# Show me your hay feeder!



## J.O.Y. Farm

We want to build one.... what do all you guys have?


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## Utterly Blessed Farm

Hi Skyla,

Did you see the little one my husband made for our baby goats here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=31390

For our adult goats we purposefully use milk crates. Because we can move them anywhere we want. We lock our goats in the barn at night and let them out all day and so the milk crates work for us. They are easy to keep clean and our goats waste a lot less hay eating out of them. The babies don't get milk crates because they jump into them and pee in the hay and one little doe got her hoof caught in one a month ago.


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## Shazzles

Chris what a awsome little feeder!!


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## freedomstarfarm

Wow Chris very neat!


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## J.O.Y. Farm

That is very cool! Thanks for sharing!!!


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## aussieheelr

I built mine out of the frame from a futon. the flat portion that the matress lays on comes apart in the middle. I used this to make a V and secured along the bottom of the V with wire and the top of the V with a long strand of wire. I then ran out of wire and used bailing twine to weave kind-of a web to keep the flakes of hay in the feeder.... I'll try to get a picture up when I get home. I love it!


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## liz

Heres mine.... I have 5 adult does and currently 4 kids but will be retaining 1 kid... these have worked wonderful for me!

They are 5 gallon frozen fruit buckets that I had hubby cut holes in, they are screwed to the walls and at a height where my heathens can't reach in the tops and pull out the hay...I pack them full in the mornings and theres still hay left in them in the early afternoons. 4 of these holds half a flake each much less waste here!


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## Burns Branch Boers

For a long time we used a yellow plastic slide off of a childs backyard toy set. Honestly, it worked very well! They could all line up on either side-it stood up off the ground and they did not get "in" they hay (although they easily could have) The slide laid low so the wind usually did not knock the hay around. 

I bugged and bugged hubby to hang up an actual metal hay manger I got form a friend on one of our dutch door walls. He did so and I don't like it much  The goats pull too much of the hay out and alot of it goes to waste. 

I have not switched back to the slide yet (which is patiently waiting for me) because I know my husband will give me a hard time :laugh: But everyday I "eye" that slide as I am putting the hay in the new manger :ROFL:


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## milkmaid

This is WONDERFUL because "fallout" waste is almost nil!


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## HoosierShadow

We needed an outside hay feeder in a hurry...so my husband put something together with scrap wood we had laying around :laugh:



















Not 'attractive' haha...but it works great! He used a pallet, split it in half at the top and middle, then used boards across the sides to make it 'V' shaped, OSB in the middle to hold the hay.

The only problem is we have to take the hay out when it rains. BUT eventually we'll make a better hay feeder like this with some kind of rain cover.


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## RMADairyGoats

I have one I made myself, but I don't think you want a pic of that  It feeds the goats, but It's NOT eye candy!


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## J.O.Y. Farm

I don't care what it looks like! LOL! just as long as I can feed them!


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## RMADairyGoats

I'm embarrassed to post a picture of it!


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## J.O.Y. Farm

LOL! well you should see one of my hay bags that I am using now!


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## aussieheelr

I built this one from a futon frame.


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## HoosierShadow

Lost Prairie said:


> I'm embarrassed to post a picture of it!


It is probably very comparable to the ones I have in the stalls...LOL!!!
In one stall it's a baby crib side railing my husband took the wooden bars off and nailed them to make the slots smaller so goats don't get their heads stuck....it's hideous...but has lasted 2 years somehow LOL!!!
We've moved it since we redid the inside of the barn, but here it is in all it's glory...lol









In the middle stall, I have a great big rubbermaid plastic tote nailed to the wall. I have 2 of the black feed trough's from TSC that have the metal bars that divide it into 5 sections, and took those off of them, tied one on top of the other, and tied them to the tote so they can't pull all the hay out, and that was supposed to be temporary...I've been using it for almost a year now...LOL

Minus the black wire that they destroyed :laugh: 









We found another pallet that had decently seperated boards, and cut it in half, and took some of the boards off on one side, then mounted them in the sleeping area. This one is up pretty high, in the creep area and the doelings stand on cinder blocks and have to reach to get it - which is what I wanted so they are stretching their leg/butt muscles










We used to do this with round rolls...you just have to make sure the pallet wood spacing isn't wide enough for a kid to get their head stuck.


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## RMADairyGoats

They're still better looking than mine


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## HoosierShadow

LOL Riley! 

The woman we bought our 2 new doelings from had some kind of large basket type feeders that were hung from the ceiling with chain. They kind of looked like goat panels or something, with small squares, this actually looked great, and I wish I had a way to make something like that, but no place to build something like that in our barn.


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## J.O.Y. Farm

I ended up using some fencing on the wall.......

A friend of ours uses cattle panels that hanging from the rafters.... works great! Wish I could do somethinh like it!


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## J.O.Y. Farm

[attachment=0:1czb084z]hay feeder 001.JPG[/attachment:1czb084z]


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## mmiller

I made a hayfeeder yesterday. How I found the time is beyond me with having a sick goat. I will take pics today an put it up. I took my extra fence an tied it to the panels and then shoved hay in it works great.


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## mmiller

Here it is...


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## Utterly Blessed Farm

Hey M ~ That is very nice  Any update on your sick goat? ray: Sending prayers your way.


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## mmiller

She isn't better or worse. She isn't bobbing her head anymore. Got home on lunch she was down I thought well I tried it over there an she's fine so to speak. Go in the house to get meds ready an eat a bit come out she's on her feet again. Won't know anything untill 430 when I get off work.


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## Utterly Blessed Farm

Well I am just wrapping you both in prayer today. If it is the Lord's will she will be fine so let's hope that is his will. ray: :hug:


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## mmiller

Thanks Chris. I have been praying the samething that if she doesn't make it that I will accept it was his will. Sounds petty but I am a firm believer that everything happens according to his will no matter how small it may seem to us.


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## Rev144

We made these feeders out of 55 gal plastic drums with removable lids. We had smaller key hole ( aobut 4 inches wide ) on them but one of my sheep stuck their fat head in it and was walking aorund 1/2 the day with a barrel on her head! I have to keep the barrels tied to the fence so the goats dont move them around. I take the lid off to clean out stems. It also has drain holes in the bottom. It works pretty good at keeping the rain out. They are easy to move from pen to pen if needed.


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## bessmiller

This thread is so inspiring! I made a hay feeder when I first bought my goats a couple years ago. I think I put waaaay too much time into it, lol. This design won't work well with our new fencing, but it did work great with the wooden horse fence at my parent's house. 

I am going to try out some of your ideas!


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