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Stall Hay Nets

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Stall Hay Nets
  • We are already planning for winter. We are looking into putting the hay in nets to slow down consumption and help the boredom factor. Our horses typically only stay in the barn at night. However, reviews on such nets are all over the place. Mainly, we do not want them destroyed in one night and want the horses to actually be able to get their hay out. Here is one of many we have been looking at:http://www.busyhorse.com/busybuffetslow.html Any thoughts and experiences you have would be appreciated! Thanks, Paul
  • I'm also thinking of getting something to slow down my horse's hay consumption. It gets so muddy here that he doesn't want to go out of his stall (mud half way between his fetlocks & hocks). I got an email the other day. Good info on different kinds. I think the one you posted was on there. Also how to make your own slow feeder. Hoping the link posts...http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/slow-feed-hay-make-hay-last-longer-and-prevent-horse-boredom/
  • Zag would spend all his time being ticked off at me if I put that thing on his hay!  (the board with the holes)  He doesn't have a lot of patience.
     
    I'm so hyper about things, when I read something that makes good sense I try to practice it and feeding at ground level just makes good sense in light of jaw alignment, function and the whole dental design of a horse.  Of course feeding round bales kind of defeats that, too, but I think I'm done with them.  Zag's the only one who really needs to eat hay.  Miles doesn't process it so he will be back on alfalfa pellets. 
  • Okay, so nothing I said was about hay nets.  Sorry.  Nearly highjacked.  Oops.
  • tried all kinds of hay nets, and these are cheap, work, outlast all the others. Use them on all my horses, now but bought them for my overweight Halfingers to make their short rations last longer. For the 'big horses' I can load up 3 or 4 flakes at a time and not have it get stomped into their bedding and pottied on. http://www.smithbrothers.com/product.asp?pn=PK-27293&sid=pricegSALE&CATALOG_CODE=SX833&EID=X3833001&zmam=1460880&zmas=2&zmac=26&zmap=PK-27293 here's my horses playing with them   I bought some large carabeener clips and run them through the same part where the string runs, and put large eyebolts in the corner of the stalls so I can clip the nets onto the eyebolts, makes it easy to hang. To load them I fold the top half back (like rolling down the top of a sock) and then slip the whole thing over the bottom corner of a flake, form there it is easy to load - like putting a pillowcase on a pillow. They are stiff for the first few days then get broke in. I have had mine for almost a year, they get neglected at times and sit around on the dirt barn floor, occasionally get knocked down and stomped around in the stall, and they are still as good as when I bought them. I ordered a 2nd batch after I found out how well they worked, so I can load 2 feedings of hay at once. Makes it easy if you ever have someone else take care of your horse, for $10 a bag you can have several pre-loaded with the right ration for somebody else to put up in front of your horse. The best thing about these bags is I think they mimic the horse's natural way of eating. They get to pick a few pieces at a time with their lips - which they do naturally when grazing. Gives them more tactile stimulation and mental interest when stalled during the winter.
  • I use slow feed hay nets also, they slow the consumption quite a bit!

    usually my donks are pulling the hay out of them for almost 2hrs or better. I love them!!  

    I saw another idea where they had put the hay net on a trolley system ( pulley) and so when the horse would grab hay from the back it would roll down the line, increasing the difficulty and making the hay last alot longer

    I notice a HUGE difference in the amount of hay wasted when I don't use my nets.