# Hay Feeders from 55-gallon drums



## lisarichards (Dec 6, 2004)

I saw one of these on a Shetland list, and modified it. We built one for our Shetland flock, and one for an Icelandic breeding group, and it works well for both. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanh/sets/72157594471205215/


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Great idea! I put up a couple of expensive mangers...would much rather do something like this. How's it working for keeping hay out of the fleece?


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

Good idea for keeping hay dry outdoors! Kesoaps, maybe you could add livestock panels to the sides so the sheep would have to pull the hay out to eat it. That might save the wool. Or add some plywood to the top of the sides so the hay does not fall down on the wool as they eat. 

Speaking of those drums, my hubby cuts them lengthwise (like in these pictures) and then builds a 1x4 pressure treated frame to hold them upright. We use them for water troughs. They are lightweight enough that I can carry them around.

Lisa at Somerhill
www.somerhillfarm.com


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Good idea about the panels, or even some left over fencing wire should do the trick.

We've taken the tops off and used them to water the horses with; I've always wondered if cut lengthwise they'd leak where the top was sealed to the sides. I think they'd make good grain feeders, too, if there were drainage holes in them. Trying to find a feeder for grain in this county has been nearly impossible, mostly because my sheep eat like pigs and I need something long enough...a nice pig slop trough, lol!


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## nduetime (Dec 15, 2005)

great idea, I plan on stealing this and trying it out on my goaties!
Do you feel it cuts down on the mess/waste at all?


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## SilverVista (Jan 12, 2005)

Excellent idea! We have quite a problem with sheep climbing into the feeder, so we bought rebar and drilled slots in the top and bottom support boards to install bars. Then we found that the rebar is rough enough to wear the fleece off the necks and shoulders, so we bought 1/2" pvc pipe and slipped a "sleeve" over each piece of rebar before installing. The PVC rolls back and forth as the sheep put their heads in and out, so no damage to the wool at all. The bars also keep agressive sheep from moving sideways as they eat and forcing smaller/more passive sheep to relocate. Since they can put their heads all the way in, there's not a lot of waste pulled out on the ground like we had when we tried panels or woven wire, and they're not as prone to pull hay out over each others' backs either.


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## CrownPoint (Jun 25, 2006)

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but here is another idea for feeders, very little waste and they can't lie in them either. I HATE waste, and I get very little waste with the pallet feeders. I have used PALLETS for years and at $1.00 a piece from the discount grocery store they are a bargin. Check out the pics of the "pallet" feeders in our barn in the link below.

http://www.goodshepherdfarm.com


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

I've used pallets before as well. I found it difficult to get the hay stuffed down into them (big flakes) and the lambs especially would shove themselves between the fence and pallet on the backside. But a friend of mine uses them for her goats with great success....even has build several little outbuildings for her goats. I ought to snap a photo at some point to share.

SV...pictures, please? I was thinking along those same lines, but you hit on a great reason not too...the wool around the neck!


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## CrownPoint (Jun 25, 2006)

I cut the back panels off the pallet except for the outer edge panels for support of the pallet, so it doesn't fall apart. I know what you mean about stuffing flakes in between the pallet with the back panels still on(doesnt work that way). I also put the bottom of the pallet on the floor and kick it up against the back wall and tack a piece of slat board 2"x2" to the pallet and the top of the back wall I attach it to. It is then at a slant (as shown in the pictures on the website) and I can load the feeders as full as I need to for the number of animals I am feeding. The pallets are placed so the slats of the pallets are vertical and they can get there noses in them and eat. I also built a floor under it to prevent waste and a grain trough on the outer edge of the base as well. So they eat grain when they come in and then reach up for hay in the pallet feeders, which some hay drops to the base and they eat that off the base instead of the floor. Take a look. Third picture from the top.

http://www.goodshepherdfarm.com


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Oh, those are right spiffy, CP! I'd been trying to set them up on their ends and stuffing the hay down their centers...obviously not working nearly as well as your idea!


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