Hay Feeder Suggestions Wanted!

[OneFineAcre]

Oh WOW! We have sheds in the pasture and so do not have room for a feeder. (also, I am pretty sure that my calf got her tongue stuck to the hanging metal horse feeder we have when it got cold last week.) This would keep my sheep from digging under the hay and pushing it all out on the ground. I can build a short set of legs to put the box on and voila! I have used these for cleaning out coops and barns, for brooders, for small critter carriers... now I will use them for feeders.

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YOU ARE VERY WELCOME!!!

Be forwarned. They don't last foverever. Goats tear the top off. But, they work good. You can give them hay free choice and it stays dry.

 

[goatboy1973]

I used an 8 ft. section of wire panel secured to a solid wall in my barn at the bottom with fencing staples every 2 feet so the section of panel is hinged. I then placed several blocks of square bales on the panel and raised the panel and hay against the wall. I then used repurposed trampoline springs attached to the wall at the top and the panel at the top then I could pack it full of hay and as the hay is consumed the panel lies flat with wall and takes up zero space. Wish I had pix of this hay feeder.

 

[babsbag]

I built the premier one single sided feeder, 8' long. I used their wire panels too, and I LOVE IT. It is under the shelter I have for the goats so don't have to worry about the hay (or goats) getting wet when they eat. When I build my new barn I will have more of those feeders but this time made of steel, a friend is going to weld some for me. My goats like to chew on wood.

 

[SheepGirl]

I used this for my sheep, but I used non pressure treated wood and I kept it outside. It fell a part after about a year. Otherwise it worked great.

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/30-sheep-hay-grain-feeder-feeds-10-head.15070/

Now for feeding hay I am just using my gate as a bunk fenceline feeder and they are liking that too.

 

[promiseacres]

One page 19/20 of my journal is my hay feeder.... its working great. A neighbor had the base (a simple design) and we added runners an roof.

 

[vt_mountainman]

I appreciated everyones input on hay feeders, and wanted to update my original posting. Last fall I built the Premier1 feeder and have been real happy with it. I modified the design with a hinged cover on top to keep the snow and rain off the hay, and it has worked real well. I also hung a small wire feeding rack inside their shelter that I use to give them a little hay at night. I found that even during the worst weather, they prefer to eat at the outside feeder. When I fed them inside during stormy weather, they would run down to the outdoor feeder as soon as I opened the barn door, and stand there and look at me. They now have me trained to feed them outside, regardless of the weather!

 

[norseofcourse]

I also built a hay feeding using Premier1's design, and I'm very happy with it. I modified some of the dimensions so it would hold more hay, and also work a little better with a wire goat panel from Tractor Supply (Premier1's panels are great, but a bit outside my budget). Very little hay waste now - a bale used to last 1.5 to sometimes 2 days, and now a bale is lasting 2.5 to 3 days, and they are eating a lot more of it instead of spreading it around the barn floor.

I 'fluff up' the remaining hay each time I feed, to move hay they can't reach closer to the wire panels. Then I fill it with more hay, pulling apart each flake so it's loaded in the feeder loosely (they're able to pull hay through the wire panel opening easier if it's loose). If you are raising sheep for wool, DO NOT fluff up the hay or refill the feeder when the sheep are at the feeder - you get lots of hay in their head and neck wool. Ask me how I know...