Location: Small-Mesh Hay Nets

Discussion: Acclimating to SMHN'sReported This is a featured thread

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Equemily
Equemily
Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 18 2011, 12:31 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 18 2011, 12:48 PM EDT
Anyone have thoughts on the best way to acclimate shod horses who are out on a PP 24/7 to SMHN's?

Especially for horses who think the only way to eat from them is to rip holes into them?

Do I just need tougher nets? Was a week or two of loose hay at the same time not a long enough transition period? Maybe the holes were too small to start with (1.5")...

Should I try larger holes next, and then gradually narrow them down once they're not ripping them?

That's what I'm leaning toward.

I think I may have overestimated the patience level of my poor beasts :(

*sigh*

Thanks for any ideas :)

Emily
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tangledmanes
tangledmanes
1. RE: Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 19 2011, 11:49 AM EDT | Post edited: Apr 19 2011, 11:49 AM EDT
I don't remember hearing any reports of horses chewing through Arizona goal netting. I think it will be just right for your hanging barrels. (Thanks for uploading those fantastic step-by-step photos, by the way!) In the meantime, keep up with repairing the holes they are making in the barrier netting. How many horses are out together, with how many slow feeders? Are they eating all the hay in the damaged feeders? In any feeders without their 'modifications'?
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Equemily
Equemily
2. RE: Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 19 2011, 2:37 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 19 2011, 2:37 PM EDT
Hi JoAnn,
Thanks!
There are 5 horses and one mini out on the track together. There are 6 barrel slow feeders, each no less than 100 feet from each other. I'm not sure why they're eating all of the hay out of some of the feeders and none of the hay in a couple of them, since they're all pretty badly ripped up. And it doesn't seem to be the same each day, which nets they don't eat from. The other day it was 1, 3, and 5 and today 4 and 5 were full while the rest were empty. There are one or two nets that aren't as large, and so don't hang as low as some of the others, especially now with the repairs they get a little smaller.
I plan on making 2 more barrel feeders to make sure the hay never runs out - right now we're practically swimming with all the rain we've had and only the big tractor can take hay out to the barrels, so I'm not getting to it every day.
I never let all the barrels go dry, but sometimes 3 or 4 of them will be empty by the time I can get out there.
The rain/mud is also making net repair... shall we say... unpleasant.
But I will endeavor to keep up on it!
Thanks again,
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PeanutandGaino
3. RE: Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 23 2011, 1:22 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 1:22 PM EDT
Emily, Just a thought that the feeders running out of hay may be your problem with them ripping the hay nets. Like yours, mine don't always eat from the same places every day, but I always need to have at least 2 more feeders available than the number of horses - I have 4 horses, so I have about 6-8 feeders that I fill up. I have found that as long as I have more feeders than horses, they are very unconcerned about eating, and don't ever eat it all, nor do they rip the nets. If I reduce the number of feeders, they tend to eat it up faster and to fight more, and they destroy the nets. My horses do NOT share feeders after 1 year of doing this, so I really need to make sure that I have extras nets out there. I also can't fill my nets every day (rain here too) but maybe I have to fill them every other day or so.
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horsesofcourse
horsesofcourse
4. RE: Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 23 2011, 1:40 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 1:40 PM EDT
Hi Emily,

You may need to continue to put out loose hay until you see them opting to use the feeders.

Every time your nets/barrels go empty you have to start over transitioning your horses because you break their trust that they will always have food available to them,. You are trying to satiate them physically but also mentally to know that they will never again be without food. Each time your nets get even low they start to stress about running out of food and having their stomach burning again from acids on an empty stomach. The more you can keep those units filled, the quicker they will transition.

Keep those holes stitched up as quickly as possible so they aren't rewarded for breaking holes by getting more hay out. Also try to reposition the nets so they can't see the repairs and continue to work that spot to break them again. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    

PeanutandGaino
5. RE: Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 23 2011, 2:13 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 2:13 PM EDT
I agree with the above post that the horses should never run out of hay. That's why having more feeders than you think you need does help - there is always more hay out in front of them than they could ever eat (that's how I do it, anyway) I find that they eat WAY less hay than they used to since I made sure I always had it in front of them. I sometimes put out loose hay but they inevitably waste most of it.
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Equemily
Equemily
6. RE: Acclimating to SMHN's
Apr 23 2011, 11:21 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 11:21 PM EDT
Thanks all, clearly I need to get those next two feeders up and running!

I'll also make sure to not any of let them go dry... and repair the holes as soon as they happen.
Yesterday I made a path around the outside of the track to make refilling easier, so that will be a huge help.

A co-worker recently told me I could be a fisherman's wife, I took it as a compliment ;)

Thanks again, what a great resource you all are :)

Emily


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