Trashcan hay feeder

[gbr]

I just want to say thanks to whoever it was that offered the suggestion of making a kitchen wastebasket into a hay feeder. I just have a couple of pygoras and a Shetland sheep in my very wet Oregon climate - they were making a huge mess of their hay when I was trying to feed it in a trough-like thing. Instead, I put up a swivel-lidded wastebasket just below the workshop window where I keep the hay. I can go in the workshop, open the window and the trashcan lid, and fill it with hay that then stays dry and clean. I have three holes cut in mine and it works great. The animals are eating more hay with this set-up than they did when the hay got soiled almost immediately, and waste is minimal. I'd post a picture, but am apparently not yet allowed to do that.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Originally Posted by gbr

I just want to say thanks to whoever it was that offered the suggestion of making a kitchen wastebasket into a hay feeder. I just have a couple of pygoras and a Shetland sheep in my very wet Oregon climate - they were making a huge mess of their hay when I was trying to feed it in a tough-like thing. Instead, I put up a swivel-lidded wastebasket just below the workshop window where I keep the hay. I can go in the workshop, open the window and the trashcan lid, and fill it with hay that then stays dry and clean. I have three holes cut in mine and it works great. The animals are eating more hay with this set-up than they did when the hay got soiled almost immediately, and waste is minimal. I'd post a picture, but am apparently not yet allowed to do that.

I would love to see it! go to photobucket.com and set up and account, then you upload pics from your computer... all you have to do then is copy the IMG code underneath the picture and then paste into your post! Is really easy.

[Kazahleenah]

if you want to send me the pic, I'll post it. I'm curious what it looks like. Always looking for ways to cut hay waste down!

Kaza

[simplyflow]

Please do post a picture as soon as you can! I would love to see this as I am in the need of an additional feeder. Thanks!!

[FD2N4P]

me too!!

[PETSNEGGS]

I am so embarrassed to say that I don't remember who sent that idea to me when I first got my goats. I will look for the thread and see if I can find it. WE had the thread going for a while.....I went ahead and used a 35 gallon ( I think) outside garbage can so I could store more hay in it. I works wonderful and not much waste at all and very inexpensive. Yep, I DITTO the thanks too.

[oberhaslikid]

heres the link
DIY: Hay Feeder

[gbr]

Okay, here are the pics of my feeder, made from a regular kitchen wastebasket. The tan-colored part on the top is a swivel-open lid that faces the workshop window where the hay is stored. I had to initially duct-tape the whole wastebasket lid on because the goats were knocking it off at first, but they seem to have gotten bored with that game. The hay on the ground is primarily waste from our old feeding method. The goats in the pics are Sammy and Delilah.

[Liese]

Okay, that looks great but I want to know how you keep it intact after they start butting it, pop the lid off and then try to jump into it? For me with the Alpines and Nigerians nothing that isn't built bullet proof lasts a week. This week I have to rebuild the gate - didn't account enough for Goat Power!

edited to add the gate is a year & a half old but if built properly should have held up longer ... didn't help going to full size goats!

[apirlawz]

The first thing I thought of while looking at this was to cut some cattle pannels down to size so that you could construct a three sided mini-cage for the feeders. The goats could get to the hay through the spaces, but the cage would protect the plastic garbage can from being butted off the wall. Also, there's no reason you couldn't easily drill a few holes in the bottom of the can for drainage should rain be an issue.