Slow feed net over a round bale?

[Dragon Hill]

Has anyone one here tried a slow feed net over a round bale? I just ordered one. The smallest openings I could find is 1.5 inches. It isn't the knotted kind. I thought that would be easier on their teeth/lips. My concern is for little hooves getting caught in the netting. I've looked into hay rings and the only ones found that look like they might work for miniatures is made by Century. I would have to travel or have one shipped in, so a little pricey.
And I thought about making my own.

So if anyone has used a slow feed net over a round bale:

Did you have any problems?
Did you use a hay ring?
Or something around the bottom?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts, advice.

 

[LostandFound]

I haven't used round bales at all. But I just spoke to someone this week who uses the nets over them. She does use a hay ring, and she feeds both goats and minis with it, and seemed very happy with it. I wonder if you could just use a hog panel from tractor supply around the bale? They probably couldn't get out the last bits, but when you got to the bottom you could just pull it off I guess.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My neighbor keeps her miniature with a yearling biggie. She uses the hay net. So far it seems to be trouble-free for Frosty.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I just saw this on one of my FB groups.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Thanks, guys. All these years with minis, and no problems until I got DJ. And of course, Jaci seems to be taking after her sire.

 

[DB Minis]

Hay nets are a wonderful thing for reducing waste and slowing down consumption, especially with round bales. With any net it is important to prevent frustration which leads to aggressive eating from the nets, resulting in possible injury to horse (and net). If the horse has never eaten from a hay net before a larger hole net should be used to start with, and there should still be a free-choice hay option at first so they can satiate their hunger with an easy source of hay then move to the hay net when they have a little more patience.

I started my boys with a 1.5" hole net and they had some frustration with that (pawing, nosing, and biting the nets). I found some 1.75" nets to switch to which they did much better with. After several months they are now eating out of the nets correctly, using their lips to maneuver the net like they would when grazing in a field. They are so good at getting hay out of these nets now, hay waste has started increasing again so I've just introduced smaller 1.25" hole nets. They still have their easy-to-them 1.75" nets available so they can choose which nets to eat from but they are really enjoying the smaller hole nets (contrafreeloading in action!).

For adult mini hooves I wouldn't be too concerned with these small holes but it does depend on the net. The 1.5" hole nets I used to use were the stretchy kind where the holes could be pulled wider, and my pawing colt did work his foot into a hole once. The 1.75" hole nets I have do not have any stretch so hooves cannot push through, plus their pawing has ceased so that has helped reduce the risk. In the beginning it might be a good idea to rig up something to give you peace of mind and prevent any accidents until they get used to it.

I have not used round bales/nets before but many people do with great success. The idea is the same - keep frustration to a minimum so they happily eat from the net like they would regularly grazing. I know round bale nets are quite an investment so they can't be switched willy-nilly, so if your horses are not used to eating from nets I would offer the netted round bale along with spots of free choice hay so they can choose how to eat. It may take some time but you will notice they will get the hang of the net and you can start reducing the free choice hay.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Thanks DB Minis. DJ wears a muzzle most the year, so I think he will get used the hay net without too much problem. Jaci is a long two year old and has petite hooves still. Hopefully she will adapt to it without getting in trouble. It hasn't arrived yet to see how stretchy it is. I will definitely have to keep a close watch and offer free choice for a while.

 

[DB Minis]

You're welcome! The free choice hay will be a blessing to help them transition. I also pull chunks of hay halfway through some of the holes so they have some easy spots and they get the idea of pulling hay out. Please keep us updated when you get your net, share pictures and your experience!

 

[Kelly]

I dont use round bales anymore but square bales. I do use a 3/4 inch hole hay net over them, these holes are way too small for a hoof to get caught up. For my guys, if I go bigger on the hole size then they inhale the hay.

I use to buy round bales for my biggie, a hay ring was a must otherwise he would have a hay party and pee and poo all over the hay. The minis would get inside the hay ring so I guess it depends on the type of hay ring you get.

 

[Dragon Hill]

I'll have to see how the 1.5" holes work. Might not be small enough once they get used to them. My one biggie won't have access to it. I've noticed they don't really make hay rings for minis. Square bales would be nice, but I don't have any place to store more than a few.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Well, good news, the minis got used to the hay net without any problems. And I love how neat it's keeping the hay. The bad news is I need one with smaller holes. It's still better than trying to regulate access to a bale though.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Well, it was working wonderfully, until they made a mushroom out of the bale and it fell over. At first only a small area was unprotected, but that quickly changed. I had placed the bale in a corner so I was able to put a couple of corral panels up to limit their access. Boy, was Jaci upset at first! She checked it out and then came running back to me, and back and forth a few times. DJ wasn't fazed at all, and Jaci finally decided she wasn't going to starve after all. So I guess I need a hay ring.