slow feed hay nets/small hole hay nets

creekwood · slow feed hay nets/small hole hay nets

I got a Tough-1 Slow Feed Hay Net a few months ago for Quinn & LOVE it. Seriously, best $10 I've ever spent. The only problem is that now he's figured it out, and instead of his hay lasting from 8am-2pm, it's lasting from 8-12

. It has 2" holes, and I'm hoping to find one with 1" or 1 1/4" holes. Any ideas? I almost ordered the one from Smith Brothers/Dover, but I didn't know if I should get the big one or not. I need it to hold 10-15 lbs of hay. Anybody else that has them in the 1" hole size range?

I'm also looking at these:

http://www.busyhorse.com/busygrandeextraslow.html

Clarissa

Did you check out the links to the small hole nets I posted in the links section? I put up 2 different companies that supply them.

TrustMeNaturally

http://www.thinaircanvas.com/nibblenet/picturesframe.htm

Our horses use the nibble nets and love them! Their hay lasts twice as long and there is no waste.

They have quite a few sizes and lots of designs available!

Lea

Clarissa

PasoBaby_CarolU

I used to use the Nibble Nets. I no longer use them and use the small mesh hay nets from Smith Brothers instead. I had two horses that got such bad sores on their upper lip from working food out of the Nibble Nets they quit eating. One horse actually had raw, open sores. I also wrote the company about the bottom D-rings getting easily ripped out of the seam and the company never ever responded to me.

I've sold one, but the others are sitting here.

http://www.smithbrothers.com/product.asp?pn=X3-27293

For what it's worth, I've seen all horses figure out the small holes eventually and eat faster. What I have found though is that the hay nets make it easy to weigh and soak hay.

misstux

Carol, I'm surprised about the Nibble Net people not responding. I had ordered some for Dusty right before he colicked. I can't remember if they arrived while he was in the hospital or right after he died, but they told me to mark "REFUSED" on the package and take it to the post office. They not only refunded the $ for the nets, they refunded the shipping.

TrustMeNaturally

Well, we have had our Nibble Nets for over a year and use them every day. None of them have broken and none of our horses have sores on their lips. We put the nets in 'bunkers' with carbiners and they hold up really well. I love them and would buy them again and again!
Here is a picture of our bunkers. Sorry about the photo quality, it was the only picture I could find of them.

~Lea

becdubie

Do you all keep your horses in seperate stalls, or pens? I've been trying to figure out something that will keep hay availabel to my horses all day, especially in the winter, and spring when there is not much grazing available. Mine all live together and when they are "IN" they still have a pretty big corral area to goof around in. We have 4 horses and a mule.

Guess I would have to get several nets and hang them around the corral so everybody has one to nibble on....do you think would that work? Has anyone tried this with a group of horses?

PasoBaby_CarolU

Becky, that is what I did and you have to secure the nets at the bottom or the horses 'toss' them over the fence. I put eyehooks near the bottom and hooked them there with snaps. That is how the horses tore the bottom D-rings out. Mind you I have Paso Finos and they aren't big horses. Apparently they aren't big on patience either.

becdubie

becdubie

I put hay nets in my horse trailer once...........they tore them to shreds in a 1/2 hr ride. All 3 were just ripped up.....probably poor quality nets mind you. But after that I decided nets were not a good idea.

TrustMeNaturally

We have three horses and 4 'nibblers' as we like to call them. Our horses are in two large paddocks with a two string laundry line divider. We put T-posts in and covered them with PVC poles so that we could run the line through it safer. Anyway, we only did two lines so that Diesel, our mini could go under it. So in Eddie's paddock there are three nibble nets and in Scout's there is one. Just because he's a pig and will eat all the hay if he gets the chance.
I'd say that our bunkers are about 30ish pounds. My dad made them out of heavy duty wood (mostly 4x4's, 2x4's and plywood). So they aren't going anywhere. I don't think they've fallen over once. And that's saying a lot since Eddie likes to knock everything over and the wind can be pretty bad out here too.
But the horses move around pretty good and they all get a turn at the bunkers.

Lea

PasoBaby_CarolU

I think mine would destroy the bunkers. I don't keep anything wood around here unless I protect it with electric fence.

I did stumble upon a way to make the hay last all day in a slow feed hay net, buy long grass hay. I have had to start soaking Zar's hay and the grass hay we have wasn't crimped very well, so the grass stems are long. It is 1 pm here and she was still working her breakfast out of the net, one or two stems at a time.

She isn't too happy about this arrangement though.

I took the rest out and put it in a trough for her. She's much happier now. LOL

StephV

Creekwood-

I just ordered a Shires fine mesh hay net from VTO Saddlery. It has 1 1/4" holes. If that doesn't slow my girl down enough I'm going to try the one from purelyponies.com. They have one with 1" holes. I'm using a Freedom Feeder right now..this is the 4th one she's chewed through..

StephV

Just received the Shires net. It actually has 1 1/2" holes like the Freedom Feeder.