Help with soaking hay

[KEK]

....Please any tips? Novice horse owner, they are both rounder than I would like. It is hard work fishing it out of the water, anything to make it easier? TIA

 

[Surbie]

I split my hay into 2 nets so it's not too heavy for me. Also going to fit a tap to the bottom of the trug I'm using so the water can mostly drain away before I lift it out.

 

[KEK]

I split my hay into 2 nets so it's not too heavy for me. Also going to fit a tap to the bottom of the trug I'm using so the water can mostly drain away before I lift it out.

Ooh like that idea. Do you rinse as well?
I've stopped feeding in nets as my Connie gets very angry and tears at them and I'm worried about his neck. So I'm fishing it out loose... lol.

 

[Surbie]

No I don't rinse it. I feed loose on the floor but still soak and drain in nets. Just tip it out on the floor and wait for the snort of disgust that he's got the horsey equivalent of all-bran instead of coco pops.

 

[KEK]

No I don't rinse it. I feed loose on the floor but still soak and drain in nets. Just tip it out on the floor and wait for the snort of disgust that he's got the horsey equivalent of all-bran instead of coco pops.

Haha love it. And will try that, thanks!

 

[NinjaPony]

Soak it in nets, tip into large trug and use a tap at the bottom to drain it all away. That’s what I do and it works reasonably well.

 

[GinaGeo]

I used to use a water bowser that had a tap at the bottom. Could empty it, let the net drain and then battle with getting it out.

 

[Auslander]

I don't soak any more, as we have a steamer - but when I did, I used a big blue barrel, with a bung hole in the bprrom, which I fitted a plastic tap thingie too. I turned the tap on once the hay was soaked, then left it a few hours before turning the whole thing over so the haynet ended up on the floor. BY that point it was well drained enough to lift

 

[kidsandponies]

When I used to soak hay I did so in a blue barrel. Had a tap fitted to the bung hole and my wonderful dad hooked me up a pulley system so I could pull the net out easily and leave it draining over the barrel whilst the water escaped from the tap. The barrel was beneath a down pipe so used to fill for me when it rained, saving water!

 

[planete]

I just use a plastic bin and tip it on its side into the drain, then hang the haynet when it is light enough to lift.

 

[atropa]

I split the hay ration into two nets, put the first into a 90L heavy duty garden bin, fill and leave to soak for however long. Then come along, tip the bin over and let as much of the water as possible drain out, hoist the net onto a fence post where I rinse it off and leave for a few hours to drip before popping it in my horses stable. I then repeat the process with second net of the day.
I usually have first net soaking from 5pm until 7am the next morning, then rinsed and draining until approx lunchtime. Second net is soaked from around 7am until 5pm, rinsed and draining until 9pm before being put into stable.
If I wanted to feed from the floor I'd just empty the net in the stable.

 

[poiuytrewq]

As above! You need something with a tap, don’t try and fish it out! You will definitely end up with the obligatory horse owners winter bad back!
I use a IBC tank cut down but I’m soaking 4 nets, I also have a hay cube which is perfect for one horse and actually worth the money IMO

 

[paddy555]

I soak for 8 with very little effort.. Human bath so it already has tap and plug. Turn tap on and hay soaks, pull plug, let it drain, put drained hay into a bin, then sack truck it to the stable. Not very much effort required. If you really want it into a hay net put some hooks by the side of the bath to support hay net and fill from the bath.

 

[KEK]

Thank you all for your replies! Much appreciated, some things to look into. We have 2 horses so they eat a bale of hay/day. I am guessing the water should not be recycled/reused- we are in Perth, Australia, and on tanks and it's summer so the water usage does concern me a bit.
If the hay is steamed, this also gets rid of the sugar, yes? I will look into haycubes too. Love the idea of a pulley, another job for DH lol.

 

[planete]

Thank you all for your replies! Much appreciated, some things to look into. We have 2 horses so they eat a bale of hay/day. I am guessing the water should not be recycled/reused- we are in Perth, Australia, and on tanks and it's summer so the water usage does concern me a bit.
If the hay is steamed, this also gets rid of the sugar, yes? I will look into haycubes too. Love the idea of a pulley, another job for DH lol.

I am afraid steaming does not get ride of sugars.

 

[Esmae]

Rig up a block and tackle over your soaker and lift the net with that, I have one and it makes life very easy. When it has drained then ditch the water.

 

[PurBee]

When i soaked hay in barrels, even 4kg nets would be insanely heavy to lift out once soaked....i’d adopt a weight-lifters stance, bend the knees, breathe in and ‘arrrrrgggghhhhh” as i yanked it up and rested it on the barrel top lip to drain a bit, then id hang it up to fully drain.
i dont miss those days and would have employed a drain tap as mentioned if continued with soaking!

you can re-use water if its not turned red from the first lot, and it just a light orange colour, otherwise the second lot will not leach sugars and just absorb sugars from the first soaking. Depends how long youre soaking for. using yesterdays water wouldnt be wise to conserve water.

 

[KEK]

Ye

When i soaked hay in barrels, even 4kg nets would be insanely heavy to lift out once soaked....i’d adopt a weight-lifters stance, bend the knees, breathe in and ‘arrrrrgggghhhhh” as i yanked it up and rested it on the barrel top lip to drain a bit, then id hang it up to fully drain.
i dont miss those days and would have employed a drain tap as mentioned if continued with soaking!

you can re-use water if its not turned red from the first lot, and it just a light orange colour, otherwise the second lot will not leach sugars and just absorb sugars from the first soaking. Depends how long youre soaking for. using yesterdays water wouldnt be wise to conserve water.

Yes indeed soooo heavy! Thanks ?