Round Bale feeders for horses

[RoperAB]

Do they cut back on the dust say compares to feeding loose hay into large tractor tire feed bunks?
I have to do something different. Another one of my horses is starting to get a little cough.
If I go to cubes its going to be expensive!

 

[kolanuraven]

We found out that the cough/snotty nose cause for my old horse was polyp in his nasal cavity. It seems they're pretty common.

But, he's sooooooo old and in otherwise good shape and I'll keep him anyway till the day he dies I decided to just let it be for now.

But, Vet told me it's a pretty simple thing to diagnose and treat on a younger horse....could that be cause of yor horses cough?

 

[Faster horses]

We sure don't like feeding horses in a bale feeder. It seems to us that they start eating and eat down deep into the bale, inhaling any dust that
is in the bale. We really try to feed dust-free hay, but don't always manage to do that.

The best way to feed hay is on the ground so the dust falls out of it as the horse goes through it, or at least the horses aren't directly inhaling the dust. Bale processors get rid of a lot of dust. But I doubt if you would want to do that. If you water the hay, you need to do it 24 hours prior to
feeding to get rid of the spores. (I didn't know this for 55 years.) We
can't do that in the winter time here, of course.

When our horse training friend called from Texas yesterday, he
mentioned that all the horses there seem to be coughing just from
all the dust in the air, on the hay, etc. It's tough to escape dust
this year.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

We feed round bales to the horses in ring feeders and have never had a problem, but maybe it's the level of humidity we have ???? keeps down on the dust. I've never noticed ours eatin a hole like you mentioned faster horses. Course most of the time they are sharin it with the cows. ??? dunno, never had any problem feedin round bales to em.

 

[Faster horses]

Horses have such delicate lungs, it is easy to have a problem with them.
Maybe your humidity helps, I don't know.
I know big horse outfits don't feed hay in round bale feeders
because there is too many problems associated with them.

We have a bale feeder in a corral and let the horses in there for
a short time everyday, since everything is so dried up around here.
But it's only for a short time every day. And we don't have any
coughing horses, or we wouldn't do that even.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Maybe too it has to do with them gettin to graze green grass durin the winter along with the hay??? Never gave it much thought. Ya know, that's one more thing, difference in area may have a whole lot to do with this. Always learning new stuff huh

 

[Broke Cowboy]

We feed them what the cows get - but they get it in a tombstone feeder.

Been doing it for more than 30 years with no probs.

Green grass grazing in the winter .... I wish!

B.C.

 

[OldDog/NewTricks]

If you water the hay, you need to do it 24 hours prior to feeding to get rid of the spores. (I didn't know this for 55 years.)

Thats a New One Me! Tell me more!

I'm careful to just water (with a water can) what the horse will eat at this meal. (I add Molasses to the water) (Helps the horse clean-up the Hay) (Molasses helps make the dust stick to the dirt floor) (also helps with Sand Colic)

If you water the hay, 24 hours prior to feeding that will let the spores Develop.

Made sure you take any left over damp or wet hay out of your feeder before Mold Spores Develop.

 

[RoperAB]

We found out that the cough/snotty nose cause for my old horse was polyp in his nasal cavity. It seems they're pretty common.

But, he's sooooooo old and in otherwise good shape and I'll keep him anyway till the day he dies I decided to just let it be for now.

But, Vet told me it's a pretty simple thing to diagnose and treat on a younger horse....could that be cause of yor horses cough?

What is polyp?
Remember the other colt that had the problem? I put him on pasture for a few days and then he got better. Then I put him in the corral and he started coughing again. Then I put him on pasture and sold him.

 

[RoperAB]

We sure don't like feeding horses in a bale feeder. It seems to us that they start eating and eat down deep into the bale, inhaling any dust that
is in the bale. We really try to feed dust-free hay, but don't always manage to do that.

The best way to feed hay is on the ground so the dust falls out of it as the horse goes through it, or at least the horses aren't directly inhaling the dust. Bale processors get rid of a lot of dust. But I doubt if you would want to do that. If you water the hay, you need to do it 24 hours prior to
feeding to get rid of the spores. (I didn't know this for 55 years.) We
can't do that in the winter time here, of course.

When our horse training friend called from Texas yesterday, he
mentioned that all the horses there seem to be coughing just from
all the dust in the air, on the hay, etc. It's tough to escape dust
this year.

Well this hay im useing is pretty much as good as can be bought in the big bales. Really its not dusty. But there is a certain amount of dust because they burry their heads into it to eat the fines first.
I have been feeding on the ground like you descibe for the last couple of days and that Mare did not cough when I rode her today.
The problem with feeding on the ground is the ground in the corral is very fine and dusty. The horses want the fines so im sure they are eating a certain amount of dirt as well as alfalfa fines. Im worried about sand colic. Plus they waste so much when I feed it this way.
Watering the hay is just not an option for me.

 

[RoperAB]

Well I borrowed a ring feeder for round bales lunch time today.
Hard to describe it. I didnt like the ones for bulls. They were opened at the top like a tombstone for horses but the openings for the head and neck looked to wide. The ones for cattle were all different. Probable most of these feeders were ancient that I was looking at.
Anyway I grabbed one for cows that looked the safest to use with my colts.
I think this is going to be the answer for dust but im kind of concerned about accidents with my horses. The bars are at an angle so if they raise their heads quick they will get a warning before they hit that top bar. This one is sort of shaped like an hour glass so they will probable hit their necks instead of their heads if something scares them.
Anyway time will tell if this works or not.

 

[kolanuraven]

A polyp is like a little extra growth of tissue. The are ususally round-ish, bump like or can even have a stalk that anchors them into the membranes.

It occurs in mucous membranes and will irratate the area. L ike with my horse....it's what keeps his nose snotty cause the polyp irratates the membranes in his nose.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I borrowed a ring feeder for round bales lunch time today.
Hard to describe it. I didnt like the ones for bulls. They were opened at the top like a tombstone for horses but the openings for the head and neck looked to wide. The ones for cattle were all different. Probable most of these feeders were ancient that I was looking at.
Anyway I grabbed one for cows that looked the safest to use with my colts.
I think this is going to be the answer for dust but im kind of concerned about accidents with my horses. The bars are at an angle so if they raise their heads quick they will get a warning before they hit that top bar. This one is sort of shaped like an hour glass so they will probable hit their necks instead of their heads if something scares them.
Anyway time will tell if this works or not.

The ones with a top bar will rub their manes off- so hope your not hoping to show them...I've got some angle ones that I use for calves but don't like them for horses- besides denuding the mane they also seem to bang their heads on both the sides and tops if startled by something...

There is a plastic round ring feeder that is made in Canada that is just like 3 4"plastic pipe rings held apart by about 6 3 foot straight chunks of plastic pipe...You just unbolt and remove the top ring and they work great for horses- and they are cheap as feeders go (about $150)...

 

[Faster horses]

I'm with you Oldtimer. Horse bale feeders are made especially for horses. They seem to get in trouble with any of the others.

If there is any way they can rub it off, skin it off, poke something in it,
or worse, they will find a way to do it.

We had a small disc parked in a fair-sized pasture once.
Our nice paint horse walked all through that disc. Skinned his
legs up something awful. It wasn't deep, but it sure looked bad.
Why in the world did he do that? Had the whole pasture...

Good Luck, Roper AB.

Have these horses been vaccinated for Rhino? Sometimes
vaccinating them for that will clear up a cough.

 

[RoperAB]

Well I borrowed a ring feeder for round bales lunch time today.
Hard to describe it. I didnt like the ones for bulls. They were opened at the top like a tombstone for horses but the openings for the head and neck looked to wide. The ones for cattle were all different. Probable most of these feeders were ancient that I was looking at.
Anyway I grabbed one for cows that looked the safest to use with my colts.
I think this is going to be the answer for dust but im kind of concerned about accidents with my horses. The bars are at an angle so if they raise their heads quick they will get a warning before they hit that top bar. This one is sort of shaped like an hour glass so they will probable hit their necks instead of their heads if something scares them.
Anyway time will tell if this works or not.

The ones with a top bar will rub their manes off- so hope your not hoping to show them...I've got some angle ones that I use for calves but don't like them for horses- besides denuding the mane they also seem to bang their heads on both the sides and tops if startled by something...

There is a plastic round ring feeder that is made in Canada that is just like 3 4"plastic pipe rings held apart by about 6 3 foot straight chunks of plastic pipe...You just unbolt and remove the top ring and they work great for horses- and they are cheap as feeders go (about $150)...

If its 6foot3" how do you put the bail in it? Take it a part? Thanks OT when I get to town I will go into UFA and see if they can order it. The price sounds good!
I know they wont have it in stock. The ones they stock are always metal.

 

[RoperAB]

I'm with you Oldtimer. Horse bale feeders are made especially for horses. They seem to get in trouble with any of the others.

If there is any way they can rub it off, skin it off, poke something in it,
or worse, they will find a way to do it.

We had a small disc parked in a fair-sized pasture once.
Our nice paint horse walked all through that disc. Skinned his
legs up something awful. It wasn't deep, but it sure looked bad.
Why in the world did he do that? Had the whole pasture...

Good Luck, Roper AB.

Have these horses been vaccinated for Rhino? Sometimes
vaccinating them for that will clear up a cough.

Friggen horses all seem to be self destructive. Well the good ones anyway! Haha Ever noticed how some people can keep old nags in pastures filled with death traps like old barb wire everywhere in the grass but nothing ever happens to them. But yet you could put a good horse in a rubber room and he would still hurt himself!
LOLs Faster Horses your not alone in your troubles :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Well I borrowed a ring feeder for round bales lunch time today.
Hard to describe it. I didnt like the ones for bulls. They were opened at the top like a tombstone for horses but the openings for the head and neck looked to wide. The ones for cattle were all different. Probable most of these feeders were ancient that I was looking at.
Anyway I grabbed one for cows that looked the safest to use with my colts.
I think this is going to be the answer for dust but im kind of concerned about accidents with my horses. The bars are at an angle so if they raise their heads quick they will get a warning before they hit that top bar. This one is sort of shaped like an hour glass so they will probable hit their necks instead of their heads if something scares them.
Anyway time will tell if this works or not.

If its 6foot3" how do you put the bail in it? Take it a part? Thanks OT when I get to town I will go into UFA and see if they can order it. The price sounds good!
The ones with a top bar will rub their manes off- so hope your not hoping to show them...I've got some angle ones that I use for calves but don't like them for horses- besides denuding the mane they also seem to bang their heads on both the sides and tops if startled by something...

There is a plastic round ring feeder that is made in Canada that is just like 3 4"plastic pipe rings held apart by about 6 3 foot straight chunks of plastic pipe...You just unbolt and remove the top ring and they work great for horses- and they are cheap as feeders go (about $150)...

They are really light- you just pick them up and roll them to where you want and drop them over the bale...A lady can handle them...

I wish I could remember what the make was and where they come from- I have 3 and I looked at all of them the other day and the stickers are rubbed off... But I seem to think they were made in Canada- were being sold by an elevator/feedstore in Malta Mt...

 

[RoperAB]

Almost forgot. FH these horses all had Rhino last year so they are imune to rhino. This isnt a relapse of rhino either.
Thanks everybody for your replys

 

[RoperAB]

How light are they? Where im at its extremely windy. Like I know its windy in MT but even you would find it hard to believe how hard the wind can blow up here. Are these feeders just going to blow away when the bale is gone?

 

[RoperAB]

A polyp is like a little extra growth of tissue. The are ususally round-ish, bump like or can even have a stalk that anchors them into the membranes.

It occurs in mucous membranes and will irratate the area. L ike with my horse....it's what keeps his nose snotty cause the polyp irratates the membranes in his nose.

Well thats something to think about. This Mare wasnt snotting though. I still think its the dust but if the new feeder doesnt cure it I will get her vet checked. She is my Top horse so im a little concerned!