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 Expert
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Location: Texas | Even though I have 30 acres of beautiful coastal bermuda grass pasture, for various health reasons I am having to start dry lotting my horses. We make hay on the 30 acres so I have plenty of access to free round bales. The horses will be out in the large dry lot during the day and in their stalls with runs at night. Once they destroy all of the existing grass in the dry lot, I want to put out a round bale for them to munch on during the day. I have no experience using round bale rings and/or hay nets. I do use 2" hole hay nets in my stalls at night and my horses seem to prefer to pull the hay from the net over eating it loose. I am thinking I will get a Prefiert horse round bale feeder like the picture below and also put the bale in a net. Maybe set the bale on a pallet too to keep it off the ground? Can anyone share their experiences with the different hay rings & nets? Are the nets easy to put on, do the horses still eat the hay when the net collapses, maybe I shouldn't use the net? Any suggestions or advice? Thanks
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4627
Location: Texas | I have always put a ring around my round bales. I would advise against putting the bale on a pallet. Depending on how quickly your horses go through a bale, the pallet will eventually break down due to weather, weight of the round bale, etc so you're going to end up with nails getting worked loose. If you just leave the bale on the ground it will be fine. |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3310
Location: Jersey Girl | If you use a net you will have far less waste then if you just put it in a ring. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 538
Location: Central Texas | I use that exact Priefert Hay ring. It's pretty easy to move around and put over the hay bale. I also have a Texas Hay net that I use. It increased time between bales by 7-10 days. My only problems with the net is it does develop holes which can be patched, and the ropes to tie it can get stuck under portions and are a pain to get out. It is heavy and cumbersome to get on the bale, but once it's on its there until you go get it. I guess it does decrease waste, but I don't notics a huge difference as my two horses eat everything with or without the net. They don't have much or any grass in my small pasture. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Are your horses shod?
I love our chix nets and if we were to feed round bales we'd use them on them as well. If your horses are shod I would go with a net AND a ring just to keep them from getting shoes caught in the net as the bale works down.
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | My horses are barefoot so no worries there. We bought the hay ring & put the bale in it. Now to research which net to buy before the next bale. I will look into the HayChix nets. Are they easy to put on? Durable? |
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 Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | I use a net and a ring both. I put the net on the bale and place in the ring. Very little waste.
Eventually you figure out a method that works easiest for you on putting the net on.
We have found using a bale spear on the front end loader or the pallet forks for the skid loader works to hold the bale up off the ground while we pull the net on.
Edited by rockinas 2016-11-23 1:36 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Rockinas - what brand of net do you use?
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I don't use anything on mine, I enjoy watching them spread and waste my $$ all over the pasture lol! Not really, but I swear I have the most accident prone horses in the world and I just don't want to take a chance... my 2 yr old somehow got his front right leg thru one of my sr horses blanket belly strap... don't know how or why but I looked out and saw him hopping on 3 legs while my old man was walking slowly across the pasture.. accident prone... the struggle is real! He got free on his own once old man stopped walking lol! |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | OMGosh... I would have been freaking out in a panic! |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| TBone - 2016-11-23 2:11 PM
OMGosh... I would have been freaking out in a panic!
Not much phases me anymore with my crew, every morning when I look out to the pasture, I wonder what I'm going to see lol! Been very lucky no serious accidrnts, just stupid, scratching my head, accidents |
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 Expert
Posts: 2489
Location: somewhere up north | Like Rockinas we use both. Have for years and love it. Very little waste. The horses then don't dig their head into the middle of the bale. Hay lasts longer. Win, win. I buy my hay nets from customnetting.com much cheaper than others. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 529
| Ive just gotta ask...why do people use these? Whatever happened to just feeding hay with a pitchfork? I know its the latest fad in feeding...but I refuse to use anything that my horses could get their legs caught in....that includes feeders of any kind and definitely hay bags. JMO.  |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | If I don't put a hay ring around the round bale my horses will poop right next to (practically against) the bale. They also stand on a lot of it as it falls down. They end up wasting half of it. That is why I use the hay ring. As for the slow feed net, I feed my horses out of the slow feed nets when they are in the barn. They actually prefer to pull the hay from the net over eating the hay that is on the floor of the stall. I think it is "game" or fun to them, working at pulling it out. It occupies their minds and makes them take their time eating. JMHO |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | want2chase3 - 2016-11-23 1:53 PM
I don't use anything on mine, I enjoy watching them spread and waste my $$ all over the pasture lol! Not really, but I swear I have the most accident prone horses in the world and I just don't want to take a chance... my 2 yr old somehow got his front right leg thru one of my sr horses blanket belly strap... don't know how or why but I looked out and saw him hopping on 3 legs while my old man was walking slowly across the pasture.. accident prone... the struggle is real! He got free on his own once old man stopped walking lol!
Oh my this sounds like mine!! Two years ago my bf called from the barn and told me he just had to cut my mare's brand new blanket thru the front buckles. When I asked why, he sent a picture of her with her head bowed down to her chest and her bottom teeth hung in the buckles. And she was choking---like down on the ground couldn't breath. We only stall to feed and if he hadn't gone to let them out when he did she would have died. Crazy crazy girl. Now I worry more about blanket season than most other parts of horse owning. My friend said they can hurt themselves seriously in a round padded room. After Two did this I'm a believer! (I think she was throwing a fit because she wanted out sooner than he got there to turn them out. She bites at her chest when she gets p-ed off.)
ETA he was cutting as he took pic, he wasn't letting her die as he did photo op 
Edited by Chandler's Mom 2016-11-23 7:50 PM
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | TBone - 2016-11-23 1:39 PM
Rockinas - what brand of net do you use?
Cinch Chix |
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Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | fortyforever - 2016-11-23 3:04 PM Ive just gotta ask...why do people use these? Whatever happened to just feeding hay with a pitchfork? I know its the latest fad in feeding...but I refuse to use anything that my horses could get their legs caught in....that includes feeders of any kind and definitely hay bags. JMO.
It takes about 10 minutes for me to put a net on a big round bale and my big bales will feed a pen of 5 horses for about 10 days. I have a working cattle ranch to run and a lot of horses that need ridden daily (and I have no help) so this is a very efficient way for me to make sure my horses are getting adequate forage and are using it efficiently.
I have been using the Cinch Chix nets ever since they came out, and bale rings for years and years. Never ever had a leg get stuck in a feeder or a net. If horses are going to hurt, they will find a way no matter what.
Edited by rockinas 2016-11-23 8:33 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: Georgia | I absolutely love my Hay chix nets. They have reduced my hay waste to practically nothing. Well worth the money. In my signature is a link to 20% off for the month of November. Please let me know if you use this link by pming me your order number or name used to place the order. TIA!
*not valid with their Black Friday sale*
Edited by mandita8907 2016-11-24 9:29 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 702
Location: MN | HayChix...safe and easy! |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: WI | I love the hay chix nets. I have 2 and am getting 1 more. Get the heavy duty. Cost more but well worth it. Easy to put on. |
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