Slow Food

I have had some interest from several people wondering how I made out this year with my slow feeder boxes and hay nets.  So, after using them all winter this is my opinion, based solely on my experiences.  I have no affiliation with any of the sites mentioned.

Like many people this year, making every bale of hay count was paramount.  We were luckier than a lot of places and had an OK hay crop last summer, but our yields were far, far below normal.  Farm Buddy actually sold off a good portion of the beef herd last Fall because there wasn't enough feed for them and buying more wasn't an option. Fortunately, the whole group went to a another grass-based farm and are all doing very well.  That is an extreme rarity for cattle.

In spite of all of my efforts, I was just a bit short this Spring and had to buy a few round bales to get the horses through to the green grass.  They weren't exactly upset about it at the time.

"IT'S OURS, ALL OURS! YAY!"

In my quest to make every stalk of hay count, limit the amount of food these fatties put away and keep Emma and Ramsey happy during Ramsey's convalescence, I have done quite a bit of research and experimenting with different slow feeding methods.  I have written about small mesh hay nets before (click here for that post) and I have become quite a firm believer in them.  In fact, I kind of think they may be one of the best things to happen to modern horse keeping in the past several centuries.  The health benefits and contentment of the animals are so obvious, I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner.

The two versions that I have found to be the most useful for the horses are, first, these cheap, rugged sort from Chicks.  They have 2" holes and are a good choice for coarse hay or if you want to slow, but not limit, consumption.  They hold about half a (30#) bale of hay each, are very tough (Gabe tested this feature extensively), can be tossed directly on the ground for 'natural grazing' or can be tied, in the barn or into my hay boxes, during muddy/extreme conditions.  And, they are only $8 each.  They can also be doubled up if you want to further slow or limit consumption.  I DO NOT consider them safe for my smallish donkeys or minis though.  The holes are the perfect size for Ramsey's foot to go through.

The other version of hay nets that I really like are at the opposite end of the spectrum and are the only nets that I have found that I feel are really safe for smaller animals.  This is a bale sized net made by ChinchChix, they come in a variety of sizes from very small to round-bale size.  There is another version available in Canada called NagBags that I have heard good things about and are probably an equivalent, but I have not tried them myself...

These suckers are expensive so I would not likely have tried them if a friend had not given one to me as a gift.  I lucked out when another friend later sold two more of them to me at half their normal price.  The cost is my only complaint about them.  The two that I bought have 1" holes for extreme slow feeding (which is only suitable for fatsos eating rich hay, like Gabe and Tessa or for minis).  They worked out great for my fat horses.  I was able to considerably cut down on the amount of food they were eating while still providing hay 24/7.  I also only had to fill them once a day, which was a HUGE time saver for me.

I still think they are overpriced, but I guess you get what you pay for.  They are far superior to the other nets I have tried and when these finally fall apart (hopefully a long time form now), I will probably buy more.  They do take a lot of abuse and are still in perfect condition.

The one that was given to me as a gift has 1.5" holes, which is the right size for general slow feeding and are safe for smaller critters like Emma and Ramsey.  This was given to me long before I got the other two and I gave it to the donkeys as it IS safe for them.  They absolutely love the net and choose it over loose hay every time.  It was also a huge time and allergy saver for me as well.  One bale in the net lasted 3-4 days for my two donkeys.  And speaking of allergies, Emma and Ramsey used to have watery eyes quite often, feeding out of the net, they never do.

It makes a fun toy to toss around as well.

The only trouble I have had with it is that the drawstring proved to be irresistible when it was just tucked into the filled net.  If the donkeys could see it inside the net, they would pull it out and chew on it.

The solution to this proved to be fairly simple.  After putting a bale in the net, I made a hole in the hay and fed the string into the hole where the donkeys would never see it.  Problem solved.

The closed and hidden drawstring...

If you are wondering about my slow-feed hay boxes, I still use them as well, but I usually put the net inside the box.  I like the netting better then the metal grate I originally used.  It slows them down more and can't get hung up and stuck, which happens occasionally with the grate.   I like the box to keep the nets out of the mud though.  You can buy this netting by the foot and I think I am going to replace the metal grates in my boxes with net stretched in a wooden frame.  That will be the best of both worlds I  think.  It will be far easier to fill than the nets and hold more hay, which means less work and less allergies for me.  I will still use the nets as well though, for feeding inside when the weather is really bad.

It is good to have a variety of slow feeding options since different conditions and different hay call for it.  Coarse, low nutrient hay or animals with high nutritional needs should have 1.5 - 2 inch openings (depending on the size of  the feet involved).  Fat stinking hogs (Gabe!) eating high quality hay, do well with the extremely small holes once they are familiar with net-nibbling.  The animals have to be allowed to adjust to the nets slowly.  Once they make that adjustment though, they are much happier than with any other winter feeding system I have ever seen.  This is the closest to natural grazing that is possible during the winter here.  I also did not waste one single bite of hay this year.  All in all, this combination seems to cover most of the bases and worked well for me.  I hope that some of you find this helpful.

Keeping 'em Busy

Since Ramsey, and by extension, Emma, are having to be incarcerated in the barn most of the time, I have been trying to find ways to keep them occupied and happy.  The long confinement associated with orthopedic medicine is one of the biggest challenges that equines face when injured.  Movement is one of the most integral aspects of life for horses and donkeys and depriving them of their freedom of movement is one of the worst things we humans do to them.  Even when there is no choice, it is vital to try and alleviate the stress caused by confinement.  Some horses can't deal with it at all and end up being euthanized even though their injuries could otherwise be treated. 

Fortunately, donkeys are proving, once again, to be much more sensible and Emma and Ramsey have adapted far better than any horse I have ever known.  Ramsey, in particular, has been amazingly accepting of the necessary confinement, much more so that I would ever have imagined given his age.  Emma gets a bit more frustrated, but she is still being remarkably good about it. 

I try to make sure that tehy get to spend several hours each day outside as long as the weather permits and Emma gets to roam around the property as long as she respects the boundaries.  Since she doesn't want to get too far away from Ramsey, this works well and gives her some much needed freedom and exercise....

The single most useful device I have found for alleviating confinement stress however, is a small-mesh hay net.  I have always loathed hay nets as they have traditionally been dangerous, suicide enablers in my opinion.  The small-mesh nets are a bit different though, mainly because they are, well, small-mesh.  The old fashioned kind were just the right size for a horse to stick a foot through and I was initially very wary of even trying these newer versions with Emma and Ramsey, especially since Ramsey's feet are so tiny and he loves to chew on ropes.  However, Riding Buddy has been using them with her horses for a couple of years now with great results and after the success I have had with my slow feeder boxes, I decided to give it a try.

I have been amazed at the results.  Keep in mind that I always feed grass hay free choice and my animals have access to hay 24 hours a day so the net is not extending their feed time.  The net seems to provide the constant, slow nibbling and browsing that donkeys are designed for and they enjoy it.  I was astonished to find that after a few days of introduction, both Emma and Ramsey (especially Ramsey) prefer the net over the loose hay.  It is the exact same feed from the same bale of hay and they still have free choice access to loose hay, however the hay net is almost always close to empty in the morning while the loose hay remains untouched. 

I have noticed several other things since I started using the net about two weeks ago:

• Both Emma and Ramsey are more relaxed.
• They chew on the barn boards less.
• They have NOT chewed on the net.  They might if it were empty, but as long as there is even a tiny bit of hay inside, even Ramsey does not chew on it or play with it.
• They are both less mouthy.  As most donkey owners know, donkeys like to pick things up, bite things and they will often grab at clothing.  I discourage this last as it can be dangerous to the wearer of said clothing.  Since using the net, they have not done this even once.
• They seldom play with their toys in the barn anymore...

Every day, I pick up the toys and put them in a corner.  Before using the net, I found them all over the place every morning.  I have not moved them in over a week now.  I am not against them playing with toys, far from it, but I have to wonder if the toy-tossing is the result of frustration rather than play.  What I have learned from this...

• I have had a complete reversal on my thoughts about hay nets (the small-mesh ones, I still think the old fashioned kind are a good way to kill a horse).
• The slow nibbling clearly fills a need I had not even been aware of.
• The nets and slow-feeder boxes are not only a good way to decrease feed consumption, they also make my animals happier.  Riding Buddy has had similar results.
• I would still prefer that they could eat off the ground as they are intended, it is healthier.  There are nets that are designed for this and I may try them once Ramsey is older and his feet are bigger. 
• This would be a very good way to help prevent sand colic in areas where that is a problem, especially if the net was hung over a rubber mat. 
• The net has been a God-send in alleviating stall-stress.
• My donkeys are happier then they were.

Slow Feeder

My riding buddy has been using small-mesh hay nets to feed her horses, which is working very well for her.  However, she wanted a box type slow feeder that would be free standing and could be moved to different locations.  We looked at a lot of different feeders and there are some interesting designs out there, but we were both appalled by the price tag attached to them.  The other thing that I did not like about all of the feeders I saw is that they have solid walled construction that does not allow any air flow through the feeder.  Having severe breathing problems myself, I am hyper aware of air quality and ventilation and I don't like the idea of the horses having their noses in the feeders all the time.  I don't care how clean or high quality your hay is, it is by nature a breathing hazard.  We put our heads together and came up with a version of a slow feeder that I think will work well.

The base is actually a wooden sled with runners made of treated 2x6.  Everything else is rough-cut hemlock.

If you just wanted a small work sled to pull behind a horse or lawn tractor you could stop right here.  (Note Tessa in the background, She and Emma got to hang out on the lawn this afternoon, much to their delight and Tanner's consternation.  He spent the whole time repeatedly trying to get my attention to tell me that the horse's weren't where they belonged.)

We decided to leave one inch spaces between the boards of the sidewalls to allow for airflow.  We also left a 1\4" gap between all the boards on the bottom to allow rain to drain out. 

Since all special treats need to be enjoyed in moderation, the girls eventually had to leave the Spring grass.  And since their version of helpfulness also needs moderation, it was incarceration time for them.  (Note relaxed, happy Border Collie) 

Almost done...

I wonder what sort of bribes might be required to get past the inspectors this time.  Emma is going to be a particularly tough sell, there is nothing she hates more than being locked up.  Makes her soooo mad...

The key ingredient....

I left the ends of the side posts high in case we need to come back later and add something to keep the horses from pulling the lid out.  It has some heft to it and not much for a horse to get a hold of so we decided to try it as is for now.  If it works, I'll go back and cut the ends flush with the top of the feeder. 

 

We had a hard time finding the right grate for the top and finally settled on this welded wire fencing with 1x2" squares.  Product testing will show whether or not it will work well.  We used my favorite star-drive screws so the lid will be easy to take apart and replace the grating if necessary.  

Ready for inspection...Hopefully Riding Buddy's inspectors won't be too hard to buy off.

  

The total cost of materials was about $40-50 and the whole thing can be dragged around by brute force or pulled with a sub-compact tractor, maybe even a large lawn tractor.  The total dimensions are 2'x4' and 27 inches high, which is a good size for average horses.  For minis, goats or sheep, the sidewalls could be made shorter.  This design has the added benefit that when not being used to feed hay, it could easily be used as a work sled to haul stuff around your farm, either with real horsepower or the mechanical type.  With only a very minor adaptation, the side walls could be made detachable so the whole thing could revert to being a flat sled if needed. Versatility is a great thing.

This was an easy and fun project and would be a great place to start if anyone is interested in tackling an easy, useful, carpentry project.

NOTE: we did this project on Sat. afternoon and I wrote this post that evening.  Later, I got an email from Riding Buddy letting me know that the squares on the grate are too small and did not pass inspection.  We are going to try some vinyl lattice with larger openings and more flexibility.  We had our doubts about the welded wire, but thought it was worth a try.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I'll post a picture of the new, improved lid once we find the right material.  Any suggestions are welcome.

Spoiling His Fun

Gabe has been driving me nuts lately, pulling hay out of the manger and making an unholy mess out of it.  I don't mind using a bit of the coarse leftovers for bedding, but wholesale destruction is just too much.  So, I made it a little harder.....

My only complaint about Gabe is that he is a slob.  Granted, I was totally spoiled by Tessa and Emma as neither of them would ever go to the bathroom in the barn.  In fact, I have been spoiled for years as the mares I had before were also very neat.  Actually, every mare I have ever owned has been neat and every gelding a slob.  I know there are exceptions, but I haven't ever owned any of them.  With the girls, I got to spend a lot more time actually doing stuff with them because I never had to clean the barn.  Gabe has changed that.  I think this sums up the differences quite well....

It is astonishing to me just how thoroughly and completely he can trash the barn in just a few hours.  I have learned though, that he isn't so keen on trashing the place when there isn't bedding for him to throw around. 

Emma is the only one who actually sleeps in the barn and she now has her own (very clean and tidy) place to sleep.  So, I have embarked on a mission to ruin all of Gabe's fun.  He is just going to have to find another way to amuse himself, because I just can't stand (or afford) to have him waste half a bale of hay every day.  (I keep telling him there are donkeys (and every other type of herbivore) starving in Texas, but does he listen???) 

If I have to, I can add more bars to the manger or go all out and make it into a slow feeder system with a grate over it.  We'll see how this goes for now.  So far, Gabe is not happy with it at all.  Which I take to be a good sign. :)