I've got quite a few horses that as soon as they are out of grain and some even when they get the grain the first thing they do is start pawing the bucket.
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I've got quite a few horses that as soon as they are out of grain and some even when they get the grain the first thing they do is start pawing the bucket.
Oh, I believe you Richard, I know a lot of horses do that. I'm just saying that luckily none of mine do. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Mike, I'm wondering if you are feeding them too much sweet feed. We mix 1/3 sweet feed with 2/3 (Blue Seal) Strider and have very little molassas residue and no fly problems (from the feeder anyway) [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] But unless you work your horses hard, they shouldn't get that much grain anyway. They are better off with more hay, especially in the winter.
We also use corner feeders, but ours have more of a flat bottom and are very easy to wipe out (about twice a year). We also keep a mineral block in the feeder. I mounted short lengths of 2x3 to the stall walls and screwed the feeders to them. So they are easily removed or replaced. I mounted ours about 4 feet up and we throw the hay on the floor beneath the feeder. So when the boys are out of grain, they go right for the hay.
Mike,
We run about the same barn set up that you and others do. I would also echo Richards comment about feeding out of a bucket. Every vet I know, along with personal experience, says you increase the risk of respiratory problems. Getting a foot caught between bucket and handle is ugly.
We have been, however, looking at feeding out of those really big black rubber tubs. They should be big enough that inhalation is not a problem and it keeps their noses to the ground which is a more natural grazing postion. You might think about that as an option.
If anyone has any experience with feeding out of those large flat buckets I would be interested in hearing about it.
Mark
Interestingly enough, we use the black rubber tubs for feeding a horse when they can't get into their stall because we're making improvements therein. We put the grain in the tub and toss the hay flakes on the ground.
The tubs I'm referring to are about 3 - 4" tall and are about the size of a large pizza. Or were you referring to something else?
I used a couple of those big rubber tubs for feeding my goats, when I had goats.
Exactly right. http://www.fortexfortiflex.com/rubberpans.html
I recently saw one that seemed more to be closer to 3' across and about 9-12" deep and it struck me that something like that would be ideal to feed out of at home as well as take to the shows.
Yesterday I went home and looked at the feeders and, though I saw some of the gunk but no flies on it. Though they are much more expensive for a small operation, I think that the overhead spray systems are much more effective than the small battery operated boxes.
Bird, didnt your goats chew up those rubber tubs? We had some Barbados sheep for a while and they destroyed them.
Mark
Mark, I think the rubber tubs I had were about 4" deep and 2' across. I kept a salt/mineral block in one and put feed in the other, and no, my goats never chewed on them at all. I had what some people call "Spanish" goats; i.e., mixed breeds; black, brown, and white.
I have a colt that gets his kicks by fouling his own water bucket and feed bin. I exchanged his permanent mounted bin with a heavy round rubber bucket about 18" dia x 8" high. By removing the pail handle I had two mounting points and I rigged a third in the back. Then mounted it in a corner to three eye screws using double-ended snap ring shanks for suspension. Just unclip the back and you can flip it over and dump it out or unclip all three and go wash it out. He gets pretty rough with it but it's held up good. I accidently trained his daddy to do his business in an old wheelbarrow I keep in his pasture but this lil' pistol thinks everything is target practice.
LazyJ,
We have a similar arrangement, but we found some rubberized corner mount shallow feed tubs just like the one you rigged up. See attached picture.
We used to have corner mounted plastic feed tubs. We have an old gelding that likes to sit on his feed tub when he's sleeping, for some strange reason. He used to have the front of the tub cracked within a few months. Well one day he caught his eyelid on the cracked lip of the feed tup and tore his lower eyelid right open. Fortunately, a few very nervous stiches by the vet had him all fixed up and he is fine now. But the plastic feed tubs had to go after that. The rubberized ones are great because they just collapse when he tries to sit on them. And they come out easy for cleaning. We've been using this arrangement for about 4 years now with zero problems.