new feeder / hay manger design we are trying

Bryan99705

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We got tired of wasted hay and fighting our way to the grain feeder so we're trying a new design. Access is from the alley outside the pen, grain is simply poured over the wall and rolls into the feed tray and hopefully...HOPEFULLY... the hay fines and spillage will be caught in the feed tray too. We'll see what happens
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Sumi

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That's neat! Let us know how it works?
 

Bossroo

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If you have horned sheep ... this is not the best of designs as sooner or later their horns will get stuck in the mesh , especially if you are not around . Also lambs could get their heads stuck between the mesh. The results just may be not pretty. :eek:
 

canesisters

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Maybe replace the wire mesh with something like this
hay.jpg
But with much smaller holes. Nimble little goat lips aught to be able to get the hay from little fist-sized holes, shouldn't they?
 

Bossroo

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I dig it with the panel.
check out the horse hay feed nets ! For sheep,the time tested narrow wood slats with 3" spacing wide at the top and narrow at the bottom with a tray to catch chaff and for grain is still the best.
 

Bryan99705

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If you have horned sheep ... this is not the best of designs as sooner or later their horns will get stuck in the mesh , especially if you are not around . Also lambs could get their heads stuck between the mesh. The results just may be not pretty. :eek:

We have horns ranging from nubs to 1 1/2 curl with no horn issues, there is enough room for them to clean all the way down but it's tight enough that they can't stand in the trough. The squares are 6X6 at the bottom and angled so the lambs can eat without getting there heads in the wire and the narrow gaps at the top cause the to feed at the bottom where there nose can go thru plus gravity along with them pulling hay from the bottom causes the hay to fall.
 
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Bryan99705

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Manger working great...I tested it and the waste is almost none as compared to a round bale with walls and uprights where they wasted approximately 40%. The best part is we're not getting beat up and mugged while carrying feed and hay thru the pen to the feeders & mangers. We simply feed over the feeder wall from the alley where the hay is stored.
 

goatgurl

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Bryan, I've been using a variation of your design for years with my goats and i like it real well. i have to clean out the bottom trough once in a while but have almost no waste. my goats are all dehorned so that's not an issue for me. i was like you, tired of being trampled when i went to feed , works for me and the girls think its ok too..
 

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