Round Hay Bale Feeders

HollyWoozle

HollyWoozle

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www.farandride.com
This year we are going to use round hay bales for the first time ever. We have just had one but we took it into the field piece by piece - now we would like to put it straight into the field in a metal feeder to avoid wastage.

What kind of feeder is best? I have heard that people prefer the sheep feeders (as opposed to cattle feeders) as the horses eat over the top and therefore don't get their heads/legs/etc stuck in the bars. However we have a shettie also and I'm not sure if he would be able to reach over the top? In that case we would have to leave the bars uncovered for him to eat through it and then he might get his head stuck (or the big horses might try the same and get stuck).

Does anyone else use similar for big horses and ponies together?

Thanks :)
 
We run mares with a shetland teaser during the winter and they share a round feeder without any problem. Its a round feeder made for horses and has no ring around the top but has rounded dividers, to stop fighting and prevent wastage I guess, the covered part at the bottom would be the same height as a cattle feeder. Ours came from Foxs in Wexford who manufacture gates, cattle mangers, round feeders and sheds, so I would imagine that there are surely similar companies in the UK producing a similar product!
 
I have used a cattle feeder, never had a problem until march when Toffees sweetitch is through but I just take the feeder out of the field then. I have never had stuck heads, stuck feet etc in 10 years.
 
I have a sheep feeder, wire mesh has been fixed around it (see pic) to stop the horses putting their legs through the bars. They can eat the hay through the mesh. If you can't see the photo, let me know. :)

Horseshayfeeder.jpg
 
Im also looking into getting one of these, as there has been so much haylage wasted especially with this bloody wind.

Any more pics and some links etc would be much appreciated.
 
How about these? I haven't tried them, I have a hay hutch and some jcb tyres that do a pretty good job of retaining the haylage but the recent wind has been a challenge.
 
I have one of the sheep feeders - they are smaller and easier to hump around without a tractor (my pony pulls them)

Cost me about £110 from the local agri store. I put the hay bale on a cut down pallete to keep it off the ground and reduce waste.

Never had a problem with them putting legs through it
 
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