Hay Feeders Save Money and Pay for Themselves Quickly
It’s another hot and dry summer and the cost of feeding your livestock is only going up as hay gets more difficult to come by. Shipping hay long distances from the few growing areas left in the country to the animals that need it has become all too common.
To make the best of this terrible hay growing season and to save as much money as you can while still providing for your animals, it’s important to provide the most efficient means of feeding and minimize the amount of waste produced. This calls for a no-nonsense hay feeder from Barn World.
There are many different feeder styles that allow for any budget and will produce savings that will allow the feeder to pay for itself in a short amount of time. Whether you feed small square bales to a few animals, or large round bales to a lot, the proper feeder is critical to saving money. A quality feeder will allow you to minimize money lost to hay waste that falls on the ground and erodes your profits, while providing a safe environment to maximize your feeding budget.
Types of Hay Feeders
Round Bale Feeders
For large animals that are fed large quantities at a time, you can’t go wrong with a round bale feeder. These large and durable feeders are designed to feed almost any large animal from cattle to buffalo. We carry a Bull Tuff Round Bale Feeder that has a 9’ 6” bottom diameter that tapers to 8’6” at the top. It will accommodate the 6’ round bale, has 12 feed openings and 9 heavy duty mud skids to keep the feeder entirely off the ground. There are no sharp edges for animals to cut themselves and the 3 piece bolted assembly is built for years of heavy duty use. This is a very common and popular feeder for large bulls and horses.
Another large animal feeder that’s new and very popular is the hay hopper design. This feeder holds the bale off of the ground and livestock will eat from the bottom up. The loose hay will drop to the bottom of the feeder where it is protected from being trampled by a metal skirt. This preserves the hay to be eating directly under the suspended bale. The hay hopper feeders are made for cattle, buffalo, horses, goats and sheep and has a patent pending design.
Horse Hay Feeders
For a quick and simple method of feeding your horses’ large bales, look no further then the Hay Hut Hay Feeder. At 84” deep and 72” wide, and a height of 84”, this plastic feeder will not rust out and is extremely easy to use. Simply drop your bale on the ground and cover with the hay hut. It’s an attractive feeder that looks like a small house or hut and has eight feeding stations available for easy access to the hay bale. It also provides a covered shelter to protect the bale from the weather and the sun. This feeder ships in two easy to assemble sections and will fit in the back of a pickup truck. It takes approximately half an hour to put together and is easy to move around your pasture should you choose.
The plastic is a durable and UV protected material that provides fantastic, maintenance free cover for your bales. There is a one year warranty and most feeders last for 10 or more years with steady use. They’re also available in two colors: black and forest green.
Popular Poly Horse Hay Feeder
One of the most popular horse hay feeders is the Poly Round Hose Hay Feeder. It’s designed especially for horses and all of the hardware is counter-sunk into the feeder so there aren’t any sharp edges for potential cuts or scrapes. This feeder is mad e from four pieces to form the circle and is also idea for small ponies and colts. It’s easy to assemble and move to where you’d like to feed. Simply drop your round bale either on the ground or on a pallet, roll the feeder next to it and drop it over the bale. At only 80lbs, this one is extremely portable and can be rolled to your bale. Made from recycled plastic, it’s environmentally friendly and is composed of UV resistant resin. With a two year warranty on material and workmanship, this feed will last for many seasons.
Rack and Trough Hay Feeders – the combo feeder
Rack and Trough Feeders allow for both hay bales and grain to be feed from the same feeder. Another plus is the ability of the trough below the rack to catch hay that falls when animals pull from the bale. This allows the hay to be eaten from the trough, rather than wasted on the ground and eating into your profits.
Our combo feeders come in a variety of sizes, each designed for the animal being fed. They are primarily built to accommodate cattle or horses and the versatility of the feeder allows for animals that require both grain and hay in their diet. A very convenient feature.
Portable and Stall Feeders
Although used in the stall with smaller amounts of hay, a lot of potential food can still be wasted. The portable hay feeders are useful when traveling or in the stall. Typically mounted on the wall or in a corner, they can provide an easy means of dumping in flakes for your animal to enjoy at any time. The Health-EZ Hay Feeder even does double duty as ‘entertainment’ and can keep some horses minds occupied and out of trouble while they nudge a hanging feeder around the stall.
It doesn’t matter what type of animals you’re raising or enjoying, a hay feeder is one of the easiest ways to introduce an efficient means of saving money and will pay for themselves in short order.
Visit Barn World today to view all of our livestock supplies and if there’s anything we can help with, please let us know by calling (720) 238-2190.
