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hay tree
Planting a Hay Tree.


There just aren't enough good places to hang small-mesh hay nets around my Paddock Paradise track, so I decided to make a portable "tree" for hanging one. This keeps it out of the mud, but still low. I splurged on a stainless steel clip to run through a few strands of the net, and through the heavy duty screw eye in the fence post. By using a screw eye low on the wooden post, there are no long strings to get caught up in. To lock in the hay, I'm using hay string woven through the top loops, tied closed, and excess trimmed.

So far, so good: They seem to be able to share more easily than they share from hay nets clipped to a wall. It has remained upright. The base is so heavy that in order to roll it, I have to grab the post at about Stella's wither height for enough leverage to pull it over.

"Hay trees" can be placed in the sunshine during winter and in the shade during summer. They can also be rolled to firmer ground during mud season. With more than one, the distance between them can be easily changed to maximize equine movement.

As you can see, the post doesn't even have to be perfectly straight. I used the one with the biggest diameter I could find.

So, how do you make one for your horse?
hay tree base
1. Find an old full-size tire.
2. Duct tape in a liner (garbage bag) to keep your cement from escaping.
3. Save money on cement by filling the tire with rocks.
4. Make sure you leave space in the middle for the fence post
5. (optional) If your 7' fence post has a pointy end, trim a few inches off of it.
6. Mix your 80-lb bag of Quikrete.
7. Have your helper hold the post straight up in the middle while you fill the gaps.
8. Let it cure for a couple of days.
9. Drill a pilot hole, then insert your screw eye or tie ring.

I also used a few flat stones on top of the concrete for decoration.

Use enough material that the top of the base is convex to shed rainwater.


October 31, 2008


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Hay Tree Update:

I planted another hay tree this week, since we've been loving how the first one is working out -- especially the way it can be rolled to firmer footing now that the track is getting muddy.

Used a smaller tire for the new one, and a shorter (5-foot) fence post, too. The economy car-sized tire so far has proven large enough to keep the hay tree upright while holding three pounds of hay in a Busy Horse Snacker. Have not yet tested it with the 13-pound small-mesh hay net. Still waiting for more of those backordered bad boys to arrive. Update: Both NY hay trees worked just fine with the Miller's SMHN without any tipovers. :-) And still no tipovers (April 2011) now that we're in Alabama with a new hay tree made of live oak sapling which holds a NibbleNet (1.25") filled with nine pounds of hay.

With the cold weather and freezing rain or melty snow, the horses are eating more hay to stay warm. Until my new nets get here, that means filling three times a day instead of once or twice. (Which reminds me to go get new filters for my respirator while the Veteran's Day sales are still on...)

November 11, 2008
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CheryleMcConnaughey Hay Tree 2 Sep 14 2010, 11:50 PM EDT by CheryleMcConnaughey
Thread started: Sep 9 2010, 3:27 PM EDT  Watch
So I have thought of doing these since I seen them back in the winter of 08, but just could not get away from the fact that I wanted a hard-sided feeder first. So I have those now so next project is to try these around the fields. Have you ever put a full days worth of hay on one maybe in to hay nets? So around 23 lbs give or take.Do you think they would get tangled? I do have some large nets that hold a full days worth. Can the tree handle that much weight in one net? Sorry so many questions:)
I really like this idea of a portable stand but not the only source of slowdown.
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ubergigglefritz Moving 0 Aug 12 2010, 11:07 AM EDT by ubergigglefritz
Thread started: Aug 12 2010, 11:07 AM EDT  Watch
Ok, so I made a ton of hay trees. Went to tilt one over to see how heavy it'd feel trying to move it, and it seems like it's going to be a lot tougher than I was expecting! I want to move them all around my track, any suggestions? =( Or am I just a weak wuss? ha ha.
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ubergigglefritz Cost 2 Jul 12 2010, 5:15 PM EDT by ubergigglefritz
Thread started: Jul 12 2010, 11:13 AM EDT  Watch
I really love these hay trees, and was considering making more than I was in my original plan. However, my friend priced out what he thought each one would cost, and it seems a lot higher than I was expecting. Wanted to run his numbers on here to see what's wrong with the picture (or if it is actually correct)?

7-8 foot round treated posts..$13
Quickest 2 bags.....$5..........$10
Screw eye....large.....................$2
Steel rods.......2 per tree..........$2 (he said if you put these at a cross at the bottom of the post, it will make the tree more stable and last longer or something, but it's only $2, so not a big part of the cost discrepancy I am seeing here)
Tire....free..................................$0
Cost per tree.............................$27

The main confusion I am having is at how expensive the post and concrete is (do you really spend $10 of concrete per tree?).

Thanks!
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