# Hay Feeder - Any suggestions???



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Alright I may lose my mind over this...
We'll be moving our 4 Boer does and 10 babies out of the kidding barn soon. Babies are turning 7 weeks this week and I want to move them into the old barn which we gutted as we plan to work on upgrading it and putting down gravel this summer. It's 12x16, with an addition on one side that is 7x16. I planned to put a temp creep feeder on the addition side, but thinking at that point I may just wean them. So either way I need a V style free standing hay feeder that will work for moms and babies or weaned bucks. I have a hay feeder for adults (put their head in to eat so babies would climb in it).

I debated between 2 feeders recommended by friends, and can not get either of them. TSC and Rural King both say several weeks or shipping for TSC is just too much, especially since they are Tarter and Tarter is only 2 hours away!
I contacted Tarter and no help there, they said to contact a distributor but they are 8-10 weeks out. UGH.

So I am looking for any other affordable, safe, good for Boer goat options that won't cost me a fortune in shipping. I plan to check Sullivan, Valley Vet, Jeffers, etc. when I come back in from the barn for mid day chores.

To give you guys an idea of what I am looking for:









Retails for $200-250. Trying to keep under $300 if possible, but depends on the feeder, price and shipping. I want something we can move around as we plan to finish the buck shelter as soon as weather permits (it works great as is for summer, but not winterized at all), once it's done the boys and feeder would move in there, or it will be used for the does, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You could try Premier 1 too. The other option is looking on Craigslist.


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## Gooseberry Creek (Jun 3, 2020)

We made a hay feeder from a large freezer basket from our old commercial freezer that finally died..then we made a smaller one for the buck house since they are young and I only have 2 buck/bucklings. They aren't v shaped but they work good to prevent Hay Wasting.
There's you tube videos on how to make V shaped hay feeders using wood and cattle panel.









smaller Bucklings hay feeder..the top is hinged and can flip down so they cant stand inside it. I usually only close the top at night..they dont jump in it during the day when they have other things to do lol.


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## CBPitts (Jan 29, 2020)

Make a tighter reach through feeder that's free standing. The one in the doe barn has a 6" reach through gaps and horizontal fence type above. I have a free standing metal one that hubs made for both goats and cows in the pasture and another wall in the cow barn that works for goats and cows (the goats reach through the 7" gap on the bottom. The bucks share the cow barn part of the year so they get a larger gap than does).


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

ksalvagno said:


> You could try Premier 1 too. The other option is looking on Craigslist.


I agree Premier 1 Supply had plans for feeders that work great. They give you two different plans. one is a self feeder and the other is a through the fence feeder. i like the fence feeder.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

I've made temporary feeders out of welded wire bent into a U shape. You can either tack it to a fence, or hang it between fence posts or trees. The cons are that they WILL break the welds in the wire, so it will start falling apart, and you have to watch for sharp ends of wire. But other than that, it has worked when I needed something quick. I'm thinking you could maybe use something like that as a stop-gap until you can make or buy a more permanent feeder.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I also did the premier feeders, worked pretty good. I did have trouble with keeping the panels in place, but I think that it could be easily remedied with an additional 2x4 brace in the middle and on the ends of the panels.

I also did some reach through - fence line feeders, which also worked pretty good except that kids/yearlings could squeeze through them. If I were to do that again, I would probably make it off the ground as someone above suggested.


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

Honestly you would not have liked that tater feeder in the end. My friend was so proud she got one. That thing was always on its side. She finally tied it off to the fence but now one of the legs are bent from it being tied off and still trying to go on it's side. 
I made these feeders some years back. It's wood and yes wood doesn't last as long as metal but I don't feed in doors so even being out in the elements it lasted 5 years, I probably could have gotten more years if I had painted it. But they were good feeders and very little waste. 








My husband or son could each lift a side or I could flip it end over end by myself to get it where I wanted it. The only reason why I'm moving away from them is I'm sick of having to explain why my goats have no hair on their nose so I'm in the process of making some feeders that are like fence line feeders where they put their whole head threw. 
But on your making or buying feeder adventure I would either get nice heavy feeders so they can't rip over or like the one I made where it has those ski like things to keep them from flipping over.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Awesome ideas.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the ideas! So I had to make a last minute run to our feed store after I posted yesterday, realizing with the babies eating a lot more feed that we didn't have enough to last until my next day off work. Person at our feed store told me where I could find one, and planning to go pick it up on Monday!

I appreciate all the ideas and plans for home made feeders and honestly I plan on eventually putting a home made feeder in our old barn. But for now I really need something I can move around that is either already put together or easy to assemble as we just don't have time to build one right now with my husband working 6 days a week - we never have a day off together, and have an insanely long 'to do' list that seems like we'll never achieve starting with making doors and windows for the new barn, then figuring out how to do fencing around the barns, finishing buck pen shelter so it can be used in the winter, and working on the old barn so I can get everything painted this spring.

This is 'my' next task. We gutted the old barn, and kind of tossed all the scrap wood, and misc. stuff in there. Then I moved it out and wood over to make a bigger place for the pregnant girls to stay. 
I'm planning to move 8 boys in here in a few weeks when we wean (unless some sell straight off mom which I usually prefer). So... I'll be cleaning everything out, and putting up panels around the doorway I am standing so they can't jump on the door and want to put a hay feeder where that round feeder is at between the posts. 
I think once we tear that back wall off and replace it I'll probably see about building a long hay feeder across it. The feeder I buy can be moved to the buck shelter or outside, etc.










Ignore how tacky it looks, I just did this spur the moment so the girls had a bigger, more comfortable area lol










AndersonRanch - I agree about it tipping. A friend of mine that raises Boer goats has several and told me they work great, but to put a t-post on either side and attach it so they can't knock them over. So my thought was to put it between the posts in the barn and attach it.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

You can usually pick up a futon on Craigslist for next to nothing, you could try this since your husband is so crafty 




Edit: Sorry, didn't see you found one till after I posted this


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## Gooseberry Creek (Jun 3, 2020)

I have a small Tarter Feeder in the pasture. I only have Lamanchas and Nigerian Dwarfs so they probably aren't near as rough on the feeders as meat goats like Boers probably are.
I have only had it about a month. I kinda want another one for the buck pen. Its easy to drag inside if it decides to rain for days on end. We are working on building a roof or something for it to slide underneath in the pasture. The goats love it and the herd queen can't hog everything. They have never tipped it. My 5 yr old climbs all over it too lol.


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## AndersonRanch (Oct 18, 2020)

Ok another idea if your high schools are open back there (ours are not, I guess high schoolers are more dumb then kindergartners on germs lol) but see if they have a welding class and talk to them about making some feeders. Our high school does this and when I’m ready for some new kidding stalls I’m going to talk to them because they only charge cost, not time, and usually get a deal on supplies so anything they make is fairly cheap. I know last year they were begging people to need something to be made. It may not be the same way back there but wouldn’t hurt to look into. I know on some of my projects it’s a great idea to make things but time is not on my side


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

I know you are done looking for now but...We have an ibc tote for outside. Paul did the inside like you see most of them. But he cut out the two sides where the feeder dips into the v on the wide sides where they would eat from and left the other sides. Even the top... it works like a hinged top and i use a bungee cord to keep it snugged down. The plastic in the bottom acts like a bottom tray for waste... and they eat from it too! It keeps the hay pretty dry which is wonderful. I can take pics if you want me to. It holds a full hundred pound bale pretty easily too with a tinny bit of room left just not much at all. Plus... no goaties in the hay feeder. Win!


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

GoofyGoat said:


> You can usually pick up a futon on Craigslist for next to nothing, you could try this since your husband is so crafty
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hahaha we have one of these in the pasture for when the cows are out there. The goats eat from it too.... even when it is wet. And you KNOW they will not touch even damp hay anywhere else. Goobers! They love layin in it while eating. Oye! But ok for lazy lunches i guess lol! Crickie and bee are wicked pissed that they have a very hard time gettin in it right now. Crickie cannot get in it at all.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> I know you are done looking for now but...We have an ibc tote for outside. Paul did the inside like you see most of them. But he cut out the two sides where the feeder dips into the v on the wide sides where they would eat from and left the other sides. Even the top... it works like a hinged top and i use a bungee cord to keep it snugged down. The plastic in the bottom acts like a bottom tray for waste... and they eat from it too! It keeps the hay pretty dry which is wonderful. I can take pics if you want me to. It holds a full hundred pound bale pretty easily too with a tinny bit of room left just not much at all. Plus... no goaties in the hay feeder. Win!


I'd be interested in seeing photos, if you can share some!


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## Jazzy (Feb 12, 2021)

An old IBC can be really useful you can pick them up cheap flush them out carefully, some stuff like concrete mixers were toxic but flushed out quite safe.
remove the plastic for various uses, then use the metal frame and metal pallet this could be used outside in warmer weather, you can cut the plastic as a roof and keep the base as a water feeder, which the tap allows for emptying and cleaning,google IBC and you can get loads of ideas even goat beds!
I have little photographs but can take more, 
I use plastic for duck homes, metal frame, chickenroost with old sheets tied so in cold weather the birds don’t freeze on the metal!You canna meafraeand I won’t collapse like a wooden one, metal frame for Wood stores,plus if you have a tractor you can fill them with water and shift them for watering goats,so where a bunch of the US members are being caught out if local laws do not stop you a bit of guttering can collect free roof rain water,and a hose can move water from one to another....I’ll take some photos of ours, The ones near our patio collects rain water which I hose to another further away then I can hose again or use the tap for cleaning buckets, you can stand them on concrete blocks as ours is for stability,and people use them for bio gas.
Plus shop around and find this little buggers really cheap here in Uk 25£ so I suspect 30 USD is doable for a metal pallet,a metal frame great for protecting trees or crops from piggy goats,and a large water container, winwin


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

This is not ours. But how he did it. He left a bit more lip at the bottom though. I forgot to take a pic of mine this mornin.










Caileigh Jane Smith said:


> I'd be interested in seeing photos, if you can share some!


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## Jazzy (Feb 12, 2021)

Sfgwife said:


> This is not ours. But how he did it. He left a bit more lip at the bottom though. I forgot to take a pic of mine this mornin.
> 
> View attachment 198653


You can keep the bottom lip if you want a field shelter and keep wood chips or straw for bedding in them too,this is a neat idea,like the cable ties holding the two sides together once cut loose


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> This is not ours. But how he did it. He left a bit more lip at the bottom though. I forgot to take a pic of mine this mornin.
> 
> View attachment 198653


Thank you so much! I'm going to save this post for future reference. I'm always looking for new and better feeder ideas!


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## Grey (Feb 16, 2021)

I haven't built feeders yet, as i've been trying to get more basic stuff done, so just wasting a ton of hay until then. lol I'll try some of these.


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