Use a Pasture Hay Feeder to Reduce Waste

Do you use hay feeders in your pastures, or do you simply feed hay off the ground? Did you know that feeding hay off the ground without using a hay feeder results in the greatest amount of loss regardless of physical form (round bales or square bales). This loss can be as high as 57%.¹ This loss is caused as horses sort through the hay, stand on it, use it for bedding, or simply defecate on it.

The wind and weather can also have a negative impact on the forage you provide to your horses.

Confining hay within a safe feeder can eliminate waste by as much as 40%. The savings depends on the type of feeder and forage being fed. This is a significant cost savings with the current price of hay across the country.

Investing in a proper feeder can be worthwhile to recoup some of your expenses and labor. It also allows you to provide your horse with high-quality, nutritious forage.

Picking a Hay Feeder

There are a number of commercially available hay feeders for round and square bales. It is very important that you select ones that are designed for horses rather than cattle or other livestock species. Selecting the wrong type or trying to use one feeder for multiple types of livestock can put your horse at risk. Injuries can occur if a horse gets stuck in the feeder (head, neck, legs). Horses also can rub out their manes or scratch themselves on the openings.

Restricted-access feeders generally keep the horse from putting its whole head in the bale. When they do that, they pull too much hay out of the feeder and drop it on the ground.

Hay feeders that allow for restricted access to the hay result in less waste by the horse when compared to feeders that allow more access or open access¹.

Advantages of a Hay Feeder

There are other advantages to using these forage feeders when feeding hay to horses in a pasture setting besides reducing waste.

Respiratory Health—Restricting the horse’s access to the forage with their whole face reduces the animal’s exposure to dust and foreign material in the hay and also reduces the likelihood of respiratory issues.
Gastrointestinal Tract Health —By utilizing hay feeders rather than feeding off the ground, it reduces the horse’s likelihood of ingesting dirt or sand. This can reduce the risk of colic related to ingestion of these components over time.
Quality Nutrition—Hay feeders restrict the horse from trampling on the wasted forage, defecating or urinating on it, as well as help keep it from getting wet from the environment. All of these things can greatly impact the nutritional value of the forage and increase the risk of disease exposure to your horse from bacteria and insect harborage.
Feeding Costs—Reducing feed waste means that the horses can consume more of the forage you provide, making them more feed efficient. It also results in reduced hay costs (amount needed per horse) and potentially less labor costs to haul, store, feed, and clean up.

Final Words

Feeding hay in the pasture with a hay feeder designed for horses will allow you to reduce feed waste. It also allows you to provide nutritious, long-stem forage to your horse throughout the year.

There are many health and safety benefits along with cost savings by doing this.

Keep your horse and your wallet happy by providing hay in a hay feeder designed for horses and reduce the waste commonly seen when feeding forage without a feeder.