Hay steamers/soakers......

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Mongoose11

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Does anyone use a steamer? Have their own homemade method? Is there an easier alternative to soaking?

Tell me about your methods please,

I thought I would get away with this hay but no :(

Why do I find soaking such a pain?

ETA: Have to soak due to her being prone to a cough but the reduction in calories is a happy by product. I need to do it more for the dust reduction really.
 
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Depends why you are soaking mine had lami few years back so is soaked to get sugar out and he has COPD

If its to get rid of sugar then I don't think there is a substitute for soaking

If its just for dust allergy or to keep more nutrition in it then steam.

You'd have to have a container big enough to do it something with a lid.

My soaker is a giant water butt flower pot shaped so I can do 2 big nets if I wanted.

When the taps freeze in winter if there's enough water in the kettle I'll steam it in the butt with a rug chucked over, not ideal but only short term until taps work again

You can buy steamers but they are expensive
 
Hi there we have 3 ponies that have allergies so made our own steamer basically bought a big enough wheely bin 780 lts I think drilled a hole in the side at the bottom put in a mesh base to lift the hay off the steam and bought a wall paper steamer works a treat we steam 8 5 lb nets for 1 hour and works a treat allot less expensive than horse steamers x
 
Yesterday I made the wheelie bin and wall paper steamer one. As I can't use a drill I just put pipe in the top and shut the lid. Yes I lose a bit of steam but it still works well :)
 
Buy a grit bin, drill a hole in the side, feed wall paper steamer tube through, put an old plastic bread tray or similar over the steamer plate, add hay nets and plug in!

In the grit bin we have at the yard you can fit 2 enormous haynets in.

It's really effective, gets rid of the dust beautifully.



If you prefer soaking it, get a wheelie bin, drill a hole inthe side at the bottom and add a tap. Put hay nets in. Add water. Leave to soak, open tap to empty water and then remove hay nets.
 
Some great ideas - thank you! Especially loving the idea of the water butt with a tap if I decide to continue soaking. Why the heck didn't I think of that?

Thanks Ladies!
 
Just a quickie - does anyone know how much electricity the wallpaper steamers use? How much would it cost per steam? Quite useful to know if YO has more than one person steaming.
 
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