Stretch your Feed Dollar
Conserve feed and water with the right equipment
by Martin Wilke
Unless you've been hiding out for the last year, you are well aware of the financial changes and challenges in our country. The cost of fuel is affecting every facet of our lives. I just came from the supermarket where I was replenishing my stock of frozen pizzas (because my skills in the kitchen range all the way from A to B) and was amazed at how much the cost had gone up in the last several weeks…so much so that I asked about it. I got a one-word explanation: fuel. I hadn't thought about that applying to my Thursday night dinner, but I've come to accept that it impacts all aspects of our, and our horses', lives.
We are powerless to change the fuel prices, but we can make our hay and feed stretch a bit further. The way we do this is to make sure our horses waste as little as possible.
Less Waste = Fewer $$ insert photo V Rack
We know that horses are grazers. When possible, they like to put the hay where they are designed to eat—on the ground. Many feeders unintentionally allow this to happen by having the bars too far apart, letting the horse pull a flake of hay out and drop it on the ground where it can be walked on and soiled.
I don't know how many times I've been told that manufacturers should move the bars on the V rack closer together, but manufacturers must weigh all decisions carefully. Adding three or four more bars to the V rack will raise the price. So how can we make it harder for horses to waste hay?
One simple, inexpensive way is to buy a cattle panel at any farm store or co-op. A cattle panel is a welded rod panel about 50" high and 16' long. The openings are about 6" by 8". You can cut two pieces the size of the V rack and slide them into the rack so each piece rests on the inside of the bars. This gives you horizontal bars as well as the vertical bars on the rack. With smaller openings, it's harder to get large flakes of hay. Trust me, they'll still get all the hay they need or want, but they'll waste much less.
Also, if you use a bunk feeder with a hayrack on top or stall feeders (corner or wall-type) with a grain tray on the bottom, you'll catch the leaves and small pieces that drop down.
How and where you feed will depend on the way in which your horses interact. It may be possible for you to save by putting a single bunk on a fence line so the food can be accessed from either side, but even with two separate pens, if your horses are not the best of buddies, they may not be able to use the same bunk.
On the subject of feeding and watering, the best advice is to become an informed consumer. You'll find that feeders fall into three basic categories: bunks, wall (or fence) feeders and round bale feeders. The latter type is available for cattle and horses. The biggest difference is that the horse feeder doesn't have a top ring around it. This is good because it won't rub hair off the horse's neck and bad because it takes a lot of strength out of the feeder. Many horse owners like the round bale feeders for their ability to feed multiple horses, but they do allow more waste than a V- rack.
Clean, Fresh Water is a Must
Like feeding, there are a number of ways to water horses. They've been drinking out of lakes and streams for thousands of years, so many manufacturers make waterers that keep the water as low as is practical.
Perhaps the simplest method of watering a horse, other than a stream, is a simple poly or galvanized stock tank. Personally, I prefer poly tanks. They come in all sizes, don't rust or corrode, and the new tanks have UV inhibitor in the poly to prevent degradation by sunlight, all of which cut replacement costs. One manufacturer makes a 30 gallon tank that is small, light and easy to move. It has a float valve inside; just attach a garden hose to the recessed coupler, and as the horse drinks, the tank refills.
A word of caution here: don't use a ball-type waterer for horses. In these, a foam-filled ball floats on the surface of the water. An animal quickly learns that it has to push the ball down to access the water. This is a good idea in that it keeps the water cool in summer and ice-free in winter, but horses have a tendency to paw the water. If the horse sticks his foreleg into the waterer, the ball prevents him from removing it. This causes panic and no good will come of it. insert photo Ball waterer, Caption: Ball waterers are fine for cattle, but can be dangerous for horses.
Horse ownership brings with it great responsibility. We owe it to our stock to see that they have good, nutritious feed and fresh, clean water. A little study will show you what equipment to provide for your animals, and in these times, a bit more study will show you how to stretch your feed dollar as far as you can. Contact the companies who manufacture the equipment directly through their websites. They can put you in touch with local representatives who will help you decide what will work best for you and your horses.
Martin Wilke spent 25 years traveling the Pacific Northwest as a district manager for Behlen Country (http://www.behlencountry.com/).
by Martin Wilke
Unless you've been hiding out for the last year, you are well aware of the financial changes and challenges in our country. The cost of fuel is affecting every facet of our lives. I just came from the supermarket where I was replenishing my stock of frozen pizzas (because my skills in the kitchen range all the way from A to B) and was amazed at how much the cost had gone up in the last several weeks…so much so that I asked about it. I got a one-word explanation: fuel. I hadn't thought about that applying to my Thursday night dinner, but I've come to accept that it impacts all aspects of our, and our horses', lives.
We are powerless to change the fuel prices, but we can make our hay and feed stretch a bit further. The way we do this is to make sure our horses waste as little as possible.
Less Waste = Fewer $$ insert photo V Rack
We know that horses are grazers. When possible, they like to put the hay where they are designed to eat—on the ground. Many feeders unintentionally allow this to happen by having the bars too far apart, letting the horse pull a flake of hay out and drop it on the ground where it can be walked on and soiled.
I don't know how many times I've been told that manufacturers should move the bars on the V rack closer together, but manufacturers must weigh all decisions carefully. Adding three or four more bars to the V rack will raise the price. So how can we make it harder for horses to waste hay?
One simple, inexpensive way is to buy a cattle panel at any farm store or co-op. A cattle panel is a welded rod panel about 50" high and 16' long. The openings are about 6" by 8". You can cut two pieces the size of the V rack and slide them into the rack so each piece rests on the inside of the bars. This gives you horizontal bars as well as the vertical bars on the rack. With smaller openings, it's harder to get large flakes of hay. Trust me, they'll still get all the hay they need or want, but they'll waste much less.
Also, if you use a bunk feeder with a hayrack on top or stall feeders (corner or wall-type) with a grain tray on the bottom, you'll catch the leaves and small pieces that drop down.
How and where you feed will depend on the way in which your horses interact. It may be possible for you to save by putting a single bunk on a fence line so the food can be accessed from either side, but even with two separate pens, if your horses are not the best of buddies, they may not be able to use the same bunk.
On the subject of feeding and watering, the best advice is to become an informed consumer. You'll find that feeders fall into three basic categories: bunks, wall (or fence) feeders and round bale feeders. The latter type is available for cattle and horses. The biggest difference is that the horse feeder doesn't have a top ring around it. This is good because it won't rub hair off the horse's neck and bad because it takes a lot of strength out of the feeder. Many horse owners like the round bale feeders for their ability to feed multiple horses, but they do allow more waste than a V- rack.
Clean, Fresh Water is a Must
Like feeding, there are a number of ways to water horses. They've been drinking out of lakes and streams for thousands of years, so many manufacturers make waterers that keep the water as low as is practical.
Perhaps the simplest method of watering a horse, other than a stream, is a simple poly or galvanized stock tank. Personally, I prefer poly tanks. They come in all sizes, don't rust or corrode, and the new tanks have UV inhibitor in the poly to prevent degradation by sunlight, all of which cut replacement costs. One manufacturer makes a 30 gallon tank that is small, light and easy to move. It has a float valve inside; just attach a garden hose to the recessed coupler, and as the horse drinks, the tank refills.
A word of caution here: don't use a ball-type waterer for horses. In these, a foam-filled ball floats on the surface of the water. An animal quickly learns that it has to push the ball down to access the water. This is a good idea in that it keeps the water cool in summer and ice-free in winter, but horses have a tendency to paw the water. If the horse sticks his foreleg into the waterer, the ball prevents him from removing it. This causes panic and no good will come of it. insert photo Ball waterer, Caption: Ball waterers are fine for cattle, but can be dangerous for horses.
Horse ownership brings with it great responsibility. We owe it to our stock to see that they have good, nutritious feed and fresh, clean water. A little study will show you what equipment to provide for your animals, and in these times, a bit more study will show you how to stretch your feed dollar as far as you can. Contact the companies who manufacture the equipment directly through their websites. They can put you in touch with local representatives who will help you decide what will work best for you and your horses.
Martin Wilke spent 25 years traveling the Pacific Northwest as a district manager for Behlen Country (http://www.behlencountry.com/).
Labels: Feature Stories, martin wilke, September 2008
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