Hay steamers

Tip passed on from another forum: make your own using a large dustbin or wheelie bin and connect to a cheap wallpaper stripper (about £20 from B&Q). Seems to work for all those who've tried it!
 
i did the whole wallpaper steamer thing, and tbh it is a LOT more faff and hassle than boiling up a kettle twice and pouring that in. steamer needs watching and turning off when it boils dry (fire hazard, anyone?!) and eventually burnt itself out. a metal dustbin is better than a black plastic one, which collapses with the steam, i found. the blue plastic bins (for feed etc) are even better, if you can get 1, or a HiFi bag or similar works well too.
 
Yes I agree - metal dustbin is better less risk but if you only have a few haynets to do a bin, a kettle and a plastic bag works wonders !!

If any one has any ideas for a large amount of haynets ....?? I have 20 to do !!
 
I use a wheelie bin, steamer and a timer.

I think if I had 20 to do I would buy something like a Haygain.

The wallpaper steamer costs 37p an hour, which soon mounts up if you have 20 nets to do. Mine is going for two hours a day just to steam two massive nets because I like to give it a really good blast. I also don't find it that effective to pack it full of hay, it works better if there is some room around the hay.

I'm pretty sure the Haygain does a bale at a time.

All I'm thinking is how the steam unit on a Haygain compares to a wallpaper stripper. You would have to work out the stats? The paper stripper is basically a kettle with a hose, I think the Haygain is pressurised to get in amongst the hay better.
 
We have a haygain steamer at my yard, it does take a long time to steam a bale about an hour and apparently eats up a lot of electricity. Does delicious though and the horses love it. Does a whole bale at a time which is useful
 
We have also got a Haygain and love it! We set it on a timer and when I get home from work I can hang the 4 haynets straight up in the stables and get my neddies in and they start stuffing their faces with warm hay!
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I have my haygain at home - just for two horses, but it has been really worth while

The difference between this and putting a kettle of boiling water over hay is immense. The haygain actually denatures fungal spores, whereas the kettle method may temporarily swell them, but they will be back to an inhalant size by the time you feed your horse.

Interestingly since using the haygain my asthma and nose has been much better (also one horse on cardboard, so I am only mucking out one straw bed).

The beauty is the ease of use, grab a handful of hay and wipe out, then pick up a bale plonk in and my timer starts to steam at 5am so the horses have gently warm hay for breakfast.

Downside is that hay is more palatable and they are pigging themselves.
 
I agree Cotswold SJ. I don't see how a kettle of water can get to the heat needed to deactivate the spores.

I have checked mine and it is hitting 100 degrees for 45 minutes constant.
 
I made a home made one as per the great instructions from users on the forum! used a large water tub(tap hole in bottom that the hose from the wall paper steamer fits in perfectly) and I use a timer in the plug socket to run it - no stress and it turns it's self on and off as good as gold!! highly recommend it.
 
I made one too, although we're on our second steamer now, but at £17 I can cope with that! I tried the kettle method, but TBH on a cold day the water cools long before it's had any effect on the hay. I'm normally at the yard for at least an hour in the evening so switch it on when I get there, and two nets get about 1/2 hour each. I never leave it unattended though, and it's connected to a circuit breaker on the socket.
 
i borrowed the timer idea from another post recently on here. Most new wallpaper steamers will turn themselves off when they run out of water so do not burn out and not a fire hazard. Mine cost £20 and holds 5litres and steams for 78 minutes at 100 degrees. My boys hay is ready when i get to the yard so he no longer has to wait for it and he loves it. I feed him off the floor too so just shake out my hay, stick it in the wheelie bin, steam, wheel round to stable. Its done wonders for my back after lugging soaked nets too. I would love a haygain just waiting for my money tree to re blossom lol!
 
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