Slow feeders

[planete]

Does anybody use a slow feeder for hay? I am trying to find out which systems are available in the UK and how well they work. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[littlescallywag]

I'd be interested to know that as well.
Plan on attempting to build(bodge) one soon for the winter

 

[trendybraincell]

I struggled to find anything in the UK that didn't cost the earth...it seems they are popular in the US but less so here So I (well dad & I) built one, works like a charm

 

[**Vanner**]

Can we have pics?

I've resorted to quadrupled haynets! would love a slow feeder

 

[planete]

I have been looking at various models on US websites but some reviews do not inspire confidence re. safety or life span of the devices. Would love some tips please.

 

[catdragon]

I tie my mares haylage in a haynet on a ring that sits level with the top of her Hay bar... When I want to slow her futher I double net it and tie into the hay bar.

It stops her throwing it all out of the hay bar and steadies how fast she can eat it. The hay bar allows her to have her head in a more normal position.

So far, I haven't had any problems as I tie the net very short inside the hay bar so she can't pull it over the edge and get tangled up in it.

 

[trendybraincell]

Can we have pics?

I've resorted to quadrupled haynets! would love a slow feeder

I will take the camera up tomorrow

Basically its a wooden box with 3 wooden bars on hinges. Put the hay in, open the bars and I have a heavy duty galvanised wire that sits on top the hay, close the bars (they are secured with a couple of bolt locks) and away you go.

I went through a couple of versions, and lots of small alterations before I was happy with the final product.

 

[trendybraincell]

For those who wanted to see what my homemade slow hay feeder looks like...sorry if the pics are huge, I have resized them but photobucket seems to be ignoring that!

Empty, without the galvanised grill.

Wooden bar open to allow you to put the grill on top on the hay. One bar is static so you just slide the grill in under the static bar and then close the other three, locking them with bolts.

Shadow stealing some hay before the grill goes on

Not quite so impressed once the grill is in

 

[ISHmad]

Thanks for those photos, I'm thinking of something in the fields rather than just putting hay on the ground and these look really good.

 

[planete]

Great! Thank you.

 

[trendybraincell]

Thanks for those photos, I'm thinking of something in the fields rather than just putting hay on the ground and these look really good.

When I was researching how best to make mine, I saw a Utube video of an american lady who had made something similar to mine but on a grander scale for use in the field. Obviously hers was quite a bit larger, but was essentially the same thing.

You would need to consider where you were going to put it. If it was going to be exposed to the elements and alot of water, mine wouldn't last you very long at all. One of my trial ones was made using a large water tank. Similar principle but instead of the wooden bars to keep the grill in place we drilled a couple of holes in the top and ran some steel rods across so he couldn't pull the wire out. The only problem I found was the dimensions of the tank meant he could eat half the hay then flip the wire and get free access to the remaining hay, so you would need to carefully consider the shape of the tank.