E-Z Hay Feeder
In 1994 when it came time to bring my herd of 20 plus horses
in from the pasture to the barn for winter feeding, I started
thinking of all the trips I would be making throughout the long
cold North Idaho winter to feed. It didn't take long to come up
with a feeder design that takes only about 15 minutes once every
10 days to feed each 10 head.
There are so many benefits to this system that I thought other
ranchers might be interested in the freedom and savings this
feeder offers. We save about 30 to 40 percent in our hay cost
from loss and overeating as with regular round bale feeders. The
savings on labor alone to feed is great! The only thing that
needs clean up is the manure they create, and that so far can't
be helped. Any type of hay is suitable for these feeders including round bales, large or small square bales, and even loose hay!
The original feeders that were first built were to feed Icelandic Horses. These feeders can be used for ponies, standard sized horses, llamas, alpacas, hornless cattle, etc. *WARNING-THIS FEEDER IS NOT FOR HORNED ANIMALS. ALLOWING HORNED ANIMALS TO FEED FROM THESE FEEDERS MAY CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH* E-Z HAY FEEDERS AND/OR CURTIS ICELANDIC HORSE RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURY OR DEATH OF ANY ANIMAL THAT HAS ACCESS TO THESE FEEDERS. Up to 12
can feed from one feeder as long as they get along well in a
group. The feeder can also be placed in a way as to serve several
fields or corrals at a time. You can also put many in 1 field and
have them all controlled with one timer.
I started with 2 feeders in 1994 and at our peak had 5 to do my
feeding, that gave me lots of time to think of other things I
can be doing with the free time and savings my feeders have given
me.
All parts and components used in the control have UL, ULC or CSA safety certficates. The curtain is PVC material. The
electrical wire, 14 gauge inside 3/4" black PVC pipe, should
be buried deep enough as not to have it damaged. Just plug the
wire into a 120 volt AC outlet. The unit only draws 3 amps of power
each time it moves or about 1 KW per month.
The only change from a regular round bale feeder is that the
feed and time of feeding is controlled. That's more time for
other things, less labor costs, no waste, healthy and fit horses
for spring and a very low operating cost. Any style of bales or
loose hay can be used in the feeder. All tie strings must be
removed after loading.
I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect
from the
"E-Z HAY FEEDER" and what they can do
for you.
