Definition of Horse Hay Feeder
The horse hay feeders are farm implements constructed with either metal, wood, or plastic to provide adequate hay for the growth and development of horses.
Various technologically constructed horse hay feeders exist for the feeding of a horse to reduce feed wastage and provide adequate nutrients for horses.
The hay feeder for horses is designed with various patterns and openings where multiple horses can feed simultaneously.
Traditional hay feeders like keeping hay on the ground and trough feeders have been improved upon to provide efficient and effective feed for the horse.
These feeders are characterized by feed wastage and exposure to disease attacks.
Horse hay feeders with different types of hopper capacity, wheels, and tires have been designed to provide adequate feeding efficiency for horses.
Mobile (tractor-mounted) and immobile (wall, fence, and ground concrete mounted) horse hay feeders are also designed to suit the needs of the rancher or herder.
Thus, the use of horse feeders is very crucial in the winter and summer to minimize hay wastage and contamination.
Material for the Construction of the Hose Hay Feeder.
The construction of a horse hay feeder depends on the nature of production and the choice of the user. Some of the materials considered for the construction of horse hay feeders are:
- Metal or Galvanized Steels: horse hay feeders are made up of steel or galvanized iron sheet materials. The metal-designed horse hay feeder is more durable and easy to clean. These types of feeders are majorly used in the commercial horse production industries and are not suitable for the local construction of horse feeders since they require technical skills to work on.
- Wooden Material: horse hay feeders are sometimes manufactured with the aid of wooden material. These types of feeders are used locally for producing feeders for horses. The wooden-constructed horse hay feeders are very difficult to maintain and are temporarily used for feeding horses.
- Plastic Materials: the plastic-manufactured horse hay feeder can also be made from Polythene materials. One of the advantages of plastic materials feeders is that they are easy to clean and maintain.
Factors to Consider in the Construction of Hay Feeder for Horse
Horses are large animals hence certain factors need to be considered in the Construction of their Feeder.
Some of the factors that ranchers or herders need to take into consideration in the construction of hay feeders for horses are:
- Ability to Last Long: this is another factor to be considered in the construction of a horse hay feeder. The feeder should be able to last long. It should be made up of long-lasting materials. The metal feeder are more durable and easy to maintain compared to any other type of feeder. Horses are large and heavy animals and when they step on any objects they can easily break the object into pieces. Therefore, it is more appropriate that the materials used in their construction should be strong and long-lasting.
- The Material Should be Cheap: the feeder used for feeding hay to the horses should not be too expensive and above the rancher and herder’s reach. A considerable amount of cost-effective materials should be chosen for the construction of the hay feeder.
- Maintenance Factors: Hassle-free feeding is paramount for equine healthy living. hence, the maintenance factors should be considered before constructing equine feeders. Equine feeder requires frequent cleaning and disinfection, therefore any material that does not permit easy cleaning and disinfection should be avoided. The rancher or herder should construct hay feeders with materials that are easy to clean. this will help promote disease disease-free environment for horses.
- Size of the Herd: the number of horses in the ranch should be another factor to be considered in the construction of the hay feeder for horses. The smaller the herd of the horse, the smaller the number of feeders required, and vice versa.
- Space Available: the larger the space available in the ranch the longer and the number of feeders needed. It is adequate to consider the floor space in the pen or the pasture before the construction of the hay feeder. This will help to promote a conducive environment for equine
- The Types of the Horse: the types of horses to be fed should be considered in the construction of the horse hay feeder. There are different categories of horses and each of them requires special types of hay feeder. Small and big horses are not fed with the same types of feeder. immature horses require small feeders while mature horses also need bigger feeders. therefore the rancher should consider the types of horses in the construction of hay feeders for horses.
- The nature of Hay to be Fed: different types of hay are available for feeding horses, and each type of hay needs special feeders. The type of feeder for legume hay is different from grass hay feeders. Thus, the rancher or herder should consider the types of hay to feed the animals before construction.
The Benefits of Hay Feeders for Horses
The importance of the hay feeder for Horses cannot be spoken of, following its contributions to efficient hay management in the ranch or pasture. The following are the importance of the equine hay feeders, they are:
Decreased Feed Wastage
A well-technologically constructed hay feeder can help minimize the wastage of feed. The possibility of feed being soiled or contaminated if kept on the floor for horses is very high, and the feed soiled cannot be consumed by the animals.
The contamination of feed can lead to the wastage of hay in the ranch. But the advent of a good horse hay feeder has been proven to conserve feed.
The modern equine hay feeder is usually designed with their legs suspended from the ground which makes contamination and soiling difficult.
Feeders provide the avenue for multiple animals to feed simultaneously from the feeder without fighting and dragging feed from the feeder leading to the wastage of precious hay.
Reduction in Cost of Feed
The use of a well-designed horse feeder can help decrease the cost of feed. The feeder is constructed to dispense feed systematically to the horse. In so doing the quality of hay is preserved from contamination.
Hay left in the ground for feeding horses can easily be trampled and soiled which could lead to extra cost of purchasing hay.
This extra cost of buying hay increased the cost of feeding. However, the use of well-constructed hay feeder facilities could help to reduce the cost of feeding.
Promote Healthy Feeding
This is another importance of equine hay feeder. A good designed feeder can easily be washed and disinfected which helps to promote clean feed.
Soiled and contaminated feed leads to the spread of parasites and disease attacks which reduce the growth and development of animals.
However, the use of equine hay feeders helps to promote clean feeding in the ranch thereby reducing the spread of food-borne pathogens.
Save Time and Labor
A well-crafted equine hay feeder is constructed to allow different animals to feed at the same time instead of individually feeding the animal.
The time taken to feed individual animals can be channeled to other activities on the ranch. More so, manually feeding individual animals involves the use of labor which involves a lot of resources.
However, these technologically made feeders help to save time and labor.
Reduced Feed Competition
The use of thoughtfully designed hay feeders in the ranch can help reduce feed competition since many animals can feed simultaneously at the same time.
If the animal feed is kept on the floor, can lead to fighting within the team which results in serious problems on the ranch.
Manage Feed Intake
A perfectly designed hay feeder for horses should have minimum ability to restrict the equine from having unlimited access to the feed. In so doing they prevent the animal from overeating leading to effective feed management.
Types of Hay Feeders for Horse
There are various types of hay feeders used particularly for the feeding of equine. Some of the equine feeders as submitted by Farmco, used especially for feeding horses, their advantages and disadvantages are discussed in detail in the following subheading, click to read more :
Frequently Ask Questions
What are some of the outdoor hay feeders for horses?
An outdoor hay feeder for horses refers to a well-crafted structure constructed with either metal, wood, or plastic used to provide adequate hay for optimal growth and productivity for horses outside the pen.
These types of equine feeders enable the animal to have unrestricted access to feed which aids normal body functioning. some of the outdoor feeders used in the equine production industries are; Adjustable feeders, cover feeders, trough feeders, and hay trailer feeders
In conclusion
A thoughtfully constructed equine feeder is necessary for adequate horse feeding. The type of feeder used in the ranch determines the nutritional status of the team. Poorly crafted equine feeders will lead to poor feeding among the horses.
The rancher should adopt an adequate hay feeder for optimal nutrition, a healthy environment, and easy access to feed.
The best forms of hay feeders for horses used in the commercial Horse industries include a bale feeder, adjuster feeder, trailer feeder, cover feeder, and trough feeder.