Also, there is waste - I estimate up to ten percent. Now the remainder of the bale is likely to sit slanted in the feeder, which makes the better parts of the remaining bale available again. Since my sheep are grass-fed and I wish to encourage consumption, I flip the bale over by flipping the entire feeder over with the bale inside it. When about half or two-thirds of the bale is eaten, the better parts of the hay become less accessible. That has not occurred since I have White Dorper sheep. My large-headed Texel sheep that I raised twenty years ago got their heads stuck on occasion, especially when two sheep tried to feed through the same hole. As they dig deeper into the bale, the better portions of the hay become available only when a sheep puts its head into one of the eight by eight holes. Initially, when the bale is just set up, the sheep can eat basically at all places throughout the mesh. If they are held together with bale strings you can go either way. If your bales are net-wrapped, I recommend removing the net prior to putting the feeder around. You can then open the feeder up and put it around a round bale that is sitting on its flat side, or you can leave it closed and lift the feeder over the round bale. (I used to use smaller hooks but found out they bend too easily when they are under pressure and are also hard to open when you want to open the feeder with hay still in it.) I now have a feeder that costs about $30, which is far less than the several hundred dollars that most round bale feeders cost.Ī hay feeder with half a bale tipped over and the wasted hay around the previous spot spread out. I use three three-inch snap ring hooks to connect the ends and the feeder is done. I then bend the panel that both ends touch each other. I use a disc grinder to cut the wholes and then smoothen the rough edges with the same. This will amount to three rows with holes that are eight by eight inches. The bottom may have narrower rows of mesh. The mesh measures usually four inches horizontally and eight inches vertically.

Such panel is 16 feet long by 48 or 50 inches high, and costs about 20 dollars. It might be called livestock or cattle panel at your farm store. Many of you are likely familiar with a feedlot panel, these are the base of my design. I abandoned some designs as well, and they too will be part of this article. I’d love to give him credit, but his name has escaped me and I cannot find a listing of his farm.

I received the original idea more than 20 years ago when I went to a Polypay sheep breeder in Vermont at the banks of the Connecticut River. I have been using self-made hay feeders made from livestock panels for two decades. They all have one characteristic in common: they cost a lot of money. Various companies offer round bale hay feeders for sheep. Next, cut out two pieces of paper that are each 2″ square.My current design of a hay feeder, made from a goat panel. I use two pieces of paper and tape to create a 9″x10″ rectangle, but you can modify the measurements to match your critter needs. Create your pattern pieces with your two sheets of printer paper and paper cutter or ruler and scissors. Iron it to ensure the fabric is completely smooth.Ģ. Fabric hay bag tutorialġ. Before getting started, make sure your fabric has been washed and then dried without any dryer sheets. I recently bought a pair of Gingher scissorsand I love them! I wish I’d bought them ages ago. Cutting paper with scissors destroys them! This project requires you to make precise cuts through two layers of fabric at once, which is harder than it sounds if your scissors are dull. I really can’t stress enough the importance of having a dedicated pair of cloth scissors. One reader commented that she used binder rings because she didn’t have shower curtain rings. 2 shower curtain hangers, small clips, or other method of hanging the finished sack.Sewing machine or needle for hand sewing.A paper trimmer(makes life easier, but you can do without).Additionally, most wire/wood hay mangers that hang from a cage allow hay to fall out the back and into your room! I don’t know about you, but I prefer to keep as much hay as possible in the guinea pig cage and off the spare bedroom floor. Yes, some hay will fall out on the ground beneath the bag, but there is way less mess than the cardboard tube method. I know it’s easier to buy a hay manger and way less expensive to shove your piggy’s hay in a toilet paper tube, but a hay sack is way more tidy than either option. This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.

Rabbit hay feeder diy