# Milk Crate hay feeders



## GabysMom (Apr 17, 2015)

Do and of you all use milk crates for hay feeders? we have a few extra laying around and want to put them to use. DH says we need to cut some bigger holes in them...im not sure. anyone have pics of their milk crate hay feeders they can post? TIA! you all have been very helpful!!!!


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 17, 2015)

We do use them in a pinch when we have to move a goat into a separate pen, and at fair.  I bungie cord them to the wall.  They still mess it up and it is a huge waste of hay.  @OneFineAcre used rubbermaid containers with a hole in the side, and laundry baskets.

Are you looking for permanent use or temporary?


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## GabysMom (Apr 17, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> We do use them in a pinch when we have to move a goat into a separate pen, and at fair.  I bungie cord them to the wall.  They still mess it up and it is a huge waste of hay.  @OneFineAcre used rubbermaid containers with a hole in the side, and laundry baskets.
> 
> Are you looking for permanent use or temporary?



I am looking for something permanent/semi-permanent....by that I mean I do not mind replacing it every so often. Right now I just have a small Rubbermaid container on the ground with the lid off inside their shelter (which is an aluminum shed). I have seen some pretty nifty DIY feed/water/hay stations but I need something on a much smaller scale as they are "urban goats" and we have to try and maximize our space where we can. They have a 12x28 foot enclosure (2 ND wethers) where we keep them when we cannot supervise them and this is where their house/food is kept.


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 17, 2015)




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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 17, 2015)

I love the new feeder we built.  It was fairly cheap to make.  Not movable though.


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## GabysMom (Apr 17, 2015)

see I want something I can move-since i plan to rearrange the goats area once we get every we need built, built. I have seen the pallet feeders which is similar to what you have here but on a slightly smaller scale. I know what I want, I can picture it all in my head....but trying to verbalize/put it together is where I have the trouble LOL.


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## mysunwolf (Apr 17, 2015)

We've used milk crates pretty long term with sheep and goats, we let them both get their heads in the top and eat through the little holes. They do make a mess but not as much of a mess as if we were feeding on the ground  We tie them or bolt them to the wall.


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## GabysMom (Apr 17, 2015)

@mysunwolf , you didn't need to make the holes on the side any larger since they could reach in the top I am assuming


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## mysunwolf (Apr 17, 2015)

GabysMom said:


> @mysunwolf , you didn't need to make the holes on the side any larger since they could reach in the top I am assuming



Yep, I like the easy way! We have also taken livestock panels and cut them up to make very small versions of what @Pearce Pastures built. Same story, have a 2'x2' square of panel, secure the bottom to the wall, tie the top a little looser, stuff hay in it. We have used all sorts of things for hay feeders in a pinch, including rubber totes that are screwed into the wall (no dumping upside down and climbing on, as goats like to do).


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 17, 2015)

I'll see if I can find pictures the ones we made from Rubbermaid totes
We cut holes in the side big enough for their head and leave the lid on
We also screws two pieces of 2x4 to the bottom so they can't turn them over
We've used these for a long time and they hold up pretty well


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## GabysMom (Apr 17, 2015)

mysunwolf said:


> Yep, I like the easy way! We have also taken livestock panels and cut them up to make very small versions of what @Pearce Pastures built. Same story, have a 2'x2' square of panel, secure the bottom to the wall, tie the top a little looser, stuff hay in it. We have used all sorts of things for hay feeders in a pinch, including rubber totes that are screwed into the wall (no dumping upside down and climbing on, as goats like to do).



I can actually visualize what you are saying about the livestock panels and I may try something like that. I would like hay inside and outside their main shelter so we may be using a couple different types of hay feeders! @OneFineAcre , if you can find a pic that would be fabulous!!!


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 17, 2015)

If you only have a couple of goats, you may just want to do one hole on each side.  I make the holes big enough they can get their head in and out.  And, I screw the two piece of wood on the bottom to keep them from turning them over.  The smaller ones actually hold up better, because the big goats can't get on them, just babies.

You have some waste, but not as bad as you would have with just an open milk crate.
I know it looks like a lot on the ground, but that's from weeks of feeding.

I don't worry too much about waste with coastal bermuda.


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## Banriona (Apr 17, 2015)

I got this http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/tough-1-deluxe-large-poly-hay-bag to use in my quarantine pen for my two new (ND) bucklings.  So far it works great.  So great in fact I may actually have to go buy bedding since the waste amount has been so little.  Holds about 1/4 of a square bale give or take.  For five bucks it's not a bad deal.  May have to go buy one for the doe pen now.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 17, 2015)

Please be very, very careful with hay bags.  When I first started with goats I thought the bags were wonderful until I found one of my favorite does hanging in one.  She had stuck her head through a hole and somehow got the hay bag twisted around her neck.  I found her the next morning very, very dead.

Some folks think it's only horned goats who have a problem with the bags, but my goat was de-horned.


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 17, 2015)

We use the bag feeders at shows in the pens but they are supervised
We tried them this year in kidding stalls until we came home and one of the kids leg was hung up in one

Ours are different than those in link

The good thing about the tote feeders is if they are outside and it rains keeps hay dry

Now that I have a proper barn going to build a real feeder
But the totes served us well for years


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## GabysMom (Apr 17, 2015)

I may just cut bigger holes in my tote!! Thank you all!


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## Banriona (Apr 17, 2015)

Thanks for the warning!  Hadn't factored in the twisting.  I'll raise it up so they can only reach the bottom of it and not get their heads in it.  Hopefully that will hold them until I can get their drum feeder made next week.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 18, 2015)

Here are a couple of other options. 

http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/MHB917

This one is a bit pricier, but still not a bad option:

http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/C...m_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopzilla+data+feed


Hopefully, you won't need to buy anything else and will get your other feeder ready for them.  Good luck!


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## Latestarter (Apr 20, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> View attachment 9213


 Is the area above the feeder open to a hay loft above?  Wouldn't THAT be a time saver!!  You could just drop a hay bale down into the feeder from the storage area above! Now THAT idea is gonna stick with me when barn building time comes!

Edit: on closer perusal, I see ceiling joists running through, so I guess it's NOT an opening... Oh well... still a great idea!


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 21, 2015)

Lol no not exactly open.   It is made so that my short self can load 3 bales in from outside of the pen.   I do have to drop them off the loft to the ground first.


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## Ridgetop (Apr 25, 2015)

We have used milk crates, but they are pretty wasteful.  At first we thought they would be pretty good but even wiring them to the fences, the goats would scatter the hay. Once the hay has touched the floor they won't eat it.  You can use them to carry the hay to the pen but if your hay is loose, you will still loose a lot.If you want a cheap movable feeder that will prevent waste, why not make a keyhole panel?  A keyhold has been around forever and is designed to stop waste.  You only need a jigsaw and a piece of plywood.  Since your goats are dwarf or pygmy size, size it down.  Decide how high you want the head opening.  It should be at least head height on the goat and slightly higher than the hay level.  That way they have to move their necks down into the slot to eat.  When they want to take their heads out of the feeder slots they have to move their heads up to the hole to back out of the feeder, dropping the loose hay they would have normally pulled out onto the barn floor.  Put as many openings as you want but since you only have 2 goats and want to put it in a corner, 2 shoi;d be enoigh.  You can always make 2 boards and mount them in different corners if they don't get along. (Goats will often choose a favorite opening and fight over it.)  Space the openings just wide enough that goats standing side by side have room to eat.  You can find directions for keyhole feeders on line, or in any goat book.  Just remember that the directions are sized for standard dairy goats and minimize the pattern accordingly.  My children and I built several using a pie plate as the hole pattern and then making the slot about 6" wide and 10" long.  For Pygmy size goats you will have to do some measuring and adjustments.  Put eyebolts in each corner and tie or wire it to the wall on either side of a corner in your pen.  We used to have many of these keyhole boards.  We used them when we went to fairs, shows, and when we set up individual kidding pens.  they were easy to store since they were just sheets of plywood.  I used 5/8" since that is what I had a lot of scrap from but with pygmy or dwarf goats you could use something lighter.
If you want to use the milk crates for something and have laying hens, turn it on the side, put a board about 3-4" high across the bottom of the opening and use them for nest boxes.


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## chrisarvor (May 10, 2015)

i live in Bulgaria ,when you say Hay is that Lucerne(or as you call it Alfalfa) 
 because i can only buy straw for bedding or Lucerne 
if i put a box of alfalfa,lucerne out they would not sop eating it ??? and i am told not to over do the lucerne feed 
what do you think ,, i have 6 mini goats


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## Ridgetop (May 10, 2015)

Here in the USA hay can be either Alfalfa (Lucerne is a variety), oat hay, grass hay, or several other types of feed hay which is different from straw.  Straw is bedding material and is the waste stem left after the oats, wheat or other grains are harvested.  It is baled and sold here as straw for bedding.  If your goats or sheep are on a special restricted feeding schedule like some show animals are, you can't bed with straw because they will eat it and get a "hay belly" which you don't want in the show ring. That usually just applies to market animals.

If you are feeding goats, which kind?  If they are milkers, we always fed 1st cut Lucerne alfalfa because milkers need the high protein levels to produce milk. Alfalfa grows andcan be cut as much as 3 or 4 times a year in certain areas of the world depending on the length of your growing season. The level of protein decreases with each subsequent cutting during the harvest year.  First is the highest, then 2nd, etc.  By the 3rd cutting the protein level is more suitable for horses, etc.  We fed free choice which means keep the feeders full.  We grained according to their production of milk so much grain per opound of milk produced.  That is for milking dairy animals.

If you are feeding a full feed pellet ration to your goats, and the hay (Lucerne) is only for rumen health, you will have to weigh or measure your alfalfa (Lucerne).  It depends on what your breed of goats needs for nutrition.  If your Lucerne is very rich in protein that may be why you are told not to feed too much of it to your goats.


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## chrisarvor (May 10, 2015)

Hi Ridgetop
great answer thanks very much
I have 6 mini goats which i have for my grandchildren when they come to see us ,i dont milk them,
they are just for fun ,i will breed them later

and they keep the mind ticking over  with things to do

We have a large plot with plenty of grass for them to graze on ,
i give them a cup  of pellets each every night and a small amount of Lucerne in the morning ,they all seem to be fit  and have a good run around
thanks again keep well


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## Ridgetop (May 11, 2015)

Grandchildren and goats - life can't get any sweeter!


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## frustratedearthmother (May 11, 2015)

X a gazillion!


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## Latestarter (May 11, 2015)

Ridgetop said:


> Grandchildren and goats - life can't get any sweeter!



Sure it can!  Do what I did and get a couple of bee hives!  Then you can be talking SWEET!


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## chrisarvor (May 11, 2015)

Latestarter   have you ever seen this 

http://www.honeyflow.com/gallery-videos/videos/p/60


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## Latestarter (May 12, 2015)

Yes. Saw it when it was first published when they were looking for funding. It seems they did quite well.


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## Pmtervo (May 26, 2015)

frustratedearthmother said:


> Please be very, very careful with hay bags.  When I first started with goats I thought the bags were wonderful until I found one of my favorite does hanging in one.  She had stuck her head through a hole and somehow got the hay bag twisted around her neck.  I found her the next morning very, very dead.
> 
> Some folks think it's only horned goats who have a problem with the bags, but my goat was de-horned.



Sorry for your loss! The other thing is to make sure that your goats don't chew them. I made the mistake of tieing them inside their shelter overnight and the next morning half of the bag was gone and I was finding chunks of nylon rope all over their house for days.


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