Horse peeps, does anyone have the hay hut?

[miss_thenorth]

http://hayhuts.com/

We are thinking of getting one, but would like to hear if anyone who has them, what they think of them. Do you like it, do you dislike it? Worth the money? Do they really Save on hay loss?

TY!

 

[jerseygirl1]

For $700, seems a little steep for something to hold hay

 

[oldchickenlady]

I also saw the Hayhut but just could not spend so much money for just 2 horses. I did find another option for a whole lot less money. It is called a Bale Buddy. It is actually a large canvas type bag, with heavy duty elastic around the open hole. You turn your bale onto one of the flat sides, then you put the bag on the top of it and pull it down around the bale. Once you get it almost on the bale, turn your bale over and pull the bag up completely. The horses then eat the hay out of the top of the bag. They come in different sizes to fit different size bales. I bought the smallest (5x5 I think) and have used it for almost a year. It was a pain to get on by myself at first, but 2 people can do it quickly and easily. Now I can get it on pretty fast by myself, you just have to get the hang of it. Anyway, the size I bought was around a $100.00 or there about. I cant remember what the bigger sizes cost. Google Bale Buddy and you should pull up the web site. Once the horses eat the majority of the hay, they will learn to nose around inside the bag and get all of it. My mare will sometimes try to paw down the side, or she grabs big bites of the hay and throws it out on the ground, but it is still way better than the waste they made before I got the bag. It is very tough, sort of a plastic coated canvas, but is a coarser weave, so it doesn't hold water. I think it paid for itself in a few months and I didn't have to clean up all the spoiled wasted hay laying around.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Yes, but considering I put out a round bale on Tuesday, and today it is all over the paddock, having been peed and pooped on, rolled on and therefore useless as far as feed goes, and only having two horses, that bale should have lasted two weeks. WE currently use a bale buddy, and it has worked well until this year, my one horse has figured out how to get into it and paw out all the hay to get to the fines on the bottom. If I'm paying $45 for a round bale and it is only lasting three days when it should last two weeks, and this hay hut says it prevents wasted hay, I would think I would be better off spending oney on a good feeding system as opposed to wasted hay, yes?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Also, b/c he knows how to get itnot the bale buddy, I wouldn't want to buy a metal one, and have him get in there and hurt himself. Oldchickenlady, the bale buddy worked great for the first year. After Thunder figured out how to get in it, we also tried using bungee cords to tighten it up as the bale got lower, but of course he got it twisted around his leg and went loping through the paddock with it attached to him. I honestly think in our situation, I would rather spend the money(one time purchase) if the hay hut works, than on 50 extra bales of hay every year to compensate what they would waste.

 

[geepy]

Wow, $45 for a round bale. We pay $75 in fl. I have a hay ring and it does fine but my three gluttons (plus two sheep) eat it in a week. As for the hay hut, I'm sure between the horses and the sheep they would come up with a plan to some how destroy it. LOL

 

[oldchickenlady]

Well, I buy smaller bales for $15, so I can move them myself (no tractor and teenagers are usually MIA when I need them), but I can feel your pain! I don't know of anyone that has one, but I would think it would work since it is covered and your horse couldn't get in it (hopefully!). It was my first choice and I really wanted one, but I just didn't have that much expendable income!

 

[Skittlez]

When I use round bales, I peel a section and feed like I would a flake. I saw through the outer layer at the very top, peel it down, then peel the inside to a piece I want and feed like a flake, then I flip the outer layer back up to protect the inside. A little extra work, but saves on waste. I have also left them in the bed of my truck and just parked the truck in the pasture and let them eat it that way, but I got tired of getting stuck and having to call a neighbor to tow me out. I only use rounds now if I am going on vacation and it makes feeding easier for the person I hire to feed when I am gone. Otherwise, I just use small squares.

 

[welsummerchicks]

I prefer something like this -

http://images.search.yahoo.com/imag...sr&sigi=14p3kb3bp&sigb=11rrt3vn4&fr=yfp-t-701

I think they hay hut is too closed in, and will cause more mold and deterioration of the hay. I also think it's easier for an animal to get its leg caught.

 

[EweSheep]

Well they can get themselves caught but once they run, tipped the hut over, they would get out of it than breaking a leg.

If we need to make something like that in that same cost, better to buy some kind of wood gazebo type with open doors for tractor hay to be put in and scraped out. With all wood into it, it is not going to really get them stuck in there or hung up like the cattle ones would.