[Me]

How do other people find the wire mesh over the hurdle type feeders in pens? They look lovely, shiny galv and organised but I don't find them that good, often it seems a ewe will refuse to eat or eat very little from the rack but then gobble it up when I throw the same forage out on the floor.

I've taken to the much messier and easier option of throwing it on the floor without bothering the rack.

Thoughts?

[SallyintNorth]

I was always too mean to buy them (although I expect they save their purchase price in wasted hay over a period) so used to make my own things using weldmesh.  I found that a welmesh flap secured against the side of the lambing pen, leaning out at about 30 degrees, open at the top for dropping hay in, worked extremely well.  As the top of this is level with the top of the pen sides, the sheep can pull hay out from their head height, without having to put their heads up and get hay seeds in their eyes

[Bramblecot]

I bought some, don't like them - too high for my little sheep which get seeds in their eyes .  Much prefer a rack with a tray underneath to catch all the wastage.
However, (just remembered ) I have a hurdle with the top rail missing and that suits them and the older lambs perfectly.

[Slimjim]

I have just a couple of these. I think they don't hold enough hay for two sheep to share and the holes in the mesh are a bit small. Home made is better.

[princesslayer]

I got one second hand and my four definitely eat out of it. It's about head height for them. They are pretty unfussy though. They drink waterbutt water which seems unusual for sheep.

[Ladygrey]

Plastic feed sacks with a bottom corner cut off, stuff with hay and the tie in the corner of the pen byt the top of the sack, its easier to pull out than a rack but less waste than on the floor 

[Marches Farmer]

I have just a couple of these. I think they don't hold enough hay for two sheep to share and the holes in the mesh are a bit small. Home made is better.

I agree.  They're too high for our Southdowns and the Badger Face (who eat much more) polish off their side in a couple of hours, so constantly topping up.  Because they narrow at the bottom that can get emptied while there's still coarser hay stuck towards the top.

[Foobar]

I use small haylage nets (£4 each) (or a large one flopped over the hurdle between two pens).  Safe enough as long as you keep them filled up.  Wouldn't pay £20 a pop for hay racks, i agree they are too high - ok if you have big sheep I suppose.  I'd also use feed bags too, although they are more time consuming to tie up than the haylage nets.


Do I recall someone mentioning using shopping baskets previously??  You could hook them up with some sort of hinge going on, and you would be able to place them lower than the hook over type hay rack.

[Me]

Plastic feed sacks   

And where can I buy these "feed sacks" of which you speak 

[Me]

Do I recall someone mentioning using shopping baskets previously??  You could hook them up with some sort of hinge going on, and you would be able to place them lower than the hook over type hay rack.

I feel some shop lifting coming on

[Foobar]

lol.
Feed bags - find someone who keeps chickens or pigs, they are bound to have loads going spare.

[beagh-suffolks]

we use calve hay racks, that just slip in between the hurdles and have never had any problem with them

[Me]

I think thats the same kind I'm talking about, maybe it is just a sheep height thing as your Suffolks must be tall

[beagh-suffolks]

i dont just keep suffolks, i have a large commercial flock, an alot of them arent to tall

[Me]

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDYwMA==/z/k4gAAOSwc3ZUqXTb/$_12.JPG?set_id=880000500F

we use calve hay racks, that just slip in between the hurdles and have never had any problem with them

Its not that I have a problem with them, I feel good about them! Its just I have noticed the ewes intakes are lower from the racks than the floor, to the point where I throw unwanted hay on the floor and they gobble it up. If If I had not noticed this I could have carried on for years putting the hay in the racks with modest intakes thinking I was doing a good thing because it all looks professional.

Have you tried feeding yours another way for comparison? If yes then we can chalk your vote up as a vote in favour I'd be interested to hear potential reasons why your short sheep have high intakes from the racks and mine don't?