Ways to reduce hay wastage

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Aperchristmas

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What with all the hay shortages this year, I was thinking that I really need to maximise the hay that I will have. Here are the issues:
I have three big horses and a shetland who live out 24/7. I would bring in to feed, but I really don't have the time to deal with four horses twice a day as when I do this it takes about two hours each time for them to finish their hay.
The 2 1/2 acre field has very poor drainage and with 3 and a half horses on it all winter, resembles the Glastonbury festival site by the end!
This poor drainage means that if I use one place for hay, that place gets so chewed up and deep with clay/mud that it's unusable. The mud also means that I lose a lot of hay

Any ideas? I was thinking about using haynets, but that doesn't really solve the chewing up problem. Someone suggested a "big bale buddy" which is like a massive hay bag, but I'm worried that the lead cob just won't let the other horses share. And also the shetland wouldn't be able to reach and he does eat a bit of hay in the winter.

Thanks in advance!
 
Not sure it helps with the ground being churned up - but we have 2 recycled telegraph poles (only about 6 feet tall) with hooks on and we hang haynets from them. Seems to stop a huge amount of waste and they don't wander around too much, it does get churned up but not as much as if they were constantly wandering around with their hay on the floor. Stops herd leader getting it all as we have 2 nets of each post and he can't get to both posts at once!!!
 
Could you go all old fashioned and get a free standing hay rack that they can eat from on both sides? That way the cob could pick his side, and the others could move to the other side.

How do you manage with them out 24/7 on such mud? Ours get chronic mud rash if they so much as look at it. We have 20 acres, and I'd love them to be out 24/7, but they end up practically living in, with turnout in a small paddock that has hardcore underneath - otherwise its sore swollen legs and huge vets bills.
 
Get a haynet as big as you can find (the orange/black good quality shire ones?), fill it, put in the middle of a field in a big tractor tyre and tie it into/around the rim, securing in 2 more places with a bit of baling cord.
Used tractor tyres will be free from a tyre dealer.:)
 
Try giving slightly less hay, then they eat every scrap, we have a round sheep feeder and a nosy mare who will grab a mouthful, look aound to see what she's missing and drop loads, when she's in the stable there's always half a haynet outside her door, it's not easy to judge but worth it
 
I have this problem. The only way I could do it was to put up hay nets one more than there were ponies. I have also used straw as a dry patch for them to stand on as an island in the mud. You need to start it off with a big bale before it gets too wet then add to it daily, it also gives them something extra to eat.
Some one I know fed from slatted wooden boxes on their sides which stopped the hay being blown away and also walked on. I do like the tractor tyre idea.
 
We have a couple of metal mangers that I have fixed to the post and rail.

Having two means that they have to share, and although the ground around the mangers gets pretty 'Glastonbury' it's manageable and the rest of the filed is in pretty fair condition in the spring.
 
I use a couple of big cold water tanks with the black rubber mats you c in parks around the outside always works for me failing that make your self alittle concrete stand Around a area that u going to use
 
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Thanks for your suggestions. RE the mud fever, I haven't had any problems until this summer. My cob is now getting a bit scabby so he may have to come in during the winter if he doesn't get better. I quite like the tractor tyre idea and using straw could work, particularly higher up the field where it isn't so swamp-like. And they say that down south our fields are drier!
 
How about a couple of Hay Hutches? They are great, I've got four ponies that lived out 24/7 last year and I saved so much hay using them - it keeps it dry and stops it being trampled in to the mud. You can also move them around quite easily.

My mini shetlands can get their heads right inside and used to hoover up the last bits..

http://www.hay-hutch.co.uk/
 
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