[Marches Farmer]

There was a thread on here recently about these but I can't find it.  I took an angle grinder to ours yesterday and cut off the central side sections so the rack sits about 17cm lower on the hurdle - the bit you take out looks like the sign for Japanese Yen, a Y shape with bar across.  Hayrack now much better for shorter sheep, although I still think it would be better if it were wider at the bottom.

[Me]

I hacksawed a spar off ours yesterday strangely enough and was going to look up the old thread.

Given to a couple of ewes with slightly prem. lambs in the pens. It dropped them 4 inches and I thought it was the answer as the ewes I'm sure eat better from them now. However when I went round later they had given up on the racks and I threw the stuff out and again they ate greedily. For whatever reason the racks seem to limit forage intake at a time when I really want my sheep to stuff themselves to the limit so it looks like I am stuck with messy floors (very bad for shepherds who are a little ocd about things!)

I agree they are too narrow at the bottom and to fill you have to bend the stems back up as you push down making them harder to grasp. Maybe I will cut out another bar, there wont be much left!

[Marches Farmer]

The quality of the welding seems good - could probably take out another section if necessary without compromising the overall strength.

[Me]

I may as well, they aren't being used (other than as wood baskets - which they are very good for) at the moment anyway so nothing to lose

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hi,


  I commented about cutting them on the previous thread. I also use them stuffed with hay and laid on the floor for recumbent ewes or tied to the hurdles like a waste paper bin which keeps the hay tidy and off the floor. Also, a couple of carabinas or G clips can be used to hang them from the top rail of the hurdles so the ewes can have one at each side rather than share one.

[Marches Farmer]

The carabinas are a good idea.  I think they were designed by not-a-shepherd, though. 

[Me]

I've dropped them 4" and they are more interested in them  will hold off dropping them another 4", see how we go