It seems that the way our hay was baled last year, I did not have waste problems using our Duplessis feeders, but this year the horses insist on pulling out too much hay at a time and wasting it. Angie and Princess demonstrate in the next photo how they are making a mess for me to clean up. I have to stay on top of this or the hay makes a mat and mulch layer that causes the area around the feeder to become terribly mushy. I have been researching a type of "slow feeder" for the Duplessis's and sure enough there is such a thing. It is made by a company that sells the so-called "Big Bale Buddy". The big bale slow feeder is a very tough giant bag with a draw cord closure and is made of a hockey net style very tough netting with 1-1/2 inch diameter openings. The horses have to work to pull the hay out in small tufts at a time. This has three benefits, it slows down their rate of eating the bale, it prevents them from pulling out large clumps causing waste and it keeps them entertained in a more natural "foraging" manner. I am thinking of trying one out, savings should be about $80 per month, so it will take about three months to get a payback for the cost of the feeder. This venture is a work in progress.
