# Fenceline Hay Feeder



## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So I'm sure this isn't something that would work but I'm curious if others have tried it yet.

I'm throwing the idea of doing something like this, vs making a fullblown feeder (time constraints mostly).










Which I remember is how we fed our sheep growing up. But I'm not sure if it's possible to have a balance of having that space large enough to let one with large horns get their head through but not large enough to escape.

Young kids of course I'm not really worried about since, they wont really get into trouble. I'm more concerned about that space between weaning/yearling.

Any who, just curious what everyone thought. I'm probably going to end up doing some modified version but would be nice if I could make something like this work.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Wouldn't the hay get ruined if it rains, or is there a roof over it?


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

This is mainly for winter feeding, I usually use the premier one sided feeders and take hay off of a large round bale. So far I haven't had problems with it. Where I'm planning on doing this is on a slope too.

I don't know, I should probably just get it over with and make two more complete feeders. Then they can be moved, hay is off the ground and I know they work.

We have 7 more does than we usually do, and it was cramped in the past which is the reasoning. That and having to have 4 different groups for a couple months while the bucks are out.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

This is exactly what I am planning on doing! I love this idea because they can pic threw it all they want but it’s going to be clean and they have no excuse to eat it, where a feeder with a catch tray will eventually get over full and flow out onto the ground. I’ve been up in the air with the same questions as you though on how to do it. How can the does with horns get their heads in and out but the smaller does stay from slipping threw and I THINK I have it lol 
When I made my new kidding stalls the gates were not solid. I had the boards on the bottom of the gates space fairly close together then a little wider up higher, basically so kids couldn’t slip out the bottom and does couldn’t slip out the top. Every morning all the does would have their heads poking out waiting for breakfast. Even my old dairy doe with horns that go more up and then back and my smaller framed does and never getting out. 
So my plan here, which I haven’t done yet but hopefully will soon is instead of the picture that is shown where they hay is on the ground and they are basically on their knees eating it, I’m going to build kinda like a bench to put the hay on. Then they can stick their heads threw. I have seen my does basically turn their bones to mush and slip threw a tiny gap at the bottom of a fence but with the kidding gates they couldn’t seem to squeeze out where the gap is higher up. No one escaped those stalls even the ones that were super unhappy that I thought they were going to kid in the middle of the night and penned them away from their friends. It could be a total fail, or it could work lol but I think it’s going to work and I’ll use screws so I can take it apart and use the boards for something else just in case


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So I decided to go ahead and give it a try. So far it's been working according to plan.

I've only tried it with the mature does though, haven't tried with this years weanlings.

We used our doe with the largest horns as a test dummy and made adjustments as needed.

If it continues to keep working, we are going to do that whole fence line the same.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

That looks great! Have you thought about building a long box sort of thing to hold the hay off the ground, and maybe help reduce waste even more? And what about making a long roof type structure to shield it from the rain? What would you do on the rainy days? Or am I just not understanding correctly (high possibility), and do you just want to feed like this a certain time of year? 
I've been throwing this idea around a lot, too. < That explains all of the questions above.


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

It looks like they think it’s a good idea! What pretty pictures too


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks! 

I think we are going to put a small slanted back on it to hold the hay a little better. It was just too cold this weekend, in the 30's and windy.

It's pretty much just for fall/winter usage.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Day two and it's worked pretty well, we moved our yearlings into that pen due to the buck fiasco and they seem to like it.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

That looks like a great idea. I need to make one in miniature for my NDs!


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## Flyingfurr (Jun 1, 2018)

So much less waste. But I only have 3. You could put hay directly on the ground, but goats are fussy and in the milk crate you can fluff it up so they will eat it all.


Dwarf Dad said:


> That looks like a great idea. I need to make one in miniature for my NDs!


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## Crazy Little Goat (Dec 30, 2017)

I want to build a fence line feeder for grain and hay. I don't like the idea of sending my kids in to feed as my buck and herd gets bigger. Plus my horses are sometimes in the same pasture, which makes feed time crazy because they can't always have the same feed the goats get.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

So what is the spacing between boards you have it at? The gates I mentioned have a 10” gap which is what I’m going to make mine have but I have a few dairy cross girls that their horns go more up then back so was just curious what you had yours at


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## tdfitz86 (Feb 1, 2016)

You can also go to Premier1, and they have plans and a materials list, with directions how to assemble it...I am sure that most everyone has seen these already.... I have built a 10 ft one under cover... I love it.. it is so easy to feed the grain.. then put hay in it.. and you are done... and on those rainy/muddy days I don't even have to go into the pen. I love it.. and plan on making another one about 16-24 ft long, with a cover over it. Just to give each one more room, and not as likely to butt each other as often.


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## tdfitz86 (Feb 1, 2016)

Lstein said:


> So I'm sure this isn't something that would work but I'm curious if others have tried it yet.
> 
> I'm throwing the idea of doing something like this, vs making a fullblown feeder (time constraints mostly).
> 
> ...


When I built my fenceline feeder, it only took me about 2 hrs.. and if it was only 8 ft it would have cut down on a lot of cutting, so it would have been a lot faster.. and it also has very minimal waste.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

One of the few things I remember from reading about raising goats before we got our goats was:

Do not use feeders that require goats to stick their heads through something. It reduces their ability to see what is coming from the side or behind. It can leave them open to being hit in the side by another animal (accidentally or not) and leaves them at risk for serious injury.

On a personal note, I'm trying to keep my horned goats from sticking their heads though the field fence and getting stuck (happens about once a month, though not for a while now), so having a feeder that teaches them to stick their heads through something to get food would seem counter productive in my situation.

I realize goats and situations vary.


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## tdfitz86 (Feb 1, 2016)

Here is a picture of my fence line feeder


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