Making hay last longer overnight?

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Megibo

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I'm now weighing the hay of my welsh mares as don't want them getting any bigger into the summer. One of them is 14.3 and weightaped today at 398kg, vet said she is fine but no bigger. I prefer her at 385kg on the weightape so currently feeding 1.5% forage but its really not alot compared to what I used to give her.

Any ideas on how to make it last longer overnight. I feed from the floor as I don't like haynets its better for their backs and stops them getting muscle strains. I go up once a day but they're turned out at about 8am ish in their field which appears to have no grass but they're heads are down so I assume they're finding something!
 
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I use double nets or trickle nets tied at ground level in a massive tub trug. Not the abdolute ideal but I'd rather they ate slowly and it's a decent approximation to eating from the floor.

All my hay is soaked and my boys always have clean straw available to browse on too.
 
Shysmum said:
I got Shy Elim-in-Nets as a trial thing, and they have been brilliant - as long as they are tied (or clipped on) using the metal ring at the bottom, they last for ages.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New...Horse_Wear_Equipment&var=&hash=item1c312792ee
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I've found elimanets to be a bit rubbish :o knots came undone after a couple of months and I found it really difficult to tie up via the metal ring.

I'll be watching this thread with interest as I'd love some sort of hay bar with a mesh that moved down as the hay gets eaten - does such a thing exist? Watching boyo go at his net makes me think it mustn't be great for their necks/backs.....
 
I use a haybar but tie haynets into them so they are eating from a more natural position but takes them longer to eat.
 
I'm another dillusioned punter who's got an Elimanet and the damn thing's beginning to pull apart at the knots :(

What I do is to fill the Elimanet and then pop it inside a bog-standard haylage (small holed) net. This slows them down considerably and 6lb's of hay (sorry I don't do metric!) will last them both overnight, otherwise they'll gobble it all down within an hour or two.

OR, I've got another load of haylage nets which I triple-net - again, this slows them right down.

Yes whilst appreciate its probably better for them to feed from ground level, for safety's & practicalities sake, I don't do it.
 
tankgirl1 said:
How do you tie them in? Got visions of them being pulled out and thrown about the stable all night :o
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Just how I would usually tie a haynet. Pull rope through string on tie ring, thread rope through bottom of the haynet, pull tight and tie in quick release knot. Hope that makes sense.

Only one has ever come over the side of my haybar and that was because my mum tied it for me and didn't do it my way :o

I can post a piccy if that would help?
 
tankgirl1 said:
I've found elimanets to be a bit rubbish :o knots came undone after a couple of months and I found it really difficult to tie up via the metal ring.

I'll be watching this thread with interest as I'd love some sort of hay bar with a mesh that moved down as the hay gets eaten - does such a thing exist? Watching boyo go at his net makes me think it mustn't be great for their necks/backs.....
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That sounds like a good idea - maybe you should patent it! Kind of a haybar with a mesh that sinks as the hay is eaten. I thought I'd read somewhere that someone had done it but maybe I'd read one of your earlier posts suggesting it? You could have smaller grids for greedier ponies. Nice idea, nothing worse than seeing forage smashed around and wasted - like burning money at the mo.
 
I feed mine late cut hay, this year farmer only got one cut & so when I bought in, I got some of last years. Means mine gets pretty much ad lib, despite the fact she can eat for England.
 
doriangrey said:
That sounds like a good idea - maybe you should patent it! Kind of a haybar with a mesh that sinks as the hay is eaten. I thought I'd read somewhere that someone had done it but maybe I'd read one of your earlier posts suggesting it? You could have smaller grids for greedier ponies. Nice idea, nothing worse than seeing forage smashed around and wasted - like burning money at the mo.
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I made one of these! Got the idea from a post on here somewhere with pictures and a link to a video on youtube (search for horse slow hay feeder). It was bloody brilliant, and ponio loved it, but mainly because he could get his hay out of it super fast, so not great for slowing down eating. Gave it to a friend who gave me her trickle net, which her pony wouldn't touch, now we're all happy :D
 
Megibo said:
ALI-how do you tie them at ground level please?
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In this contraption. The tub trug is fixed to the wall with the tie ring and the net is tied to the tie ring :)

Image0108.jpg
 
I couldn't bear it! I caved. Looked over my ponies door less than an hour after I put her in and she'd nearly already eaten her whole ration already! Can't stand the thought of her being in 14 hours with nothing to eat. Putting them back to their usual 'pile' of hay if not a bit smaller and cutting hard feed down to the bare minimum and will weightape weekly to check progress.
Oh and up the exercise on the ridden one!
 
How about soaking hay and also giving oat straw. I can't stand the thought of my girls standing without hay for hours either. I also keep tugging to minimum as would rather give more hay.
 
Megibo said:
I couldn't bear it! I caved. Looked over my ponies door less than an hour after I put her in and she'd nearly already eaten her whole ration already! Can't stand the thought of her being in 14 hours with nothing to eat. Putting them back to their usual 'pile' of hay if not a bit smaller and cutting hard feed down to the bare minimum and will weightape weekly to check progress.
Oh and up the exercise on the ridden one!
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Do you need to feed any hard feed? I would always prefer to give more forage rther thn hard feed.
I hate the idea of them st nding overnight with nothing to eat, so ours get their haylage (can't get good quality hay) in 3 servings accompanied by a trug of oat straw chaff each time.
 
Ali27 said:
How about soaking hay and also giving oat straw. I can't stand the thought of my girls standing without hay for hours either. I also keep tugging to minimum as would rather give more hay.
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Pearlsasinger said:
Do you need to feed any hard feed? I would always prefer to give more forage rther thn hard feed.
I hate the idea of them st nding overnight with nothing to eat, so ours get their haylage (can't get good quality hay) in 3 servings accompanied by a trug of oat straw chaff each time.
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Do you use chopped oat straw or get it in bales? Can't seem to find any suppliers around here :confused:

Do they get 3 servings of weighed hay with straw or just an amount you choose Pearl? Always worry about colic with feeding straw! And yes they need hard feed to mix in their supplements-both have joint and hoof supps and littl'un needs hers for Bute.
 
I get oat straw in bales for £3 and mine will eat if he they are really hungry. Mine have always been fine with it! Vet told me that you can also feed Barley straw but mine don't like that as much!
Sorry meant *rugging* instead of tugging! Stupid spell check!
 
I went for lesser of the two evils. Forget feeding at ground level, soak, and employ trickle net and triple netting. As it is, pone likes a challenge and still finds ways to empty them pretty quick... but it slows him down to an extent. Elim-a-nets are rubbish unless you're using them as a part of double / triple netting.
 
Ali27 said:
I get oat straw in bales for £3 and mine will eat if he they are really hungry. Mine have always been fine with it! Vet told me that you can also feed Barley straw but mine don't like that as much!
Sorry meant *rugging* instead of tugging! Stupid spell check!
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Found out today the bedding I use for one of my horses is Barley straw so would it be alright to weigh their hay and mix in a section or two of straw for them?
Do you know how much more kg of hay you can feed if you soak it?
 
more questions-my Physio has told me my tape weighs 40 kilos lighter than the real weight so should I weigh hay according to tape or add on 40??
And one of my mares is bedded on barley straw so could I just stick in her hay ration and let her pick through her bed?
Finally-sometimes they get fed haylage (its supplied by yard so we feed what they get in), do they need more or less kg of haylage than hay? and can you still soak haylage.. thanks for any answers !
 
Megibo said:
Do you use chopped oat straw or get it in bales? Can't seem to find any suppliers around here :confused:

Do they get 3 servings of weighed hay with straw or just an amount you choose Pearl? Always worry about colic with feeding straw! And yes they need hard feed to mix in their supplements-both have joint and hoof supps and littl'un needs hers for Bute.
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I use oat straw chaff for one - the other is bedded on barley straw and will eat that. But the oat straw girl gets colic if she eats too much long straw.
Yes they get a weighed amount of haylage split into 1/4, 1/4 & 1/2. They are also getting chaff in the morning atm becasue they're not going out until 11am. We wait for the ground to soften so that the old lady with the abscess doesn't have to walk on very hard ground. Although we have very little grass atm, I don't put any extra forage outside.
You can soak haylage but its a messy job and you can give a higher weight of haylage as it has a higher water content than hay - its the dry matter which is the thing to take into account.
Could you feed asmall amount of bran instead of hard feed to add their supplements? Ours love it and there are no calories to speak of.
 
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Pearlsasinger said:
I use oat straw chaff for one - the other is bedded on barley straw and will eat that. But the oat straw girl gets colic if she eats too much long straw.
Yes they get a weighed amount of haylage split into 1/4, 1/4 & 1/2. They are also getting chaff in the morning atm becasue they're not going out until 11am. We wait for the ground to soften so that the old lady with the abscess doesn't have to walk on very hard ground. Although we have very little grass atm, I don't put any extra forage outside.
You can soak haylage but its a messy job and you can give a higher weight of haylage as it has a higher water content than hay - its the dry matter which is the thing to take into account.
Could you feed asmall amount of bran instead of hard feed to add their supplements? Ours love it and there are no calories to speak of.
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Ah right okay. Will probably give them the lot or a 1/4 in the early morning and 3/4 overnight as they are finding a little to eat in their field, and bulk out with a couple of straw slices. How much more haylage can you give them than hay?
They only get a pittance of fast fibre and timmy chop both of which are low in calories if any :)
 
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