Soaking haynets / frozen hay?

[fuze]

Do you still soak haynets in this weather?

We were at about -4 here yesterday, plus an arctic wind (it was COLD). I managed to put my haynets to soak yesterday morning. I got there after work, there was a sheet of ice about half an inch thick welded to the net. I broke it off, rinsed the nets out, and left them to drain for 10 mins.10 minutes. I went back to get them, they were frozen solid.

So... do you guys persevere with soaking when it's this cold? Is there a trick to it (?!), or do you give up and feed dry? This is the first year I've had to soak hay, so it's a bit of a mystery to me. I had other liveries telling me that frozen hay can cause colic, and I was at a loss as to how he was going to get a block of ice through a trickle net??

Best thing was the nets were frozen shut, so I couldn't even get the damn stuff out

 

[Perissa]

I feed soaked hay all year round. When its like this I soak for 40 mins to an hour, drain for 10 mins. Make sure you drain them out of the prevailing wind. If they freeze its usually only the outside so whack the haynet on the ground a few times and the icicles break off.

I don't think I'd be feeding from a trickle net while it is this cold, maybe subsitute for a small hole haynet.

I don't believe frozen hay causes colic, no more than frozen grass would if they were out. Maybe if they are vey hungry and stuffing themselves but when its as cold as this I give mine almost ad lib. Three of mine aren't rugged and even though well covered want them to have full tummies.

You could try steaming if you are only trying to reduce dust.

 

[ATrueClassAct]

I sat on my soaked nets like eggs for 10 mins after they had drained I think I'm crazy..but they didnt freeze after I had a very wet and cold bum though

 

[Lotty]

I'm still soaking, bloomin awful isn't it? I have to soak to get rid of sugars but yesterday & today only soaked for 2 hours. If the tap freezes I have no option to feed dry hay. hopefully the weather will warm up a bit.

 

[ebonyallen]

I sat on my soaked nets like eggs for 10 mins after they had drained I think I'm crazy..but they didnt freeze after I had a very wet and cold bum though

I have fed it frozen it did not take too long to thaw when in the stable, not had an issue myself with colic and frozen hay.

 

[Mongoose11]

I went down to give a last night at 9.30 last night and it was frozen with sheet ice between the holes, that was even after wrapping it in plastic. I do need to soak though.... last night she started coughing a lot immediately after beginning to eat it, frozen obviously doesnt have the same dust swelling positives of soaked? So I had to whip the hay away and instead made her a hot bucket of fast fibre.....

Tonight she will get soaked hay at tea time as it will go into her stable drained and won't freeze in there but I have a bag of haylage I am going to open to give her at lates during this cold snap.


Brrrrrrr, wrap up warm you guys!

 

[fuze]

Thanks for the replies!

I've got to admit, sitting on haynets to thaw them doesn't sound too appealing Dust doesn't bother him, it's more a fatty issue and our yard providing very good quality hay (). We don't have anywhere to drain that's out of prevailing wind. The only way I've managed to get water for soaking is by filling a dustbin / tubtrug the night before... water's then there, you just break the (2" thick) ice in the morning

Being torn as to what to do last night, I pummelled the frozen nets until they gave a little, but threw some dry hay in his stable aswell. He managed to fight his way through most of one of the nets (he gets 2 small nets), the other was frozen completely solid. It weighed a tonne and I spent the best part of 20mins this morning trying to get the ice brick out

Unsure whether to keep fighting with it or cave and give him dry until the weather warms up a bit!

 

[_GG_]

I don't have to soak my hay now as it's lovely, but when I did, I had two tie rings in the stable...one is well away from the door so good when really windy or bad weather, but my nosey TB likes to look out so she normally has it by the door. When I did soak, I had a faux leather covered foam board nailed to the wall behind the haynets tokeep them from freezing. I have the same for the corner the water buckets sit in. Works a treat...unlike trying to post on here from my phone!