Post by zephyrhillsusan on Jan 28, 2016 11:10:08 GMT -5
We get a lot of rain in the winter here, and I hate to see hay get ruined. There are a lot of commercial hay feeders out there, and some of them are really expensive.
This fall we were able to get a Hay Hut, thanks to our daughter's help, since one of the three hay-consuming equines (not to mention the pony) is hers. It can be used to feed an entire round bale and keep it dry, especially if placed on a pallet, but to limit hay consumption, my husband puts the morning and evening allotment in through the windows by hand. It doesn't completely stop the horses from running off the pony, but it helps because there are several windows on each side, and she just positions herself near the gelding.
Since this photo was taken, we got the lifting cable which goes in the very top and enables the Hay Hut to be lifted with a hay spear. Two people can move it together, but the cable is a great aid to allow one person to handle it by themselves.
The windows would allow a Dexter calf to eat hay as long as the bale was fairly new, but by the time it gets down to the end, I don't believe a young calf would get enough.
We use something different for our cattle. At first I didn't like this feeder when my husband bought it, as I thought the metal rings were more substantial. However, this black PVC one has lasted for several years. It has the advantage of being able to be lifted by one person and moved in a pick-up truck. Or at least it did until I thought up some improvements. Now it's bigger and heavier and requires two people to lift it onto a trailer to move, but that's a slight inconvenience which is more than compensated for by dry hay. It took me a while to convince my DH that this would be a good modification, but he got on board and is really glad we did it.
This shows part of the project in the early stages. We first inserted galvanized pipes cut to length (they don't show) in each vertical tube. The screws that hold the hay ring together also hold the galvanized pipe in place toward one side of each vertical tube. Next we inserted a 20' length of rebar into one pipe, then bent it together to control the rebound, and inserted it into the opposite pipe. We did this three times. The photo shows the three rebars after we wired them together and covered the join with a layer of old carpet and duct tape.
We continued to cover the full length of the rebar with carpet and duct tape.
I included the photo of this temporary fix with a Tractor Supply tarp because it shows some of the structure of the modified feeder.
Forgive the old hay; the feeder sat for a while unused, and the hay won't stay fresh forever! The final and most important step in the whole process was to order a round swimming pool tarp online. It was about $60 and has lasted for over a year now, probably because we so carefully enveloped the rebar in carpet! I used nylon cord to tie it down, looping it around the top bar. It's high enough that the Dexters don't mess with it, although the horses did loosen the rope when we used the feeder for them.
We did once have an idiot steer, almost two years old (not our breeding!
) get himself entirely into the feeder, unable to get out until we lifted it off him. However, that was before we had the "lid" on, and I think having that overhead discourages animals from climbing in. Or maybe our own steers are just smarter! 
I hope this idea might be useful to someone else who's struggling with how to inexpensively keep their hay dry. Oh, and I think if we do another one, we might try PVC pipe. I know people use it to build greenhouse arches, so why not this? It would sure make the feeder lighter than the rebar, although you can't argue with the solidity of this one.
This fall we were able to get a Hay Hut, thanks to our daughter's help, since one of the three hay-consuming equines (not to mention the pony) is hers. It can be used to feed an entire round bale and keep it dry, especially if placed on a pallet, but to limit hay consumption, my husband puts the morning and evening allotment in through the windows by hand. It doesn't completely stop the horses from running off the pony, but it helps because there are several windows on each side, and she just positions herself near the gelding.
Since this photo was taken, we got the lifting cable which goes in the very top and enables the Hay Hut to be lifted with a hay spear. Two people can move it together, but the cable is a great aid to allow one person to handle it by themselves.
The windows would allow a Dexter calf to eat hay as long as the bale was fairly new, but by the time it gets down to the end, I don't believe a young calf would get enough.
We use something different for our cattle. At first I didn't like this feeder when my husband bought it, as I thought the metal rings were more substantial. However, this black PVC one has lasted for several years. It has the advantage of being able to be lifted by one person and moved in a pick-up truck. Or at least it did until I thought up some improvements. Now it's bigger and heavier and requires two people to lift it onto a trailer to move, but that's a slight inconvenience which is more than compensated for by dry hay. It took me a while to convince my DH that this would be a good modification, but he got on board and is really glad we did it.
This shows part of the project in the early stages. We first inserted galvanized pipes cut to length (they don't show) in each vertical tube. The screws that hold the hay ring together also hold the galvanized pipe in place toward one side of each vertical tube. Next we inserted a 20' length of rebar into one pipe, then bent it together to control the rebound, and inserted it into the opposite pipe. We did this three times. The photo shows the three rebars after we wired them together and covered the join with a layer of old carpet and duct tape.
We continued to cover the full length of the rebar with carpet and duct tape.
I included the photo of this temporary fix with a Tractor Supply tarp because it shows some of the structure of the modified feeder.
Forgive the old hay; the feeder sat for a while unused, and the hay won't stay fresh forever! The final and most important step in the whole process was to order a round swimming pool tarp online. It was about $60 and has lasted for over a year now, probably because we so carefully enveloped the rebar in carpet! I used nylon cord to tie it down, looping it around the top bar. It's high enough that the Dexters don't mess with it, although the horses did loosen the rope when we used the feeder for them.
We did once have an idiot steer, almost two years old (not our breeding!
) get himself entirely into the feeder, unable to get out until we lifted it off him. However, that was before we had the "lid" on, and I think having that overhead discourages animals from climbing in. Or maybe our own steers are just smarter! 
I hope this idea might be useful to someone else who's struggling with how to inexpensively keep their hay dry. Oh, and I think if we do another one, we might try PVC pipe. I know people use it to build greenhouse arches, so why not this? It would sure make the feeder lighter than the rebar, although you can't argue with the solidity of this one.