Free Feeding with slow feeders

Red's Mom
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Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Red's Mom » Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:15 pm

I am very intrigued with the idea of free feeding with slow feed hay nets. I think that allowing horses to simulate grazing all day is fantastic. I am not exactly sure how they work. I have done some research, but could do more. A friend recommended the Orange Slow Feeder hay nets and or the Porta-Grazer. I was thinking I could get the west coast hay bale net, which encloses a whole bale. The OrangeSlow Feeder has 1 and 3/4 inch mesh. I read an article that says that is too big, and that mesh should be about 1 and 1/4.

I will be boarding two Arabian horses starting November 1st. I want to get the slow feeders in place before then. I need a set up for 2 ponies, and my 4 yr old TB. The ponies live together, but TB is separate. The Arabs will be living in a large corral together. I would love some feed back on the best way to slow feed. Brands of slow feeders you prefer, etc..I read an article that showed tooth damage from using metal mesh, so I don't want to use metal, but the same article showed damage done to gums with hay nets.

The Arabians that are coming have been "free fed". They have just had hay (Bermuda) put in front of them constantly. One is horribly overweight. The owner likes to come at 7:00 am to ride. I don't usually feed until 7:00/7:30. I don't like the idea of the horses going without food before she takes them out to ride. I am thinking if I have slow feeders, this won't be a problem. I will be feeding orchard grass and it is almost twice the cost of bermuda here in southern ca. I don't want to overfeed or underfeed, and I want to make feeding easier.

Please advise!

Abby Kogler
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Abby Kogler » Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:40 pm

After trying I think every brand of hay net and feeder over the last however many years, I use the big small hole haynets from Dover. You can put a lot of hay in them. They are sturdy and last the longest of any I have tried. I have giant warmbloods and a full net can last them 24 hours. I hang them in the turnouts and in their stalls at night. Theyre great. They are a pain to stuff so I hang them over a big trash can and stuff them that way.

I love them. No problems with gums. They get small amounts all day. No waste. No trashing. Easy for me, easy for workers if I board somewhere, better for horses.

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Flight
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Flight » Tue Oct 10, 2017 9:30 pm

I've fed the big round bales in slow feeder nets, and they always have access to hay in the smaller nets (so they don't make such a mess with it). I use GutzBusta ones, but I'm in Australia so maybe not helpful!

Srhorselady
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Srhorselady » Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:21 pm

I've had good luck with the Nibblenets. I've been using them for several years now with Bermuda grass hay. Although the Warmblood and thoroughbred are pretty slow eating when using them, with several years experience, the quarterhorses have gotten faster/better at eating out of them. It takes the quarter horses about twice as long as when free fed the same amount. They will eat 4 lbs of Bermuda in about 2 hours when it is in the Nibblenets while the other two are about an hour slower. The Nibblenets come in different sizes and I have given 8 lbs / horse in each Nibblenets when I knew I wouldn't be home for a lunch feeding.

Red's Mom
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Red's Mom » Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:21 am

Thanks for all this information!

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Chisamba
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Chisamba » Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:06 am


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Chisamba
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Chisamba » Fri Oct 13, 2017 12:00 am

I have found, however, that horses on grass hay do not really need slow feeders. Once the novelty of free choice wears off they only graze enough.

After my distressing experience with Luna, if horses act greedy I either test for vitamin deficiency or simply supplement more fully for vit E and balanced vitamin minerals.

Every one of my greedy horses have totally mellowed about food and when they have had enough they snooze, roll, nap, play and nibble calmly through the day.

Food anxiety is either boredom or a horse craving a nutrient

Angfreda
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Re: Free Feeding with slow feeders

Postby Angfreda » Sat Oct 14, 2017 1:40 pm

Srhorselady wrote:I've had good luck with the Nibblenets. I've been using them for several years now with Bermuda grass hay. Although the Warmblood and thoroughbred are pretty slow eating when using them, with several years experience, the quarterhorses have gotten faster/better at eating out of them. It takes the quarter horses about twice as long as when free fed the same amount. They will eat 4 lbs of Bermuda in about 2 hours when it is in the Nibblenets while the other two are about an hour slower. The Nibblenets come in different sizes and I have given 8 lbs / horse in each Nibblenets when I knew I wouldn't be home for a lunch feeding.


One of the horses at the place I was a WS at had a nibblenet and I came to really like it.
He was an airfern on stall rest and then on restricted turnout recovering from surgery who would have blown up if he had been left to eat what he wanted at the rate he wanted to eat it.

The nibble net forced him to pace himself and eat more slowly, ie so that he had forage in front of him longer, and something to do.
Since his paddock was light on grass, he really needed that hay and needed it to last.


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