|
|
Post by carshon on Mar 25, 2015 14:36:54 GMT
Decided to try a slow feeder for my Hubby's mare. She has had ulcers or something close to them due to severe thrush in her feet that was diagnosed (by a vet) as Navicular. She has always been pacey in her run and scatters her hay everywhere and does not usually eat all of it due to the mess she makes. We put her on some probiotics and straight alfalfa hay as well as have the thrush mostly under control. She was a cribber (mostly due to the ulcer pain) once the deep sulcus thrush started to subside the cribbing all but stopped - to keep the ulcers from coming back we decided on a slow feeder. My friend uses cinch chix nets and they are very very nice but always smell of urine and feces so she is always washing them- her one mare will not eat out of the smelly net and started bolting past her whenever she opened the barn door to feed. I decided against those as my runs can get very muddy and their run in sheds have mats but those can also get muddy. After some research decided to try the hay hoops. They were fairly inexpensive at Jeffers (and I got a coupon I used from them) so I ordered two. We have had them for two weeks now and the cribbing has stopped entirely! Although hubbies mare is still pacey at times she has mastered the net and does seem to be a little less anxious at the morning feeding. We put one in my daughters horses run in shed as well and Gracie took right off with it.
They were easy to install and the nets do not touch the ground - they fall flat against the wall when empty so I am not very concerned about horses getting hoofs in them (our run in sheds are 15 X 15 so fairly roomy for 1 horse)
We are considering buying more for the other 2 horses - waiting to see if there are any good deals at the Midwest Horse Fair
|
|
Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466 
|
Post by Terry on Mar 25, 2015 14:55:02 GMT
We had always just fed hay on the floor when our horses were in their stalls, but they were going through hay too fast, plus we ended up with quite a bit of wasted hay. After we got the pony we found that she was the worst offender of wasting hay yet! She would tear it apart, drag it around her stall, and pee & poop on it.  We decided to try a hay net for her, but I didn't like how difficult they were to load, and then once I finally did get it loaded, then I had to figure out a place to hang it. Too frustrating and too time consuming. Hubby found the Hay Hoop at our local Farm & Fleet store so he picked one up to try. It mounts to the wall, lays flat against the wall when it's empty, keeps the net off the floor, it's super easy to load, and Pocket eats out of it fine and no longer wastes her hay! I loved it so much that we bought 2 more and mounted one in each of our 3 stalls. Sis is still not a big fan of eating her hay out of a net, but she manages. Zena took to it no problem. I would absolutely recommend the Hay Hoop!
|
|
Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
|
Hay Hoop
Mar 25, 2015 15:01:42 GMT
via mobile
Post by Lipizzan on Mar 25, 2015 15:01:42 GMT
Some pictures? I am interested to see how it looks.
|
|
Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
|
Post by Terry on Mar 25, 2015 15:08:53 GMT
|
|
Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
|
Hay Hoop
Mar 25, 2015 15:28:01 GMT
via mobile
Post by Lipizzan on Mar 25, 2015 15:28:01 GMT
It looks good. And I like it is fixed, not like net that is hanging and swinging.
|
|
|
|
Post by lorddaxter on Mar 25, 2015 15:48:52 GMT
I like those too, wonder if you can get them with smaller holes though?
|
|
Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
|
Post by Terry on Mar 25, 2015 16:21:09 GMT
Here' another link with more pictures and more information. Mine came with nets, but it looks like you can use any net you'd like, as long as the holes are no larger than 2 x 2.
www.chicksaddlery.com/page/cds/PROD/HF8818
|
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Mar 25, 2015 17:29:58 GMT
Looks good....
I would be willing to give it a try but have no solid wall to attach it to at the right height.
My "solid" wall is only 52" high then we have bars/grates for air flow for the top.
Once I would fill it it would be at hoof level and lose the purpose when they would eat from the top...
Hanging hay nets, slow feed, I will stay with.
|
|
Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
|
Post by Terry on Mar 25, 2015 17:51:04 GMT
Looks good....
I would be willing to give it a try but have no solid wall to attach it to at the right height.
My "solid" wall is only 52" high then we have bars/grates for air flow for the top.
Once I would fill it it would be at hoof level and lose the purpose when they would eat from the top...
Hanging hay nets, slow feed, I will stay with. It's still a slow feed hay net, it's just mounted to the wall and easy to fill. I think you are misunderstanding how these work. They can't just "eat from the top". Once it's filled, you close the hoop at the top so it is locked in place against the wall. They can only eat through the net. |
|
|
|
Post by carshon on Mar 25, 2015 20:11:19 GMT
Mine is the exact one in the chicks link and we really like them so far. Wish I would have purchased them earlier in the winter! Would have saved some wasted hay for sure!
|
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Mar 25, 2015 20:56:44 GMT
Oh...thanks Terry for clarifying that.
Honestly then in that case I am not interested.
Now that I have been using the slow-feed nets daily they kind of fall open to the shape of the hay sections/flakes. My son holds and I stuff the hay in...actually takes no time or effort by either of us or I can do it by myself too.
I hang my haynet by the closure string with a double end snap, then use 2 more snaps on either side to keep it stationary and in case the horses break the tie rope the net still will be safely against the wall...
Our paint horse loved to wallop the other one with it we saw so fixed his "fun" when we just secured it more tightly... 
So far it is working. 
|
|
|
|
Post by lorddaxter on Mar 25, 2015 21:38:48 GMT
Id have to put it way higher, mine will paw at the nets if they are low, Id be scared they hooked a shoe
|
|
Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
|
Post by Terry on Mar 26, 2015 2:11:11 GMT
As promised, I took some pictures of one of my Hay Hoops when I got home from work this evening (they all look and function the same).
The Hay Hoop mounts securely to the wall, and you just open the metal "hoop" at the top to fill it... 
Once it's filled, you close the "hoop" against the wall (the little tab at the top acts as a lock to keep the horse(s) from being able to open the "hoop")... 
Here is Pocket's Hay Hoop filled and ready for her. You can mount them at pretty much whatever height you want. We mounted ours as low as we could, while still keeping the bottom of the net from hanging on the ground. 
Here is Pocket happily munching on her hay from her Hay Hoop. 
Empty Hay Hoop the next morning  
I personally love my Hay Hoops! We've had a lot less wasted hay since we started using them, and it keeps my girls from gobbling down their hay too quickly and being left with nothing to munch on the rest of the night. Plus, they are just so quick and easy to fill!
|
|
Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
|
Post by Lipizzan on Mar 26, 2015 8:50:46 GMT
I really like it. And it looks easy, simple and useful.
|
|
hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647
|
Post by hugs on Mar 26, 2015 11:16:38 GMT
If I'm ever in the situation where I feed my horses in a stall I will definitely look into those hay hoops. We feed out in a pasture and they only have an open face shed. So we feed in feed bunks spaced far enough apart that each can eat without "fearing" the hind end of the other. Since Gerald is retired he feeds twice a day. And yes, they waste some, they like to flip the hay around to get to the leaves. So Gerald will rake up the leaves and feed that at night.
|
|
mingiz
Junior Member
Los Lunas, NM
Posts: 3,320
|
Post by mingiz on Mar 26, 2015 12:07:24 GMT
HL4L Depending on how man mounting holes they have. Maybe you could use u-bolts to attach it to your stall bars. Just a thought.
I like them. One day when I have stalls I might have to get some. |
|
We decided to try a hay net for her, but I didn't like how difficult they were to load, and then once I finally did get it loaded, then I had to figure out a place to hang it. Too frustrating and too time consuming. Hubby found the Hay Hoop at our local Farm & Fleet store so he picked one up to try. It mounts to the wall, lays flat against the wall when it's empty, keeps the net off the floor, it's super easy to load, and Pocket eats out of it fine and no longer wastes her hay! I loved it so much that we bought 2 more and mounted one in each of our 3 stalls. Sis is still not a big fan of eating her hay out of a net, but she manages. Zena took to it no problem. I would absolutely recommend the Hay Hoop!
