haygains?

Nothing that I yet aware of, whether home made or commercial, is a patch on the Haygain.

It was quite interesting a few months ago when people were discussing how long steamed hay can be kept before feeding it. Haygain says up to 24 hours, and indeed I have found that to be the case, even in a heatwave.

People with less good makes/home made versions said that their steamed hay has to be fed soon after being steamed or it goes off . Which does go to show that their hay steamers are not steaming the hay thoroughly, which is worse than being useless, it is actually harmful.

Thanks for that. I saw that the hay was good for 24 hours and this seems a great selling point, especially as you've actually had experience of that. I would be very wary of a homemade one. Basic food hygiene laws apply... food must be either above one temperature or below another and anywhere in-between is trouble! I would be concerned that my homemade one was not getting everything sufficiently hot to be safe. Only a few reviews that weren't so complimentary about parts not lasting and some bad experiences of customer service etc... however, the main thing is that steaming the hay does work and that's what will benefit our horses... so, that's the most important thing! Thanks

 

[Steerpike]

Just to add, I use a timer, I have boiled it dry once in the 4 years I've had it, my husband is a good repair man so we ordered fuses on line to replace the one I blew, only for a couple of pounds.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Yes, that is the sort of thing that I have read in a few places. However, the steamed hay itself does seem to be really beneficial which is great news. Haylage is a bit too rich for my ponies 'native blood' I think! I am sorry you've had all those problems. You haven't come across Nuveq then? Seemingly a very professional piece of equipment.

Nuveq seem quite new, I saw one at a local feed shop last week, it certainly looked robust but don't know of anyone who has used one as yet

 

[lizziebell]

I can not fault my haygain. It’s over 10 years old. A couple of years ago I replaced the element in the boiler, and last month I replaced the manifold and spikes. I had no problems obtaining the parts through customer services. Replaced both parts myself. Even replacing the element in the boiler was pretty straight forward for a competent person (although a little fiddly). I don’t think any product in the world has 100% perfect feedback - you’re always going to get someone who isn't satisfied.

 

[RumbleTheTumble]

Nuveq is actually a product which was developed by one of Haygains main distributors in Europe - they had been selling Haygains for years and have made loads of changes to the things which commonly caused problems from what I've seen.
They're not so common in UK yet but have been on the market in other countries for a while.

Thanks, that's interesting. It seems they sell mainly through vets. The website is good though and they hold just that bit more hay which would be important to me as I have too many!

 

[RumbleTheTumble]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I heard something about a discount if you buy through your vet, so I'll look into that further.