WARNING about homemade feeders..

[txminipinto]

I hate hay feeders of any kind. They are an accident waiting to happen. My advice is to feed hay off the ground. Horse eat grass off the ground so hay should be no different. Plus, hay in feeders above the horse's eye drop bits of hay and dust into their eyes potentially causing other problems as well.

 

[Walbon Acres]

I agree with txminipinto - horses are grazing animals so they are used to eating off the ground. As long as you have a clean dry place either in the stall or outside it is better to feed on the ground. I don't even like to use hay bags when I am hauling horses because the can get a foot in the bag (or net) but if I am hauling a long distance I will use them. Now I always use soft hay because one time I used Alalfa and my hose scratched his eye.

 

[capall beag]

Thank you for the warning!

Congratulations on a beuatiful colt!

I am sure he will blossom under you kindness and care

:

:

Thank God you have him now.......... I am disgusted by his prior owner who obvioulsy through their negligence caused this trauma and pain and then again through negligence caused ongoing pain to this innocent animal :no: :no: :no: Simply disgusting and disgraceful.........SHAME ON THEM!!!!

I hate people who do things to innocent living breathing animals/children simply because they can :new_let_it_all_out: :new_let_it_all_out:

I am sorry if my reply is harsh but just imagine the agony this little foal experienced, puss oozing out of your eye.......... :no: :no: :no:

I hope I have read this wrong and am mistaken in my conclusion........if I am whoops

:

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Thank you for the warning. Although I wouldn't use something with visible rods on the side that stick out, I am sure that a lot of people wouldn't think twice about it, especially if it was cheaper and they were looking for an easy alternative. This just goes as a warning that if it is possible, someone will find a way. So sorry that it had to happen though, but I'm glad that you were so sweet and took him anyways. He has a wonderful future in store for him.

 

[bevann]

Sounds like the little guy is in good hands.He is lucky to have you for his angel.About feeding from hay racks, I do it here out of necessity.My soil is very sandy and I have had more than my share of sand colics.I buy very nice feeder/hay rack combos from a mfg called Behlen.They are out in each pasture/paddock and my horses are never fed off the ground.My sand colics have been greatly reduced since using these feeders.They are very short so most Minis can reach the hay&grain.Those that can't get a flat rubber large pan on the ground.

 

[tshack]

I dunno if I'm reading things wrong, but my question is this: What type of care did that little boy get between when he was hurt & when you picked him up??? Sorry if I'm reading it wrong, but it sounds like he arrived at your place with puss & infections, not to mention a terrible loss. Am I reading this wrong?

YOu didn't read it wrong that's what I got, anothe Q is are the owners going to face any sort of animal cruelty charges for letting the wounds get that bad?

I'll agree with making the feeders with the ends stuck out liek that being stupid, you can make feeders like this, I've seen tons but you have to fix the ends where they don't stick out, that's an obious common sense thing. Just a note on the hay feeders too, here we don't feed off the ground because of the likleyhood of picking up dirt whiel eating, in some places hay feeders are a nessecity, you just gotta be smarter than what your working with.

 

[Relic]

No words for what happened l hope the poor guy heals well at the least and the dummies that had the feeder educate themselves past their own dumb nose.

 

[littlesteppers]

This colt might have lost a eye and got injured BAD..BUT he never lost his Spirit.

He wants to live. I took this picture 2 days ago..we let him out the stall for 1hr into the sun.

He bucked and ran..it did my old heart good!!

 

[MyLittlePita]

OMG!! As soon as I saw the picture of the feeder my heart jumped to my throat as I could just imagine what happened.

I am so-o-o glad he now has owners who care about their horses. :aktion033:

 

[KanoasDestiny]

He's a beautiful little guy, he just has a slight handicap.

Can you use him for breeding? I know that he was injured but does that make a difference since it isn't a faulty gene that can get passed on? Or are you just gonna geld him and use him as a special loving pet?

 

[qtrmoonfarm]

Aww Christine, I'm glad he's there..give the little guy a scratch from me. This is a good remind for us all to scour our property for things that could be dangerous as well...keep us posted on Trooper..befitting name!!!

 

[qtrrae]

Christine,

He is just beautiful!! I can see why you would want him, he certainly does look like he has a lot of spirit!! Poor little guy, his eye looked absolutely horrible, makes me wonder what kind of person would even think about using a feeder like that and then would not take care of the eye injury. Thank goodness you have him, I know he will receive the best of care!!

I agree with txminipinto about feeding horses their hay off the ground if at all possible.

 

[littlesteppers]

Well..I got an email .saying that it says under this picture of the feeder ..that the edges are NOT FINISHED and need to be CAPPED.

I am NOT being mean or doing that to hurt anybody..I understand he got hung IN the feeder..

: the only reason I posted this here is to make people aware of the danger..check your feeders..heck check your stalls..I had a filly tore her eyelid on a nail that worked itself out the wall..had somebody posted about that..who knows I might have checked..NOBODY here would do stuff to hurt minis on purpose But stuff happens.

 

[chandab]

I am NOT being mean or doing that to hurt anybody..I understand he got hung IN the feeder..

:

My minis are fenced with the 6x6 mesh cattle panels. Today, I had to help my husband feed cows (I was guarding the gate to keep the calves from escaping), I set my bucket of feed for my senior gelding outside the mesh panel where my yearling fillies are. My larger filly tried to cram her head through one of the mesh openings to get to the feed (I won't be setting feed down outside the mesh again), but it just shows that they can be very determined to hurt themselves at times (none have ever tried it before, but nothing as enticing as a bucket of feed has been on the otherside before). [two years ago, I had a bucket heifer that got her head stuck in the same type of mesh fence (she was very young); the first time she was frightened and we had to cut her out, but once she knew someone would save her, she didn't worry anymore, she must have done it 6-8 times trying to reach the little bit of grass on the other side of the fence. If she got stuck, she'd just stand there grazing, no worries, until someone came to save her (it was a bit hard on the fence, there are several 12x12 spots in the fence.

: She's wisened up over the last couple years, and this year she'll be having her first calf.]

 

[CyndiD]

Can you use him for breeding? I know that he was injured but does that make a difference since it isn't a faulty gene that can get passed on? Or are you just gonna geld him and use him as a special loving pet?

[SIZE=10pt]I think Christine plans to use him at stud....right Christine....(

: :aktion033:

: )[/SIZE]

 

[wwminis]

[SIZE=18pt]Christine,[/SIZE]

First let me say, I'm so glad you and Dave are helping this little guy!

Second, All I can say, is how can anyone with any sence at all feed a horse out of that contraption! :no: That has injury wrote all over it!

Bill

 

[disneyhorse]

Oh goodness!!! Poor little guy! Bless you for taking him and fixing him up... as the years go on he will forget his trauma, and will surely be a good little horse. He is adorable.

Andrea

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Thanks for posting the warning - that is a serious injury.

We had two eye removals last year from mares sticking their head into god only knows what, so it is so easy for those things to happen, let alone with exposed wire like that. I do remember those feeders being posted here, and I have seen people make them where they are capped or with different wire - it's a common sense thing! I would have cut myself on those wires they way they are!

Lucky Trooper getting a caring home, and what a great attitude!

Our Jiji gave birth to her first foal a week ago - we were actually surprised she was pregnant after losing her eye and the eye removal surgery.

 

[DebiM]

Oh, gosh, Christine! What that baby went through. I'm so glad you went through with the sale because no telling what would have happened otherwise if he was like that after 5 weeks!

 

[nootka]

Ow that looks painful. I am so glad he'll be alright and for sure that feeder looks ridiculously like an accident waiting to happen (and it did).

Sorry he has to be a poster boy, but hopefully people will rethink the necessity of feeders and for sure not just take it in their heads to make one themselves.

I do not use hay feeders but I'm lucky we have clay type soil rather than sand.

I have seen some farms use the large stock tanks for hay feeders. My thought would be rubber mats placed in certain locations for feeding hay.

I do have one of the racks for hay that is bolted to the wall in one of my stalls, but it is professionally made and certainly nothing sharp protruding.

Thanks for the warning!

Liz M.