Soaking hay, how do you soak yours?

[Lucky788]

I need to soak about 4kg of hay a time, I’m splitting between two big trugs at the moment to try and ensure plenty of water around the hay but does anyone have any more creative ways of soaking hay?

 

[MuddyMonster]

I just use a bin. Simple but effective

 

[ecb89]

I use a wheelie bin with a tap attached to the bottom

 

[Tiddlypom]

Stuff hay in black bin. Put concrete slab on top of hay.

Fill bin with water using hosepipe. Soak for desired time, then tip over bin and leave hay in inverted bin until needed.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Two 200 litre plastic bins. With bricks tied on top and a pallet next to it. When it's soaked long enough tip over onto the pallet to drain.

 

[BurntontheoutsideTurkey]

Old bath, 2-3 bricks in an old small-hole haylage net to weigh down.

 

[meleeka]

A wheelie bin with a haynet ring on the wall above. An old 5L container filled with water weighs it down. I really dislike soaking hay though and will usually feed haylage instead if it's needed because of dust.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

4kg is about 2 sections of hay.
I used to use old haylage sacks, split along the long side only for soaking or just using to transport to stable or field.
Lob in a section, put sack on old milkcrates and fill with water. Tip out when time up and then pop in barrow to take to destination.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

I drilled holes in half of the lid area of my plastic bins so I can lower the bin on it’s side and then on the lid in order to drain it.

 

[Sanversera]

In haynet placed in a wheelbarrow.fill with water and place a brick or stone on the net. Wheel into paddock and tip up barrow to drain.

 

[dreamcometrue]

I use a water butt which has a tap at the bottom so I can drain it. I put a trug of water on top to keep the haynet submerged then I use that to rinse the hay after the water has been drained.

 

[daydreamer]

I have to admit I splashed out on a Stubbs soak n roll and find it much easier than the big trugs I was using. It makes the chore of soaking hay much more bearable.

 

[anglo]

I use plastic storage boxes that my better half put a tap and pipework to the drain and a clip on pulley above to help lift the wet nets out

 

[Fransurrey]

Mine live out, so I have a large tub next to the trough and use a bucket to decant from trough to tub, once hay is in it. I then haul it into a wheelbarrow that conveniently has holes in the base, so it drains further as I wheel it into position for either hoisting up on hay ring, or dumping onto a shady area. The tub does have a hole in the base, so I can if necessary leave the hay there and it self-drains (there is a helpful bank right behind it).

 

[Exasperated]

I need to soak about 4kg of hay a time, I’m splitting between two big trugs at the moment to try and ensure plenty of water around the hay but does anyone have any more creative ways of soaking hay?

If you’ve only got one or two nets to soak, buy a fresh wheelie bin ( can even buy ‘food safe plastic’ ones if particular), drill a bung hole near the bottom, insert a metal wire fruit trug / similar to keep draining nets from ‘puddling’ in the very bottom, fill with sufficient water, shut the lid. Subsequently pull the bung out, and wheel to wherever needed. Easy-peasy
I have one friend with an asthmatic horse, who uses the same wheelie bin to soak hay in summer and steam it in the winter - pushing a wallpaper steamer hose through the bung hole, steamer on a timer at the electric point. She is super-hygienic with the bin, horse operates successfully at a respectable level, so it seems to work very well.

 

[Nasicus]

I was soaking nets in a black bin, but managed to crack the bin tipping it over to drain, and dragging the heavy nets down to the stable and hanging them was doing my back in, so I said sod it and bought a Haycube, no regrets!

 

[JenJ]

I did a BIG post about my hay soaking a few weeks ago

Post in thread 'Safe material for soaking hay in'

28 June 2025

So, photos, links and notes!

(I'll try and remember to take a photo tomorrow morning of the soaked/drained hay.)

As I said, it's a little inelegant, but it functions well enough. The mesh netting is the worst part of it, so I think the sheet will be a lot tidier/cleaner/easier.


For the automated water in, you do need to have a dedicated tap outlet so the tap can be left permanently on - I bought this double tap when automatic waterers were being installed in my stables and asked if they would mind adding the extra outlet from the pipe along the outside wall.

I used 3/4"...

• JenJ

• 
• 

 

[HopOnTrot]

If you’ve only got one or two nets to soak, buy a fresh wheelie bin ( can even buy ‘food safe plastic’ ones if particular), drill a bung hole near the bottom, insert a metal wire fruit trug / similar to keep draining nets from ‘puddling’ in the very bottom, fill with sufficient water, shut the lid. Subsequently pull the bung out, and wheel to wherever needed. Easy-peasy
I have one friend with an asthmatic horse, who uses the same wheelie bin to soak hay in summer and steam it in the winter - pushing a wallpaper steamer hose through the bung hole, steamer on a timer at the electric point. She is super-hygienic with the bin, horse operates successfully at a respectable level, so it seems to work very well.

This is a wonderful idea, I have bins for soaking and a grit bin for steaming, a dual purpose wheelie bin would be even better as I can drag it to the field when done.