Everything old is new again...

[here to stay]

For years I fed my horses in plywood 3'x3'x3' boxes with a hole in the top.  This kept the hay confined as the edges on the box tops didn't allow the horse to flip it out.

Then I started feeding with slow feed hay nets.  Just so the retired girls used more time in eating with  there less time between their 3 meals a day.

Then Tess had her incisors taken out.  I was afraid she, a naturally slow eater anyway, wouldn't eat enough.  This morning I dug out the old hay boxes, which had become receptacles for kindling and branches to burn.  We are now back to feeding like I did 20 years ago.  Took me three hours to drag them back under the cover and get them tied in.  I took out Hollie's feed bucket, which she used as a butt scratcher and thus  the scrunched many a bucket, and put a feed pan in the bottom of the box.  I know she will use it as a frisbee but that is a small enough issue.  If it makes her happy, toss away.  

I think this will be Tess's feeding station permanently but Hollie, Miss Destructo, might get put back to the slow feeders if she tears up the box right away. Even though she has learned to chew holes in the nets for faster access.  She's just one of "those" horses.  A real clever girl.  Darn it.

[mzgarden]

here to stay, Do you have a picture? Trying to figure out if this is something that could be used with goats.

[here to stay]

So far I have not succeeded in getting an image hosting site to let me enroll so no pictures. But I don't think it would be suitable for goats as they would likely climb into it. Nor actually for horses in a group as the horse's head is completely into the box so they could not see another horse threatening them. Sort of like the problem with goats and keyhole feeders.

[mzgarden]

here to stay, ahh, ok that makes sense. Glad it's working for you.

[aoconnor]

Sounds like a good idea! How is Tess doing? I now have a big gelding with compromised/missing teeth. He gets soaked alfalfa cubes twice a day as well as a senior feed that breaks down as soon as it gets in his mouth. He is doing very well on that diet!

[here to stay]

Tessie is doing well. She had allergy testing about a couple of years ago and it turned out she is allegic to alfalfa, most grains. I think she can't deal with fescue hay either. It makes finding a senior feed for her impossible so far. Stopping the rice bran seems to have helped too. She always was a sensitive gut horse.

Anyway I've been getting some lovely orchard grass hay for her that seems to be very yummy. Along with soaked beet pulp and timothy hay pellets, and the retreat of the midges due to snow, her mane and tail is growing back. If she can keep her weight with this, it will be good.

Teeth removal, while bloody and painful, turned out well for her. Come spring when grass is again growing I think she will be a happy camper again.

[aoconnor]

That's great news! So glad sweet Tessie is doing so well! Yes, Orchard grass is so yummy to my guys too! They love it when I can get any, but down here we are pretty limited to Bermuda and trucked in Alfalfa. We grow our own hay now but have to buy bales of Alfalfa. I do soak Timothy cubes sometimes for my big guy, but he really loves his alfalfa so I don't change it up much:-)