New Feed Scoop Design!

[Fiona C]

Hi All,

This is my first post with Horse and Hound and I was wondering if you could help out!

I work for a Product Designers and we've been tasked with developing a new way of feeding horses - whether it be through a new scoop, better bucket system or improved storage.

Does anyone have any issues or anecdotes that might help us with brainstorming the problems that come with feeding horses (e.g. not being able to measure food properly, feed gets cold and tough during winter...stuff like that!). Knowing what people use as a scoop/storage would be helpful too.

Any suggestions or feedback would be really valuable - massive thanks in advance!

Fiona

 

[misterjinglejay]

I like the Stubbs scoops, but digging out cold, stuck together molass covered mix can be tough. I use black bins as storage, and am saving up for metal feed bins (v expensive). With the bins, I hate emptying feed sack into them as you always seem to get halfway and then have to jiggle it around to get all the feed in it and not on the floor.
Not sure if thats any help lol

 

[Sprout]

I use the Stubbs scoops too, and they seem ok.

I store feed in plastic dustbins, and filling them with chaf based feeds is frustrating as starting off with a bale shape means I drop quite a lot on the floor, and have to keep stopping too push the feed down hard to get it all in!

Not sure that is very helpful, but will be interested to see what others come up with - good luck.

 

[misterjinglejay]

I store feed in plastic dustbins, and filling them with chaf based feeds is frustrating as starting off with a bale shape means I drop quite a lot on the floor, and have to keep stopping too push the feed down hard to get it all in!

Yes, I hate the chaff bags for that reason - maybe a chaff bag shaped storage container is needed.

 

[LynH]

I like Stubbs scoops as an easy shape to fill quickly but it's guesswork when giving half or quarter of a scoop. It's also handy to feed a horse directly from.

Something like a colander would be good for scooping sugar beet but smaller holes so the water doesn't drip everywhere. A scoop that would easily weigh each would be handy or a scale base to stand it on to weigh it as quickly as poss would be good. I make up 40+ dry feeds at the weekend in 5l small shallow trugs so some kind of storage for made up feeds would be good as is storage for larger squarer bags of HiFi or readigrass etc. as others have mentioned.

I use plastic dustbins as light and easy to clean out but prefer flip top lids. I'm currently trying to work out some kind of bench or worktop so I don't have to make up feeds on the floor a) cos the dog helps herself b) so I don't have to bend over so much and c) so I don't trip over all the buckets and send food everywhere.

 

[AngieandBen]

A plastic storage bin with a flip lid that you can get a 20k sack of chaff in.

 

[YasandCrystal]

A plastic storage bin with a flip lid that you can get a 20k sack of chaff in.

Sounds like a wheelie bin! I use those to store chaff in and dustbins for my A&P pellets.

 

[AngieandBen]

Sounds like a wheelie bin! I use those to store chaff in and dustbins for my A&P pellets.

How do you reach down to the bottom? I would fall in lol I'm only 5ft 3 Something similar would be great, just wider and not so deep!

 

[Gryfiss]

I would like a stubbs scoop that weighs the feed you put in it each time so you know exactly what amount you was feeding.

 

[WelshD]

Ditto the wheelie bin style feed bin, as wide but shorter would do it

Lots of people use the unit of measure 'mug' rather than scoop these days especially for balancers so plastic jugs or literally mugs would be good - so upright in design rather than horizontal like a scoop perhaps? - I always seem to spill feed everywhere off normal scoops!

A magic scoop for oil/mollassed chaff would be good - in cold weather I always end up digging at it with my hands!

A scoop with an inbuilt scale would be fab, again upright in design with a false bottom and basic scale like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Salter-089W...F8&qid=1381247492&sr=8-19&keywords=jug+scales

or even better this!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Rich...TF8&qid=1381247537&sr=8-1&keywords=jug+scales

 

[Trolt]

Personally, I'd want a feed bin which you topped up from the top, but emptied from the bottom. It's nie on impossible to get all the feed out the bottom of the bin, and I hate the idea of it sitting at the bottom going stagnet, with nice fresh feed on top.

For me, the ideal feed bin would look a bit like a water butt. It would be funnel shaped internally, or slanted, so the feed came through to the bottom, with no corners for feed to lurk in! Then you could continually top up from the top. There was be a tap or something you could turn which would trickle out the feed, into your waiting scoop/measuring device. You stop the tap when you have the amount you need.

If I was any good at designing, I'd have made one myself already

 

[Feisty Mare]

Some sort of scoop with ability to weigh would be awesome, I end up taking scoops of feed hind to weigh then you can never guarantee that your day to day scoop is actually the same as that one you weighed!

Storage I just use dustbins, not sure I would splash out on anything fancy for this, unless money was no object.

 

[maccachic]

How about an automatic slow feeder for hard feed that is inexpensive.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Stubbs scoops for me - and other trusty items for measuring
Childs plastic bowl for scooping water onto feeds.

For the likes of speedi-beet or specialist feeds (linseed etc), I have plastic mugs which has lines marked on it in black felt pen.
Originally I brought the mugs & some feeds home - weighed the amounts & then marked on the mugs the amount I required.

Also have used in the past the bottom half of a 2litre fizzy drinks bottle - again I put feed & scales together, so knowing exactly what came to where on the bottle.

Storage is plastic dustbins & I ensure I completely empty one before putting fresh in - sometimes decanting the last of the feed in the bottom at a weekend into an old water bucket & this is plonked inside the top of the bin to be used 1st.

A 4pt milk container with 1/3 of 1 side cut away is a good scoop for pouring water onto feeds if necessary (same is also good for creosote & brush use)

 

[touchstone]

I'd like to be able to buy a slow feeder bucket, according to thehorse.com tests with a bucket with 'cups' in the bottom slowed horses down and avoided wastage.

 

[Patterdale]

A normal round scoop holds 3lbs nuts and 1-1.5 of chaff depending how molassed.
I find that is all you need to measure feed out, not sure if a new feed scoop is really needed

 

[9tails]

Short wheelie bins

http://www.getwheeliebins.co.uk/2-wheeled-bins/75-litre-wheelie-bins

 

[Achinghips]

That scoop is useless for chaff .... I end up filling the scoop by hand.... It needs a lower pronged edge like a wide fork

 

[Abbeygale]

An economical and moderately sized hopper feed container would be lovely - I have always lusted after one of these, but a) they're mega bucks and b) they normally mahousive! One that was just big enough to fit a bale of hi fi in - and literally just tip it in - so sized to a hifi bale (I only use hifi bale as an example as they are usually larger and more square than other chaff bags).

Stubbs scoops are good, but not if you use molassed chaff as the scoop just won't pick it up. Maybe some sort of grabbing device (think like the grabbing arcade game where you try to get the cuddly toy) to pick up chaff?

 

[Hazel and Arnold]

Bit random but my horse is pretty underweight at the mo and I'm only able to get to the stables twice a day so he can only have two feeds a day. I would love some sort of (cheap) device that would maybe automatically release his feed a few times a day so he could have some nuts or a full feed an extra few times a day??? He lives out so it would have to be weather proof. Don't even know if this is possible??

 

[Maesfen]

Stubbs scoops, spend time to measure each type of feed and weigh then remember to make note of it and keep it handy.

Plastic dustbins for feed, same as FF, tip out before adding new, easy and simple.

For sugar beet, use a wide shallow bucket to soak or a shallow trug http://www.robinsonsequestrian.com/stable-yard/feedroom/buckets-mangers/flexible-feed-bucket.html and use a colander to scoop out, something like this, easy to pick up in cookery dept. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Premier-Housewares-Sieve-Stainless-Steel/dp/B0052R78JC/ref=pd_sim_kh_4
If you want to weigh as you go use a pair of bathroom scales, weigh bucket first and set tare so you're back ay nought.

A plastic beer maker bin is a good size for bags of Charnwood linseed http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Fermenting_Bins_and_Buckets.html but Brewers Yeast is better kept in the bag and wrapped up tight; I fill a bin with a small amount and use it from there but an old supplement tub would do just as well http://www.whitefurze.net/6-l-canister.html

Loads of storage and scoop ideas in a cookery department and half thr price if it has horse on it!

The beer bucket is also ideal for small pellet balancers, both Blue Chip and Suregrow bags fit in nicely (one at a time!)