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We Are Flying Solo

January 23, 2020

How We Hay (Net)

It's that dark, cold time of year where the hay burners practice their money hay burning best.  Now that I know exactly how much hay costs, I'm always looking for ways to stretch it out & hay nets can play a big role in that.

The tradeoff of course is that, as anyone who has ever used a hay net can tell you, hay nets can be devices of human torture, seemingly designed to cause the maximum amount of rage & failure when it comes to getting hay inside of said net.  When you finally achieve this, you are now faced with the contradictory goal of convincing the horse to remove the hay from its hard-won net as slowly as possible.

*pausing for a moment to wonder why we do this to ourselves*

After much rage practice over the years, here is what is currently working for us:

Horze Slow Feeder Hay Net

I'm amazed this thing is still alive!  I first wrote about it when it was sent to me to try here in 2014 (awww, my shed didn't even have walls yet!).  Initially, it seemed like the mesh might not hold up to regular use, but I was wrong.  While I have patched it a time or two with hay string, that bugger is still holding hay, even though it gets violently snatched at by a Baby Monster. 
Encore remains the champion of "doing it HIS way"
It has stayed out both of the last two winters.  Recently I have had to fix the hanging corners, as the  material finally dry-rotted from UV bombardment, but it was just the binding tape.  The  netting itself is still mostly functional.  The holes are definitely small enough to slow a horse down considerably.  This might be its last winter, but six years is pretty darn good, I think.  I would totally buy another one.
Technically still alive

SmartPak Slow Feed Hay Bag

Since Solo hates the Horze net (he says the holes are too small & it's way too effective), he monopolizes this one.  I have mixed feelings about it, but I think overall it has done decently.  I got the larger size & yes, it is very large. 

Pros:
  • Durable - material is heavy-duty, no sign of stitching fails or wear after a year
  • Holds a lot of hay -- flake size is variable, but you could easily fit 3 fat flakes in here
  • Easy to load - big opening holds itself open with two metal bands, well-covered in fabric so no poking
Cons:
  • There is velcro closure at the top.  Who combines hay & velcro?  The velcro is still holding, but I'm constantly picking hay out of it, it annoys me.
  • I doubt the single ring hanger would survive as sole support on its own.  Fortunately, some helpful person had posted an additional support idea in the reviews & I adapted that.  I used some old leg snap clips & wove a rope out of hay string to create a weight distribution system that has kept that ring from tearing out.
  • I wish it was wider rather than longer.  I would wish this even more if I was a short person, because you have to hang it high enough to keep it off the ground, but still need to reach it to load it.  And because the hanger is in the center, it swings like crazy.
SP net plus my engineered supports
The size I got (2") is also not really a slow feed -- Solo can clean it out relatively quickly, pulling fat chunks of hay out of the gaps.  I bought this bag with a coupon & while I would not pay full price for it (although it appears it's on sale right now), I appreciate that it hasn't disintegrated & it works for now.

I'm always on the lookout for better options, though.  Have you found a hay net you love that doesn't make you want to throw it in the woods?  Unless it's $100, at which point I don't care, I'm never buying it, ha. 

19 comments:

  1. I don't find that the 2" nets slow my horses down at all, though they're good for keeping hay off the ground. I like these: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/ultra-slow-feeder-hay-net/E015309/
    I have several that are still going strong after a few years of use. That said, Nilla has also managed to destroy some in significantly less time. They fit an entire bale of hay (just roll them on and cut the twine after it's in the bag). The Shires Greedy Feeder net is also a nice 1" option. I haven't had one for long enough to attest to its durability, but it is good for fitting a full bale (the XL size) and actually slowing the horses down. At our previous barn, we built PVC hay net holders to make filling them easier.

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    1. That SLT one is a nice option for not a lot of money, I will definitely keep that in mind, thanks!

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  2. What do you think about these? Savvyfeeder.com Pricey but they seem to be REALLY nice. I've also seen people build their own version out of lumber and a slow feeder bag like you have over the top. Definitely need to save that expensive dried grass! (Now, if I could just make a teeny, tiny version for my guinea pig who wastes a TON of hay... LOL)

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    1. I have seen those & heard good things about them. I would never buy one bc out of my income bracket, but but it would definitely be easy to build.

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  3. I spent my money on Haychix...and love it! They cleverly put a clip on one side, and you fill from the other side. The only con is daisy-chaining the extra rope...but you get good at it. PS, the one I have takes 1/2 bale...I just put the 1/2 bale between my legs and pull the net over the flakes. :) https://haychix.com/

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    1. I have looked at theirs, they are nice, but I can't afford them.

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    2. They have sales! I paid $88 for a 4-pack deal they had two years ago. Not expensive at all...

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  4. Ha! I just wrote a post comparing the various hay nets I have tried.

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  5. I use nets in a different way and a whole small 2 string bale at a time but the hay chix nets are worth the extra money. They hold up so well. The 1 3/4" size is perfect for a horse you don't want to limit intake on too. I currently have some really nice fine hay in my nets since P needs it (old man teeth and digestive system) and I've considered the smaller holes since Cabby is a bit fat but P looks great so I'm sticking with it. :)

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    1. I like the concept of a whole bale net, but I can't use that because Solo would never share & I'm not putting two bales of hay out at a time unless I win the lottery.

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  6. I buy the big shires hay nets when Dover has a sale (in a store not on line). They hold a whole 2 string bale, which is nice because you can load them THEN cut the bale, so way easier than stuffing flake by flake. We have one that is a year old and one that is 4 years old and neither is patched or ripped at all. They are around $20 and I LOVE them.

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    1. I will keep an eye out for sales! Our Dover store is not super close to me, but not impossible. I don't feed a whole bale at a time (bc Solo would hog it), but my hay has really big flakes that fluff out a lot, so I do like to have the bigger bags.

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  7. OMG Encore - that is the most hilarious photo!

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    1. It still makes me laugh every time I look at it, that goober refused to be thwarted from his pursuit of grass in all forms.

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  8. I finally caved and got a Bale Barn WITH the hay net. I add 8 bales on the weekend and let them eat free choice all week. Coworkers no longer offer to pick hay out of my hair. Fat Pony is skinnier, Old Lady TB is fatter. Everyone wins. Picked it up from Jim Thomas in Pittsboro.

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    1. If I win the lottery (which isn't looking likely since I don't have tickets), those things are pretty awesome. Even long-backed Solo can't guard all side of one at once!

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  9. I have this thing hayhoops-( https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tough-1-hay-hoops-collapsible-wall-hay-feeder-frame-1116308?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1116308&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyKrxBRDHARIsAKCzn8xk3ElChEQy1LGuSl3n2SvPTNHJbv2kWYLhtYkp9oB6UeOYUx3cmzQaAo9XEALw_wcB)---
    well although I have patched it within the first year, I also just put a standard haynet over one of those metal wall mount feeders with large vertical bars using zipties also works well.

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    1. That is definitely on my list. I currently don't have a solid enough mounting spot in the shed to put them, but I will probably next year. I've had Tough-1 haynets before, they didn't last at all, but as long as the hoop itself doesn't fall apart, you can put your own net on there, right?

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