Nothing But Net

I know I have talked about this before,  but I have had several people ask me for more info about the hay nets that I use.  Since answering those was all I had time to do, I figured it could be a blog post....

Over the past few years, I've tried out several different kinds of small-mesh haynets.  There are now quite a few of them out there to suit a variety of needs.  The ones that I always come back to and use the most are the CinchChix nets with one-inch holes (or HayChix now, I think they changed their name).  I have no relationship to them, their nets are just the ones that I like the best so far.  If you happen to be in Canada and want to avoid exorbitant shipping costs, there is a similar net that I have heard good things about called NagBags.

These nets are a bit pricey, but I am still using the first two that I bought used from a friend. They must be at least five years old now and are still in decent condition. I've been very impressed with how well they hold up, which makes the price more reasonable as far as I am concerned.

As for whether they have trouble eating out of them....nope.  In fact, they will often choose the nets over loose hay.  I think it is more fun for them. As you can see, my crew have no trouble emptying a hay net.

I was given a couple of nets by a friend and I bought some of the smaller sized nets earlier this year.  I now have enough nets so that I can fill them all up on the weekend and have enough to get through most of the week, which I find extremely helpful.  It is a huge time saver and helps reduce my exposure to hay, which I am allergic to.

The bale-sized nets fit nicely over one tightly baled 50 lb bale of hay.  The mini sized nets will hold up to half a bale, but I generally put about a third of a bale in each small net, depending on conditions at the time. 

My big concern when I fist started using nets was safety and durability.  I was highly dubious at first because I come from the era of nylon hay nets with large 5-6 inch holes that are just the perfect size for a horse to get a hoof stuck in.  The small holes on these nets mean that not even the smallest hoof can get stuck in the net.

As for durability, my big worry there was how well the nets would hold together and whether or not the donkeys would chew on them. These nets do hold together very well.  My oldest net does have a small hole in it now, about the size of my fist, but it is still usable and it wasn't caused by wear.  One of the wild rabbits I was plagued with last year chewed through it - a whole barn full of hay and the darned rabbit had to eat that bale.  As for the donkeys chewing, the only part of the net that anyone has ever chewed on is the nylon draw-string rope that closes the end, these do seem irresistible.

This chewing damage does make the little closer gadget that secures the opening hard to deal with. 

However, on newer nets these gadgets have been replaced with a different system and I find that they work better.  Instead of that metal doohickey, the new nets now have these rubber "hoggles" and poly rope instead of nylon.

I was skeptical about these at first as well, but I find they are much easier to deal with and, unlike the nylon, no one has ever chewed on the green poly rope.  There is no accounting for donkey taste.

The rubber handle just slides down....

...and then I tie up the end.

These smaller nets come with a carabiner clip on the other end for easy hanging, or I can just toss them on the ground.  I like that I can feed them at ground level, which is healthier for the animals,  without having to worry about anyone getting tangled in a net.  I would only do that with barefoot horses though.  If your critter wears shoes, hang the net up or put in a box.  I also clip the nets into the bottom of my hay boxes when conditions are muddy and I want to keep the nets and the feed clean and off the ground. I guess that is why I keep coming back to these nets, I like their versatility.

This year, I am feeding the giant square bales.  They are 3x3x8 feet long and weigh about 900 pounds.  There is no stuffing one of those suckers in a net unless you have big equipment.  Instaed I peel off one flake at a time, which is the equivalent of one small bale, and fill the net this way....

It took a bit of practice, but I have a system now and it is not bad.  The garbage can makes all the difference.

The nets require little maintenance, but do need occasional cleaning.  I bring them in periodically and wash them by soaking them in the sink.  In really cold weather, I suggest having more than one net so that you can hang them up to dry thoroughly between uses.  They do get damp from all the constant nibbling and will get stiff with frost in sub-zero temps.  I just like to make sure that my nets are always clean and dry because who'd want to eat out of a soggy, smelly, icky net?

The nets do take a fair amount of abuse and do get tossed around and trampled.

I like the nets because they really do slow down consumption.  The large nets provide just about 24 hours of hay during a winter day.  This means that I can put them out once a day and know that my herd always has food available, even when I am gone to work for long periods.  This was one of my primary concerns because I have to be able to leave for long periods of time and still feel confident that everyone is happy and content at home.  For equines, happy and content means grazing for many hours a day and the nets provide that.

In my mind, good fences are more a matter of keeping animals happy where they are rather than building impenetrable barriers.  If animals are hungry and unhappy, they will find a way to challenge a fence no matter how stoutly built.  A hungry horse is a horse looking for trouble.  A horse with a full hay net is a happy horse. It doesn't take much to contain happy, well fed critters and keep them out of trouble.  I need that peace of mind when I am far away and unavailable.

Once my animals got used to the nets, they genuinely seemed to like them better than loose hay.  I think the challenge of getting the hay out provides some mental stimulation and it gives them the hours of "grazing" time that equines need to be healthy and happy.  

And the last plug for small-mesh hay nets...I never waste a speck of hay.

Slow Food

The posts I wrote a couple of years ago about building slow feed hay boxes (click here and here) are the most looked at/searched for posts I've written.  With summer winding down, I've had several questions about slow feeding, hay nets and boxes.  Lisa in particular wanted to know more about how my hay boxes have worked out.

Basically, the boxes, when used with the metal grates, work very well for eliminating waste entirely and slowing down consumption a little bit.  If you are really trying to slow down/limit consumption though, the metal grates don't slow them down enough.  If that is not a concern, then they work great with one exception.  All of the equines did very well with the metal grates with the sole exception of Gabe.  Those of you who remember him, may recall that he was a stinking hog about food (sorry Gabe, no offense,  but if the shoe fits....).  Gabe made his mouth sore because he absolutely would NOT stop trying to bite the grate.  If your horses are not stinking hogs about food then you won't have any trouble with using metal grates.  I haven't seen any indication that the grates cause tooth or gum problems in the less greedy equine population.  If you are dealing with a stinking hog, I suggest using nets instead.

I find that the boxes also work very well combined with any type of hay net.  The nets can be secured in the bottom of the box, which keeps the nets out of the mud/snow and keeps the hooves away from the nets.  A frame with netting stretched inside can also be made to fit the boxes instead of using the metal grates.  I like the boxes because they provide a lot of options.  That flexibility is nice when your animal's hay needs vary throughout the year.  

The things to take into consideration when making choices between boxes, nets or a combination are determining what your main goals are.  If you just want to eliminate waste and make sure the hay ration lasts a little longer, the boxes and grates are a really nice, user friendly, economical and long lasting option.

If you have fatties on a perpetual diet, (like, ahem, mine) I like hay nets with very small holes.  One things you'll find is that, over time, the animals become more and more adept at getting food out of the nets/boxes.  What slowed them down dramatically at first will lose a lot of effectiveness as they gain proficiency in extracting the food.  I have found this to be true with every feeder or net I've tried.  My herd has become so proficient with hay nets that I am always trying to think of new ways to slow them down even more.  It's especially difficult for me because my crazy schedule makes multiple feedings difficult.  I really need to be able to put out many hours worth of food yet still limit intake.  Lately, I have taken to doubling up two different types of hay nets.  I found that doubling two of the same didn't work for more than a day because they figured out how to line up the holes.  Darned donkeys are way too clever for their own good.  

It's hard to tell in this photo, but there is actually a thin, grey net inside of the blue one.

This is the thin net made out of something like hockey netting...

Inside a cheap Chicks net.

This combination will make 6-8 pounds of hay last about three hours.  Pretty good considering that they would slurp that down in twenty minutes if fed loose.  This combination is also easy to put out on a tree, leave on the ground loose or secure inside a hay box.

I have also been using the track system I developed last year.  Their pasture is actually a narrow track that goes around the outside of the field.  Although they look to be out in lush pasture, they aren't.  Their access to grass is severely limited.  Seeing the track get nibbled down to the ground makes my farmer's heart quail a bit, but it has kept the pudge down to acceptable levels while still giving them lots of room to roam.  I estimate the track to be about 3000 feet long and they generally go around 10-12 times per day, maybe more at night.  Emma is still a bit chubby, but for a donkey living in NY, I don't think she is too terribly fat.  I'd like to see her lose a few more pounds, but as long as she does not gain any more, I'll settle for that.

I include Tessa in the "donkey" classification because, so far, she is the one I am having the most trouble keeping weight off of.  I consider her to be very high risk for IR and am feeding her the same way I feed the donkeys.  I'd love to give her more exercise, but real-world, it's not likely to happen.

Pushing their pasture area so hard, I do worry about them eating toxic plants.  While my pastures may look lovely in photos, a close examination will reveal masses of nasty, toxic weeds.  Animals are very smart about such things and they won't generally eat toxic plants unless they feel forced to do so.  I don't want them to ever feel forced.  I also need to be able to leave for work for hours at a time and feel confident that they won't be looking for trouble while I am gone.  For those reasons and the fact that they need forage to stay healthy and avoid ulcers, they always have access to some kind of acceptable food.  The always have wheat straw in a Cinch Chix net.  They get this along with a small amount of hay in a doubled net each day.  I like the Cinch Chix nets and would like to get a couple more in different sizes, but they are expensive.

It has taken me a long time to get the straw worked out, but they are doing well with it now.  They eat about 15 pounds of wheat straw each day now and their weights have all stabilized.  The straw has been tested so I know it has a very low sugar/starch content and the farmer who is growing it does not spray it with any chemicals, which is a real concern with straw.  Any straw left in the net for more than a week gets used for bedding.

I would like to increase their exercise and will try to do that by putting their feed out on the track as far away from the barn as possible.  I've done this a bit and it does work.  However, the bugs have been so bad this year, that I didn't have the heart to keep it up.  Tessa does OK, although she hates bugs, but the biting flies go after the donkeys so bad that they come in with blood literally dripping down their legs and their eyes streaming.  I've tried sprays and wraps, but the only thing that really works is hiding in the barn away from the bugs.  Of course, come winter, it will be howling arctic winds that they'll be hiding from.  I am glad to have the variety of nets, boxes, hay and straw that is, so far, keeping them contentedly "grazing" all day while still managing the weight problem.