Poor Doers - haynet vs ground?

T

TwoStroke

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2011
Messages
1,577
Visit site
Has anyone done any comparisons as to how much haylage is consumed from a net in comparison to feeding loose from the ground? I want my skinny waif to have free access, but for practical reasons have to feed from nets. The nets are never empty, but I'm wondering if feeding this way is as ad lib as feeding from the ground... if you follow my drift?
 
I just gave my ex broodmare a net and I want her to eat as much as possible. I hate nets but in her case she's getting more now as she isn't dragging in through her bed or throwing it out the door. Same ad lib amount just now I'm sure she's getting all of what she needs.

Husband went haynet crazy. I'm against nets after a horse got a net stuck between his shoe and foot and yes it was properly hung. Don't even ask me how that happened. Everything turned out fine. And then I hear all the horror stories of rugs getting stuck in them. So we had a Mexican standoff this morning in that I refuse to give Abba one. She's neat with hers and it's every bit I give her and doesn't pig through hers either. I've been through enough oddball moments with her to last a lifetime. So don't need to add haynet horror story to the list.

Terri
 
I make sure mine has large holed haynets as I'm not allowed to feed from the ground. They're so large the haylege practically falls out anyway :p Never quite get people feeding poor doers from small holed haynets :)
 
I don't like nets either... aside from the safety issues they're bad for backs/necks and teeth. My 4yo is a total slob, though, and as they both have access to the same haylage, the TB has to eat from nets as well. I have to use small holed ones, too, as all the haylage comes out of the big holed ones - imagine a straw bed, only made of haylage. That's the result of large holed haynets (or no haynets) on my yard :(.
 
I abhor nets - nasty dangerous things. OP could you feed from a haybar instead? I would think that the horse eating from the ground would get more than one eating from a net, and with fewer calories used in the eating process.
 
I do a compromise of both. I have to net some hay b/c Kal is a pig and will scoff as much as he can as fast as he can so he needs slowing down, but I also put some hay in a huge trug so he can (and he does) take it all out of the trug and then forage for it in his straw bed.

P
 
My poor doer gets a 75ltr trug each night and this is enough for him.

haytub.jpg


My Tank gets a net as he is a good doer, but I ground tie it. He has huge, bare hooves that are safe with this type of net.

groundnet.jpg
 
I thought about haybars, but I've used them before & hr youngster tended to drag the haylage out. They're not cheap & I'm worried ill end up forking out for them & spending extra in wasted haylage, too.

Oberon's devices look good! Wouldn't dare have them on the ground with my 2 though, as the stables are open, so there's a lot of going in and out and moving round.

I guess I'll have to lump it, as I can't think of anything else :/.
 
I prefer the ground too, more natural position & safer. But I know some poor doers who drag it round, poo on it etc & then won't eat it. Could you try a trug in a tyre, or one of those corner mangers? Or maybe 2 trugs in tyres? And then if he eats it you can rig up something more permanent.
 
I suppose I could always sell the haybars if they cause a mess... Or try the trugs & hope they don't get pooed on :p (they are SO going to get pooed on, lol!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top