Keeping hay in outdoor feeders - photo

[Darbs]

I made these feeders a couple of years ago and they have been great, but the hay does blow out of them occasionally plus they eat the whole lot as fast as they can! I have this idea of some mesh I can put on top of the hay that drops down inside the feeder as the hay is eaten and slows down their guzzling rate plus stops it blowing around.

However I am not sure what I can use, does anyone have any bright ideas?

 

[The Jokers Girl]

I made something similar, bit it was solid rather than having slated sides. I made a frame to go inside and strung a haynet across it and then made a bigger frame as the lid. Unfortunately my cheeky horse still worked out how to angle the frame to remove it through the hole in the lid and snaffle all the hay, so I gave up and she just has it open like yours now

 

[ycbm]

There are commercial ones available Darbs, with a grid locked in by a lip around the top, so the hay pulls free without pulling the top out with it.

Easiest for you would probably be to net the hay and tie the string to the bottom slat of the feeder.


ps Is she TWELVE ? I can't believe it, I remember when you joined the forum.
.

 

[tda]

Would an old tyre fit inside?

 

[vhf]

I put rings in the bottom and tie haynets in. Sometimes it works better than others...

 

[Darbs]

ps Is she TWELVE ? I can't believe it, I remember when you joined the forum.
.

Yes, I feel the same, I remember her first time she sat on a pony aged 2, now she is 12 looking for a BE80 eventer!! Plus I got gradually dragged deeper into it and am now National Chairman of the Health & Safety Group at the Pony Club (as a voluntary role)!

God knows how we ended up here!!

 

[Olly's crew]

have made a very similar feeder, but we put 4 leadrope clips, attached to short pieces of webbing inside the box, then use them to clip they haynet in place. Working really well for us

 

[ycbm]

Yes, I feel the same, I remember her first time she sat on a pony aged 2, now she is 12 looking for a BE80 eventer!! Plus I got gradually dragged deeper into it and am now National Chairman of the Health & Safety Group at the Pony Club (as a voluntary role)!

God knows how we ended up here!!

I think we warned you ..... ?

 

[Darbs]

I think we warned you ..... ?

Yes, that is true, I believe you did, although its a hazy memory now!

 

[Palindrome]

I have seen it done with the rigid metal grids you use in concrete in a wooden frame and also a haynet in a wooden frame.

 

[HollyWoozle]

We have some similar feeders (although ours are bigger so hay doesn’t blow out the top) and I agree that attaching hay nets inside would be your best bet.