Would this be safe to feed hay in the field?

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myhorsefred

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I have two cobs who could easily live out this winter.

Last winter I fed hay off the floor, and they wasted/walked in most of it and made a mess!

Do you think this would be safe?
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/compos...x-compost-bin-black-220ltr/invt/0313405/?gf=a

I've been looking at a hay hutch, but they are more expensive.

I'm hoping it would be freestanding, like the hay hutch is, as I don't like to attach anything to a post etc, in case horses get caught. (And knowing my luck, mine would get caught!)

Anyway, do you think this would be safe? Both horses are shod.

thanks
 
We have one in use as a compost bin.

My fear if it was used as a hay feeder would be once empty it would roll around the field in the wind unless you could find a way of securing it down. I also think the opening at the top would be too small for both horses to feed through at the same time.

I feed hay in the fields and try to only give enough that they will eat it all. I put it in smallish piles under the hedge making sure there is one more pile than the number of horses in the field. So far I have had little waste.
 
get a hayhutch :)

i have one and its great :)


could do with something to slow them down but tbh i have no wastage...i have two very greedy coblets who eat anything!!..... :)
 
Can you get hold of an old potato crate/onion box? they are about a metre square and wooden, heavy enough not to be shoved around but light enough for you to move when needed.
 
Have you seen the Wheelie Bins with the large hole cut low on one side? I don't have a link, but there was a thread about them just the other day. Maybe someone on this thread has seen it. They hold a whole small bale placed upright in the bin. They need to be secured so that the horses can't knock them over. The hay stays dry and the horses are eating from it with their heads down in a natural position.
 
Check out the thread called "feeding hay in the field" on 6 October, 2012. There are several photos of wheelie bins which have been adapted to the feeding of hay.
 
I use several of these which cost me around £30 each:

http://www.watertanksdirect.co.uk/loft_tanks/round_loft_tanks


They are now in their 3rd winter and going strong, easy to move around the field too as I tip and roll. Virtually no wastage. I don't know what size mine are, but I can fill with enough hay for a horse and 2 small ponies for 24 hours. I don't use a lid. Sometimes to slow them down, I put the hay inside in large haynets. However, none of mine are shod and I thread the rope through the net so it can't get tangled or caught on little feet.
 
My friend has built a wooden frame, with two sides about 4 feet high and two sides around a metre. It is heavy but stable and easy to move. Inside we hang a builders bag and put the hay in there. The horses have to stand opposite each other so no fighting! Works for us!;D
 
Put less out on ground. If its not gone they are getting too much. I found feeding it religiously in same spot stopped the field going stale. As it does ruin the grazing where it gets left on the ground and if you put too much out they will poo on it and that is even more mess. I would put out twice a day in winter in same spot. Try ebay to see if you can get one of those cattle ring feeders.
 
I have youngsters so wont use anything but the ground. i put it out when it runs out, they have it put out at least twice a day. Very little goes to waste.
 
I use a compost bin, I have 3 fence posts in a triangle, bin inside then rope round the lot. Lasted all winter with not problem, holds two big nets of haylage, and my Clydesdale has no problem with the size of the hatch. No waste at all. (And cheaper than a hay hutch!)
 
I use two large (rear) tractor tyres I have a mixture of yearlings to 29 year olds and they all get on well with it. i rope the tyres together one on top of the other, using something to make holes in the two sides that will go together, then just thread a short piece of rope through and knot it inside the tyre each side, its tight enough to not come apart and tall enough to fit 3-4 slabs of normal hay or one slab of large square bale hayledge. its worked for the last two winters and does really well, there's no sharp edges and being round they are far enough apart to stop any problems. best of all it was free :) - its transportable, just tip it up and roll it - makes life really easy
 
Hi eggs, I could ask around some of my friends and contacts. A tractor tyre sounds a good idea.

Bennions field - thanks, thats a good way of securing them. ta
 
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