Which is a cheaper way of doing it ? Is there a solution ?

[niagaraduval]

So,

Mr.horse has moved to my parents house, his new friend is coming next week so there will be 2 of the buggers to look after

Mine needs his hay soaking and I will also soak it for the new one and I just prefer to soak hay for any horse. I am waiting to get loads of haynets to do the horrible job all at once as I only have 2 small haynets and horse eats 4 of these a day (2 at night 2 in the morning) so I am constantly filling and soaking etc.

I have 2 black bins that I have to fill by hand (with 1 small bucket as have no outdoor tap at the moment), it's a long way to the house and in total need 5 buckets per bin, that contains one haynet. So in total 10 buckets to fill the 2 bins that contain the 2 haynets for the morning or the evening. I also only have 1 small bucket for water (I am still waiting for my big tubtrugs to arrive) so have to fill that 3 times a day. Morning noon and night. In total that's 3 buckets a day + 10 buckets to fill the soaking bins = 13 buckets a day !!! (no wonder I am in agony !). This is also VERY time consuming and knackering. This is for one horse.. so next week there will be twice the work and I just don't have time or the strength to do what I am doing for 2 everyday.

To make life easier I have decided to go and buy loads of haynets, enough for several days and fill and soak them all at once ready for several days and hopefully when I have my big tubtrugs I can just give fresh water when I muck out and not several times a day as I am doing.

I read on this forum to steam my hay, get a kettle and a bin with a lid. This has worked perfectly, so well in fact I just fill the 2 haynets pour in the kettle and whilst mucking out and feeding the horse the hay is steaming and all I have to do is hang the haynet up, that is very light and not extremely heavy like soaked hay. I also have the problem of empyting the very heavy full bins of dirty hay water, whereas when I steam I don't have this problem, there is very little mess. BUT I am not allowed to do this ? I was told I can't use the kettle for the horse. It doesn't touch anything I just boil it and pour it over the top and return kettle, but no this is totally unacceptable. So I decided to use one bucket of very hot water from the tap, this also worked, that way I wouldn't be using the kettle. I was also screamed at for doing this too as I am using too much hot water for the horse. I am contemplating buying a kettle for the purpose, but I am being told off for using electric to boil the kettle..

SO, What is more expensive ? 10 buckets of cold water (and a huge amount of time and work) or 1 bucket of hot water from the kettle ?

I have tried saying that one bucket of hot water with very little mess and in 5 mins the job is done, with haynets ready to hang up is cheaper, easier and quicker than soaking, which is currently taking all my time up filling bucket by bucket and it's taking it's toll on my back after 2 weeks. The haynets are very heavy when wet and have to be left to drain for about 20 mins before hanging so I am walking around looking for things to do whilst waiting to go to work.


I work late and am really going to struggle with a second horse. I spend about 2 hours a day faffing about carrying buckets and soaking at the moment which I don't have time for.

surely there must be time saving tips out there for this sort of thing ? Apart from filling and soaking loads at once at the week end I really need to find another way as when the second horse arrives I don't know how I will cope.

 

[Cocorules]

Not a complete answer but if they are against you using a kettle can you take a flask or 2 of hot water from home and feed them from the trugs rather than haynets. I stopped using nets when pony got bad teeth in case it caused more problems with her teeth also more natural for them eating in a head down position.

 

[mystiandsunny]

You could use haylage instead of hay?

Or the thermos idea from above. Or a battery operated kettle.

 

[be positive]

Could you get a water butt or two and collect rainwater from the outbuildings, this could then be used for both hay and stables. Otherwise get a kettle and steam as you are and pay for the electricity it will be hard for the parents to not let you use hot water then.
Is there any way of putting in an outside tap to make life easier in the long term.

 

[Jazzy B]

why don't you just get a old bath (with a plug) stick a small bale of hay in (they fit) fill it up leave to soak and then just empty the bath when your ready - should be able to make all your haynets up for the day that way! that's what we used to do!

 

[orionstar]

you could invest in one of those bags that fit in a wheelbarrow, which would save alot of time carrying too and frow, or as prviously suggested some drainpipes to catch water from the roof of outbuildings.

 

[Ali2]

I would not soak several days worth of hay in one go - it'll be manky by the time you come to feed and and will more than likely be wasted!

I prefer soaking to steaming - I'd go with the water butt idea so you've got water available on the yard

The H2go bags are quite good - assuming you could get one in a barrow close to the house and put a hose on the tap you are using to fill it.

 

[PeterNatt]

You need to soak the hay for at least 30 minutes in water and use it straight away as otherwise it will go off.

I use a plastic builders concrete/cement mixing troughs which allow two hay nets to be soaked at the same time. They are about 6 feet long, two feet wide and one and a half foot deep.

I would run a water/hose pipe down from the house to your soaking area and then you won't have to carry water about.

 

[hudsonw]

Can you use a hose pipe, you can get really long ones these days, even ones that retract?

I used to use the large trug buckets instead and i could fit 2 hay nets (squished down) in one bucket with a couple of bricks on top...much easier to tip out.

I only used to soak my nets for 12hrs at a time max otherwise they smell and mine were soaked for 24rhs so needed the water changing twice a day.

If your nets are in bins could you not keep the bins closer to the house and then just wheelbarrow the nets to the stables?

 

[niagaraduval]

No chance of having anything horsey near the house, that's why I have to haul buckets of water over all the time.. The waterbag seemed a really good idea, but I don't have an outside tap (yet, will DEF get one though because this can't go on forever) and the only place I could put a hose in would be the tap that their dishwasher is locked on so I think they would probably murder me.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Be careful about steaming hay with a kettle of water. It introduces the right conditions for the growth of bacteria and fungal spores with a warm moist environment. A kettle or two of water isn't sufficient to penetrate all the hay and the water doesn't stay hot for long enough to kill the germs.
A haysteamer keeps the temperature hot for around 30 minutes, whereas a dustbin and kettle can't.
My vet orginally warned me against doing this as I'd thought it was a cheap and easy solution for feeding hay to a coughing horse.

 

[niagaraduval]

Be careful about steaming hay with a kettle of water. It introduces the right conditions for the growth of bacteria and fungal spores with a warm moist environment. A kettle or two of water isn't sufficient to penetrate all the hay and the water doesn't stay hot for long enough to kill the germs.
A haysteamer keeps the temperature hot for around 30 minutes, whereas a dustbin and kettle can't.
My vet orginally warned me against doing this as I'd thought it was a cheap and easy solution for feeding hay to a coughing horse.

Thanks for this interesting post, my horse suffers from COPD and his hay HAS to be soaked to get rid of the dust. I have recently been steaming it for around 20 mins, it is still steaming when I take the lid off though. I let it cool down and hang it up.

I have already made up a haynet for tomorrow and soaked it so I just need to make up one. Will this be manky by the morning then ? Should I give it to him tonight ?

 

[angel7]

Soaked hay need to be fed quickly or it will just rot so i would give him it.

Can I ask what kind of wierd setup do you have with your parents if they wont even let you use hot water or a kettle!!!?? Or have "anything horsey around the house"!! OR what if your horse god forbid needs a farrier and he parks his van infront of the house!!! Will the world end?
Sound like you need to speak to your parents and get it sorted or move elsewhere or what is the point??!

As for the hay soaking- buy 2 giant wheelie bins, half fill them up at the house (or use drain pipe from roof) and pull to stables, soak full hay bale in one. Use the black bins as big water tubs for horses and fill them from other wheelie bin. Sorted. Do this first thing and by the time you have mucked out and fed, feed the bale to both horses.

 

[SpruceRI]

Give up with the hay and buy haylage!

 

[Bettyboo222]

If you drive you can get kettles that plug into car, If you don't then you can get battery operated kettles

 

[peaceandquiet1]

Soaked hay need to be fed quickly or it will just rot so i would give him it.

Can I ask what kind of wierd setup do you have with your parents if they wont even let you use hot water or a kettle!!!?? Or have "anything horsey around the house"!! OR what if your horse god forbid needs a farrier and he parks his van infront of the house!!! Will the world end?
Sound like you need to speak to your parents and get it sorted or move elsewhere or what is the point??!

As for the hay soaking- buy 2 giant wheelie bins, half fill them up at the house (or use drain pipe from roof) and pull to stables, soak full hay bale in one. Use the black bins as big water tubs for horses and fill them from other wheelie bin. Sorted. Do this first thing and by the time you have mucked out and fed, feed the bale to both horses.

Kindof exactly what I was thinking!