Ideas needed to stop Adorable Alice's headed being chopped off

[AdorableAlice]

Adorable Alice is prolifically gannet like and has developed a habit of sticking her head into a netted bale of hay and eating a head sized hole in it. Sounds mildly amusing and harmless I know, but several times last year she created such a hole that enveloped all of her head and resulted in several eye injuries all of which needed vet intervention.

At the moment I am not using the big bale net as they are not yet adlib, but I am using the huge red/black nets which the 3 young horses share and this morning I find Alice with her left eye swollen shut and weeping profusely, resulting in a 'vet needed now' call.

The lovely green dye clearly showed scratches and thankfully she should be ok shortly. There is no choice but to change her lifestyle and remove her from the barn she shares with the other two and to remove any netted hay or quantity of hay that she can bury her head in. So she is now stabled and has her haylage on the floor. She has also been told she is an expensive pain in the backside who has been on the sick since July and is severely trying my patience.

I had a look at those round plastic hayfeeder set ups where a top ring drops down as the hay is consumed but at £225 that is out of the question. I think the floor is the only safe way to feed her but if anyone has any bright and safe ideas I am listening.

Thanks.

 

[cold_feet]

Why not the floor?

 

[AdorableAlice]

Why not the floor?

As I said in my post the floor is the only way I can see is safe for her, was just asking for any other possible thoughts.

 

[quizzie]

I have one who climbs INTO any bin I try to give him his hay in.....when I doubled the height of the bin, I came down (to husbands shout of panic), to find him with both front feet in the raised bin, peering over the top of his stable partition, and at 17.2 +, that was an alarming sight!

I definitely wouldn't trust him with any form of haynet....there is too much potential for self-harm.

...so the floor it is!

 

[AdorableAlice]

Just noticed the error in the heading, apologies.

Alice wouldn't climb into a bin, she would sit in it. Floor it is, husband has retired and is doing the mucking out, he can have the fun of sorting her bedroom out every morning.

 

[quizzie]

Alice wouldn't climb into a bin, she would sit in it. Floor it is, husband has retired and is doing the mucking out, he can have the fun of sorting her bedroom out every morning.

......that's the problem, my husband tends to look over the door and despair......things have improved by recently switching to new seasons hay which is deemed so delicious that none is wasted.....he still trashes the bed tho' !

 

[Red-1]

Not what I have for mine, but I did see on a livery yard once a triangular corner unit that was fitted floor to ceiling.

On the stable side, there were bars that were floor to ceiling leaving a triangular space for hay. The hay was inserted through a door on the outside of the stable, up high. There was also a door at the bottom (again on the outside) for cleaning out waste.

The whole unit was slim, with the hay filling the whole area floor to about 7ft high. The bars were the solid type, and had small enough gaps for no part of Alice to be inserted in. Yes, a small amount wold be inaccessible at the bottom when the unit was empty, but it was clean and took them a while to eat the hay as the bars slowed down eating.

I am not sure if it was a ready made unit or one made to measure by a stable manufacturer, but every stable in the yard was fitted with one.

 

[Leo Walker]

Mine has a wheelie bin. Theres a large square hole cut in the bottom at the front and the lid is folded back. Inside I have a net that runs over the hole at the front and over the top of the haylage. Its attached through a bungee cord so as the hay is eaten the net moves down. The hole thing is attached to a floor height tie ring with another bungee cord, which means it cant be topped over. It means Leo cant reach in and drag it all out. It would be impossible for her to get her head into the hay.

Its my economy version of the expensive hay feeders.

I tried a hay bar first which ended up with mess everywhere. Then I tried a hay bar with a net in which ended up with Leo cast in the stable as he climbed in, slipped, tipped up and got stuck! Yours might have a bit of common sense and be ok with that though.

 

[Fun Times]

Goggles and a snorkel?

 

[AdorableAlice]

Goggles and a snorkel?

You do realise that Ted will now buy them for her Christmas present don't you !

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

No ideas but would be interested to see pic of LW's if you wouldn't mind please?

Naughty Alice, I hope her eye heals quickly. Have you got some of that wonderful ointment to try and squeeze in 3 times a day?

 

[poiuytrewq]

Would a hay cube be any good? Or will she still stick her head in?!
A decent hard core fly mask?

 

[AdorableAlice]

No ideas but would be interested to see pic of LW's if you wouldn't mind please?

Naughty Alice, I hope her eye heals quickly. Have you got some of that wonderful ointment to try and squeeze in 3 times a day?

I have and it looked less sore this evening. The wheelie bin set up can be seen on pinterest pictures, there is also a similar set up using a compost bin. Ingenious but Alice would hurt herself, she has a degree in self harm.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Glad to hear it. Wretched animals do test you at times. Mind you I think the ones who are more trouble are the ones to keep as they obviously have a brain!!! (although it's not always used how you'd like!)

 

[chaps89]

Red1 is the high/low hay rack on this page what you meant? http://monarch-equestrian.co.uk/accessories/

AA- how about one of these? Although they are more expensive than I remember them being but I think there will be cheaper versions of them out there http://www.saddlery.biz/stubbs-munc...MItJ25qp_O1wIVS5PtCh0iYQx_EAQYASABEgJvdPD_BwE
The only other thing I can think of is a hay hutch - but having had a Google I hadn't realised just how expensive they are. And also possibly not self harming horse proof. Although having used them at a previous yard I do rate them.

 

[OldNag]

What about one of these?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=882576405234002&id=834492440042399

 

[cobgoblin]

What about a hay bag with a mesh like the Shires one?

 

[Adopter]

After trying a variety of alternatives I decided the floor was safest and was surprised how little waste their is. I was used to finding waste under a net or other receptacle but hay that starts on the floor seems to all get hoovered up! There is no logic in it. Hope her eye is better soon and she gets to wear her party frock at Christmas.

 

[cold_feet]

What about a hay bag with a mesh like the Shires one?

I got one of those to try and keep hay under control while travelling. It didn’t last one journey, just ripped apart in the first hour!

 

[hollyandivy123]

for the stable you could make something like this
http://www.equisensedesigns.co.uk/products

or this seems easy to make maybe for the barn?

http://farmandstables.com/project/slow-feed-hay-box/

 

[ycbm]

I use sheep hurdles, very cheap. Attached across a corner long side up. I have then in two corners and wall racks in the third corner. Currently shared by four, soon to be five.

If I need to slow them down more I put 50m square grid inside the hurdles.

 

[Leo Walker]

The wheelie bin set up can be seen on pinterest pictures, there is also a similar set up using a compost bin. Ingenious but Alice would hurt herself, she has a degree in self harm.

Mines a bit different as t has the net running up the inside and across the top, which then moves down as they eat, but theres loads of variations. I doubt she would hurt herself if Leo hasnt. He gave it a good go, thats why its got the bungee cord round the bottom now, to stop him pulling it over and stomping on/in it.

 

[ihatework]

There was a thing going around Facebook which was a blue water butt with a lid. Holes the size of a small side plate drilled out and then it was suspended. Looked quite cheap and effective.

Otherwise a bog standard haybag? X a few as they are small

 

[meleeka]

There was a thing going around Facebook which was a blue water butt with a lid. Holes the size of a small side plate drilled out and then it was suspended. Looked quite cheap and effective.

Otherwise a bog standard haybag? X a few as they are small

I saw that. Sadly my boy is a bit stupid and I could see him knocking himself out with one of those.

 

[Red-1]

Yes, it was like this one, but they had access from the back so you did not have to throw it in overhead.

I think sometimes it is safer and cheaper in the end to have something solid and purpose made, especially if you have a tank of a horse or a very curious one.

 

[Alibear]

I think you need to get in touch with Hovis and see if, once he's finished with his Madonna esq eye shield, you can borrow it for Alice.

 

[SpottyMare]

I have one of these - it's brilliant! Holds a decent amount of hay and easy to clean.

http://www.equisensedesigns.co.uk/products

I've just noticed at the bottom of the page that they have a slow feeder as well...

 

[Charlie007]

Could she wear a fly mask? My previous tb suffered with swollen eyes over night in the stable. Never did find out why but he wore a mask and his eyes were fine

 

[ester]

So ted can go shopping

 

[ester]

On a more serious note people have made their own hay hutches by cutting holes in the bottom of wheelie bins, or the blue poly barrells.