# Slow feed Hay Bags?



## JodyDi (May 28, 2017)

Has anyone tried the netted bags to hold hay for goats? will they eat the bags? I only have 2 small pets, and need a place to feed them their hay, without waste.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck with zero waste. They can get stuck in the net bags. You'd be better off with a hay feeder that catches what they drop.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Even the small opening, slow feed nets can harm a goat. They are made of nylon, which is easily severed by the sharp teeth of a goat. The now larger holes are easy for the goats to get their heads thru and hung up, to potentially hang and die. Goats love to bury their heads in the hay feeders or nets to find the best blade of hay!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I do not recommend them.


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## top_goat (Sep 16, 2014)

I've started using round bales wrapped in cattle panels. My disbudded Nubians can easily nibble their little tunnels and waste does seem minimal. I got this tip from this site some time ago, and since I've been doing this my losses to waste have been dramatically reduced. Now square bales are a different story! A deep square plastic storage tote (about the size of several flakes of hay) seems effective right now...they gather around it like a trough and I'm not seeing as much waste as in my other feeders. Evenso, I just plan for a good bit of it becoming bedding!


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## SeventeenFarms (Dec 10, 2013)

I advise to not use hay bags, for above reasons in this thread. We tried one once, under 'supervision", and in a few minutes realized that it wouldn't take very long for one of them to have an accident - getting stuck, hung, etc. Waste is what goats do, like it or not. Its like one of their jobs, and they are good at it! You'd be better off making a safe feeder - there are so many great ideas and designs described in these forums.
Although not perfect, I fluff our hay up and spread it on a low "table" in their pen, and so whatever they sort out doesn't hit the ground, and they will go back to it. Also, I stay with quality hay, that they like, and don't overfeed. I still get waste, probably always will, but not enough to break the bank. By the way, the only thing my goats don't waste are ginger snaps!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

They're not always bad. @goathiker uses them with success.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Yep, and have had broken legs and necks in types most people use. The truth is that there are no truly safe feeders for goats.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

I have used hay bags before and never had any problems (with both horned and dis-budded goats). I am not saying that goats can't get injured by one (because as stated above they surely can!), I just haven't experienced it firsthand.


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## intrepid-dreamer (Jan 2, 2017)

I bought a couple of slow feed hay nets at Wilco feed store that have 2" squares and I have been very happy with them. I have noticed quite a bit less waste. I keep them stuffed full all the time so the goats are unable to get caught up in them.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

One thing I do is put a carrabiner on the metal ring on the bottom. This way the net can be secured firmly sideways and doesn't hang down loose on one string. 
The ones I buy have 1.75 inch holes.


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## intrepid-dreamer (Jan 2, 2017)

That's a good idea


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## GoatingCouple (Dec 25, 2016)

I've used ultra slow feed hay bags for over a year and they work fine, no injuries, yet. I do see some risk but even with the premier feeder we just built I see risk. My goats didn't eat the hay bags but would work some of the holes bigger and favor that spot for eating. They really didn't help minimize waste in the long run for me either. I have had good luck with the premier feeder we build a month ago or so.


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

I have a dumb, testosterone-driven buck who likes to bash any kind of hard feeder I put in his pen. He'll bash them 'til his stupid little head is bloody and my feeders (and my fences) are dented. So he has a slow feed hay net. I use the nets from busyhorse.com because the holes are small and the nets are thick and stiff and flat (made of material like nylon horse halters) so they're hard to get caught up in. I use the same nets for my sheep too, to keep their fleeces cleaner, and have had no issues. I wouldn't use a standard hay net with the big holes and the soft thin netting, but I really like the kind that BusyHorse sells.


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