Hay Feeder Ideas

[Abi_nurse]

Hello all,

I just wondered if anyone could enlighten me on ideas of how I can feed hay better without getting it all over the herds fleece. They used to have a bottom of an old 80cm cage as a 'hay box', this seemed to work well but the base got very cracked and tatty so I've scrapped it, plus my other 80cm spare I wish to keep as a hospital cage. Now that the many of the herd are coming up to 5 years old in a few months I'm reluctant to give them a base again as some are getting some signs of stiff joints no matter how spritely they make out they are.

My current set up is the following photo. Two cat litter boxes with hay, changed every couple of days. The problem I have is that it doesn't keep the hay in well. As you can see by the photo, they have literally just had a full clean out and already pulling it out onto the fleece. They then persist to wee and poo on the excess hay and trample it into the fleece. The usual once a week full clean is not cutting it. I've started hoovering them out every day or two but it's not working.

Any ideas or photos of peoples set ups? I'm considered a raised area but I don't want anything tough to get into for them. Anyone with larger groups what do you do? @Wiebke etc.

Thanks in advance, here's the herds set up (currently 11 piggies)


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[Drezella]

I bought two of these hay bags from @gus+walter they'd help to reduce the mess but don't stop it completely. You could have a few of these located at different points throughout the cage, that will help to reduce the traffic to one feeding point and reduce the chance of quarrels.

 

[jenniferanneharris]

Maybe you could partition an area off at the end of the cage and put 1.5C & C grids over alowing just a doorway for the pigs to get in...

then you could make a correx or plastic perspex piece along the bottom of he c&c grids so the hay dose not escape so well. Then just put a pile of hay down...or 2/3 shallow litter trays with hay down / hay racks or hay bags in the area.

Then you have a "hay area" - and something stopping too much hay escaping (the correx or perspex) .It will be a bit like a hayloft- but on ground level.

 

[Wiebke]

You could also spread some cheap rags in their favourite hay spreading/toileting area, which you can change daily. I have similar problems with my own elderlies and having to change their pads much more often as they are more sleeping and peeing on their favourite cosies. I often use pads which I can turn over and exchange at need so my elderlies have as much of a dry and clean surface to sleep on as possible.

 

[biscandmatt]

garden potting trays are large and have one low sided edge. for extra support you could put a padded fleece infront of it so there isn't much of a step for them in and out. they just kind of walk into it. so it's nice as it's on the floor kind of, but it's also contained aswell

 

[Abi_nurse]

Thanks for all the ideas. I will have a think and look into ideas. : )

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