Jambarissa
Well-Known Member
So I have a weird mind that tends towards creating Rube Goldberg machines, I completely identify with the Wallace and Grommet inventions.
Over the years I've created loads of horse ones, I think the auto haynet feeders were the most successful.
I'll share what I created here but interested in what others do.
For haynets you need rafters for it to drop from and a horse that won't be terrified by that.
Option 1 set up the haynet in the rafters so it only needs a pin to be pulled for it to fall. Buy a chicken coop door opener. You can buy timed ones or light activated ones, mains or battery. You just need to fix it to your beams so it pulls the pin like it would the coop door.
If you're good with electronics you can build your own, my best was using an automatic car arial plus relay and timer to pull the pin.
Option 2 is to put your net in the rafters over a pulley and balance it with a slightly lighter weight plus a drip type plant waterer.
eg https://amzn.eu/d/hTA9ZJx
This takes a bit more experimentation or maths but you basically fill it with a few kg of water so your haynet is held up by the weight plus waterweight and set the hose to flow at a rate where the net will fall at the correct time.
Both of these can be altered to deliver a feed via a chute, preferably with a boot to kick over the bucket triggered by a toy train.
Over the years I've created loads of horse ones, I think the auto haynet feeders were the most successful.
I'll share what I created here but interested in what others do.
For haynets you need rafters for it to drop from and a horse that won't be terrified by that.
Option 1 set up the haynet in the rafters so it only needs a pin to be pulled for it to fall. Buy a chicken coop door opener. You can buy timed ones or light activated ones, mains or battery. You just need to fix it to your beams so it pulls the pin like it would the coop door.
If you're good with electronics you can build your own, my best was using an automatic car arial plus relay and timer to pull the pin.
Option 2 is to put your net in the rafters over a pulley and balance it with a slightly lighter weight plus a drip type plant waterer.
eg https://amzn.eu/d/hTA9ZJx
This takes a bit more experimentation or maths but you basically fill it with a few kg of water so your haynet is held up by the weight plus waterweight and set the hose to flow at a rate where the net will fall at the correct time.
Both of these can be altered to deliver a feed via a chute, preferably with a boot to kick over the bucket triggered by a toy train.
