# Can you feed a goat out of a net hay bag?



## Mini-M Ranch (Sep 2, 2009)

We are getting goats this weekend  

We have wood to make a keyhole style manger, but I saw a hanging net bag for hay at Southern States.  Since I have read that goats like to reach up to eat, I was wondering if it would be workable to use one  of these net bags for feeding hay to the goats.


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## mully (Sep 2, 2009)

When i used to show I used a mesh bag and it worked great. I only used it at shows and only for a few days at a time. I did not notice any dangers from the one I had as long as it was tied up properly.  Maybe some others on here have other experiences with a mesh hay feeder.


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## freemotion (Sep 2, 2009)

I used one a few years ago with my goats, then came in one morning to find the biggest doe with her leg in it, and it all wound around her leg tightly.  I had it tied up high enough...she must've gotten caught up in it while on her hind legs and then pulled it down in her struggles.  Poor thing.  She was fine, but her leg was swollen and sore for a bit.  

This same doe came to me with a bell on her collar.  One day she didn't come in for supper with the rest, and I went looking for her and she'd gotten her bell caught on the fence somehow and was stuck there for a while.  She could've pulled free but seems like she never questioned "being tied."  Goofy girl.  So maybe the haynet thing was just a fluke.


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## lupinfarm (Sep 2, 2009)

I use one and it works well, but make sure you hang it nice and high so they have to reach for it... We hung ours low for a while and Cissy got her head stuck. My mum was wondering why the hay was flailing about, it was just Cissy trying to shake her head out of it. 

Now it's hung up high and they have to work for the hay.


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## trestlecreek (Sep 2, 2009)

Yep, hay nets are not good for goats.
You can find a hay bag or hay rack.


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## lupinfarm (Sep 2, 2009)

If... You can find a hay bag, I can't use a rack right now but I intend on building one into my goat house once it is finished (floor joists in, starting the framing this weekend!!) so I'm stuck using the hay net for now. I can't find a hay bag like anywhere -_-


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## Mini-M Ranch (Sep 2, 2009)

They have a lot of hay bags on ebay.  Even camo pink!


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## lupinfarm (Sep 2, 2009)

Lol, Ebay only works if you have a credit card / paypal, neither of which I have or intend to have.


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## Mini-M Ranch (Sep 2, 2009)

uh...a checkbook will work, too.  And money orders.  

We don't believe in having credit cards...


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## lupinfarm (Sep 2, 2009)

LOL I don't have a chequing account hahahaha...

Oh man, no I'm going to stick with my stupid hay net until the goat house is done. As long as they can't stick their heads right in it, they are fine. The net was too low and Cissy was shoving her head deep in it to get the nice tastey bits (which, LOL, was making her sneeze cause she kept inhaling little bits of hay), but once I moved it up, I didn't have another problem. 

I like hay bags, but they also don't hold a lot of hay either and the goats need to have enough hay for at least the day as we're not always home to refill. 

I saw ones at a co-op near my old town that were kind of like webbed at the front, I might pick one of those up next time I'm in the area.


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## Aped (Sep 3, 2009)

I may try hay-bags in the future but right now my hay feeder consists of a short length of welded wire fence stapled across the back corner of my pen. Then I just toss the hay in the little triangle it makes. The goats can stand on it with their front feet and they can get their mouths right in the holes so it works pretty well. I have a bottom brace of 2x4 going across the corner that the bottom of the wire is stapled two. It would be easy to clean out anything that falls below the 2x4. I wouldn't know yet because I accidentally brought the wire past the 2x4 to the ground but when I cut it, it will be easy to scoop out the fines and stuff.


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## Run-A-Muck Ranch (Sep 4, 2009)

we have 
4 adult pygmy goats(3 does, 1 buck)
4 baby pygmy goats(3 bucks, 1 doe)
5 dairy goats(all does) (2 nubian, 1 alpine, 1 saanin)
11 meat gots (all does) (all boar--some are boar/lamacha cross)

we have a ton of different feeders. I haven't found one that works better over the other either.
I have hay bags
hay nets
panels set up
manger style on the ground
wooden mangers off the ground
round bale holders
even tractor tire rims to hold the hay

ALL the goats (sheep, horses, llamas) eat the same, and outta the same feeders.

All seem to work great for us. like i said I haven't found one better over the other. 
We use the round bale holders, and the tractor tire rims out in the pasture.
I use the wooden off the ground manger styles out in the 'corral/holding area'.
the nets, bags, panels, and on the ground manger styles are all used inside the barn in one place or another.
the bags work wonderful in the lambing and kidding jugs.
I use the panel set ups in the 'pre delivery areas'.
and the manger on the ground is the main feeding areas.
I do have a few hay bags/nets in the main areas too. some just use it for entertainment while eatting, others prefer to eat outta that then others.

I think most of it is just 'how your animals are with each set up'. obviously if they get caught in something you don't want to keep using it. That's why we had to get rid of our huge bale holder inside the barn. we made a huge wooden box with head holes for everyone to get to the hay on all 4 sides, well we had a few sheep that would get caught in it, so we ended up taking that out.


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