DIY or Manufactured Round Hay Bale Feeder for sheep?

Runswithfeet

Hi all,
Long time viewer but first time poster here on sheep forum.Will need to feed up on 60 ewe lambs indoors in straw bedded loose shed for next few months.Plan to feed them round bales of hay from a made up or bought big round hay bale feeder suited to sheep.
Would put the feeder in the middle of shed floor ,put in bale and let the lambs work away Adlib as don’t have time to be filling small hay racks each day.
Does anyone feed sheep indoors like this?.....if I was making a feeder one cost saving would be no need to have a top on it to keep rain out.
Looked up YouTube but not that many great ideas on it.Simplest one was to surround bale with gates and let sheep eat in through gates but you would lose a lot of hay that way imo.
Thanks for any replies or ideas from anyone.

kk.man

Welcome to the Boards.
I've 3 different types myself. A little round feeder much like the cattle one except splits in the middle. The second one is a half circular one which is mounted up on it's side. The third is a V shape one much like no.2 and is made by Foxes of Gorey. It's my favourite for ad lib feeding. It's the most durable of the three. You will loose hay from all 3, it's just a fact of life.
I don't lose hay from my small ones as bars are much closer together.
Any co op or feed merchant will get the above for you. I think my foxes one was about 300e a couple of years ago.
Messing around making up stuff just doesn't make sense to me unless you have the steel.

tomwaterford

Bought one of the buffalo round feeders for e180 and can put bale lying down in it and find much less wastage since then


Have to sprong out last centre alright though

razor8

My biggest concern would be keeping their feet right without having foot bathing facilities

Runswithfeet

razor8 wrote: »

My biggest concern would be keeping their feet right without having foot bathing facilities

Not quite following razor8....lambs will be in fresh straw all the time.Often had ewes in same shed,no feet problems once you keep bed dry.Any ideas on hay feeders razor8?

Runswithfeet

kk.man wrote: »

Welcome to the Boards.
I've 3 different types myself. A little round feeder much like the cattle one except splits in the middle. The second one is a half circular one which is mounted up on it's side. The third is a V shape one much like no.2 and is made by Foxes of Gorey. It's my favourite for ad lib feeding. It's the most durable of the three. You will loose hay from all 3, it's just a fact of life.
I don't lose hay from my small ones as bars are much closer together.
Any co op or feed merchant will get the above for you. I think my foxes one was about 300e a couple of years ago.
Messing around making up stuff just doesn't make sense to me unless you have the steel.

Thanks kk.man,looked at Foxes website....is the V shaped one you mention called a ‘sheep rack’ on their site or is it the

Runswithfeet

Thanks kk.man....is v shaped one you mention on Foxes of Gorey website called a ‘sheep rack’ c/w trough or described as 30 space sheep circular feeder?

Looking at the site pictures it’s hard to imagine a big hay round bale sitting into the ‘sheep rack’.

Thanks for your help,hope you understand what I mean by questions:)

White Clover

As far as I know, Frs stock fox products. Maybe if there's one near you runswithfeet, you could have a look?

Runswithfeet

tomwaterford wrote: »

Bought one of the buffalo round feeders for e180 and can put bale lying down in it and find much less wastage since then


Have to sprong out last centre alright though

Thanks tomwaterford...what does a Buffalo type feeder look like?

Runswithfeet

White Clover wrote: »

As far as I know, Frs stock fox products. Maybe if there's one near you runswithfeet, you could have a look?

As in Farm Relief Services?....nearest place to me is an office in Boyle I think.....do Frs have co-op type places?

tomwaterford

Runswithfeet wrote: »

Thanks tomwaterford...what does a Buffalo type feeder look like?

An ordinary round feeder....afaik they advertise on donedeal (might be wick low? ?)


How long yous putting em in for?....I find after 10 weeks the feet come under pressure on the I lamb ewes anyway

Probably from combination of things if honest

Runswithfeet

tomwaterford wrote: »

Runswithfeet wrote: »

Thanks tomwaterford...what does a Buffalo type feeder look like?

An ordinary round feeder....afaik they advertise on donedeal (might be wick low? ?)
How long yous putting em in for?....I find after 10 weeks the feet come under pressure on the I lamb ewes anyway

Probably from combination of things if honest

If you have a minute check out the round bale sheep feeder on Foxes of Gorey website.
When you say yours is ‘an ordinary’ round feeder ....is it a cattle one?...would the sides not be a bit high up for sheep?
Foxes round one seems quite workable for sheep,the ‘v’ shaped sheep rack one looks good as well.
Would probably have them in for about 2 months to save grass outside.Would clean out the shed after a month to keep it drier for their feet.

tomwaterford

Runswithfeet wrote: »

If you have a minute check out the round bale sheep feeder on Foxes of Gorey website.
When you say yours is ‘an ordinary’ round feeder ....is it a cattle one?...would the sides not be a bit high up for sheep?
Foxes round one seems quite workable for sheep,the ‘v’ shaped sheep rack one looks good as well.
Would probably have them in for about 2 months to save grass outside.Would clean out the shed after a month to keep it drier for their feet.

Its just a smaller version of cattle feeder (smaller spaces etc)...but larger diameter to a regular sheep round feeder and less wastage

Just what I found anyway

charolais0153

Handiest is just to get sheep round feeder. Have one here. Couldnt really fault it for what it is.Smaller veesion of cattle one ad tomwaterford said.

Runswithfeet

Thanks Lads,if ye have a minute check out the ‘sheep rack’ one and 30 space sheep round feeder on Foxes of Gorey website....the 30 space one is prob like yere ones...interested to see if ye would think the ‘sheep rack’ one would be as good or possibly better for less wastage of hay,
Thanks again.

White Clover

Runswithfeet wrote: »

As in Farm Relief Services?....nearest place to me is an office in Boyle I think.....do Frs have co-op type places?

Ya thats them. They are often advertising on done deal.

Runswithfeet

Runswithfeet wrote: »

Thanks Lads,if ye have a minute check out the ‘sheep rack’ one and 30 space sheep round feeder on Foxes of Gorey website....the 30 space one is prob like yere ones...interested to see if ye would think the ‘sheep rack’ one would be as good or possibly better for less wastage of hay,
Thanks again.

Hi again....just bumping this to see whether people who have used big bales of hay with sheep would be inclined to buy the sheep style round feeder or the V shaped one also pictured on their website.I am probably going to buy one or the other on the next week or so as grass is running scarce and ground conditions are v wet:(

Really appreciate if ye could google ‘Foxes of Gorey’....look at both types under ‘sheep equipment ‘ and say which would be better especially regarding minimizing hay wastage.Feeder would be placed in middle of a straw bedded loose shed with approx 60 strong sheared ewe lambs feeding from it.Luckily I have good quality hay for them:)

Thanks for any views on which to go for....would be using it for years to come so want to make right choice now.

Runswithfeet

Runswithfeet wrote: »

Thanks Lads,if ye have a minute check out the ‘sheep rack’ one and 30 space sheep round feeder on Foxes of Gorey website....the 30 space one is prob like yere ones...interested to see if ye would think the ‘sheep rack’ one would be as good or possibly better for less wastage of hay,
Thanks again.

Hi again....just bumping this to see whether people who have used big bales of hay with sheep would be inclined to buy the sheep style round feeder or the V shaped one also pictured on their website.I am probably going to buy one or the other on the next week or so as grass is running scarce and ground conditions are v wet:(

Really appreciate if ye could google ‘Foxes of Gorey’....look at both types under ‘sheep equipment ‘ and say which would be better especially regarding minimizing hay wastage.Feeder would be placed in middle of a straw bedded loose shed with approx 60 strong sheared ewe lambs feeding from it.Luckily I have good quality hay for them:)

Thanks for any views on which to go for....would be using it for years to come so want to make right choice now.

charolais0153

Runswithfeet wrote: »

Hi again....just bumping this to see whether people who have used big bales of hay with sheep would be inclined to buy the sheep style round feeder or the V shaped one also pictured on their website.I am probably going to buy one or the other on the next week or so as grass is running scarce and ground conditions are v wet:(

Really appreciate if ye could google ‘Foxes of Gorey’....look at both types under ‘sheep equipment ‘ and say which would be better especially regarding minimizing hay wastage.Feeder would be placed in middle of a straw bedded loose shed with approx 60 strong sheared ewe lambs feeding from it.Luckily I have good quality hay for them:)

Thanks for any views on which to go for....would be using it for years to come so want to make right choice now.

Id go for the round one. Have one similiar ro it here

Runswithfeet

charolais0153 wrote: »

Runswithfeet wrote: »

Hi again....just bumping this to see whether people who have used big bales of hay with sheep would be inclined to buy the sheep style round feeder or the V shaped one also pictured on their website.I am probably going to buy one or the other on the next week or so as grass is running scarce and ground conditions are v wet:(

Really appreciate if ye could google ‘Foxes of Gorey’....look at both types under ‘sheep equipment ‘ and say which would be better especially regarding minimizing hay wastage.Feeder would be placed in middle of a straw bedded loose shed with approx 60 strong sheared ewe lambs feeding from it.Luckily I have good quality hay for them:)

Thanks for any views on which to go for....would be using it for years to come so want to make right choice now.

Id go for the round one. Have one similiar ro it here

Thanks pm sent to you.

cuff92

I think id go with the v shaped.
I think the bottom a the bale would go sour in the ring feeder from piss settling down through the bedding.

Although I think they might stand up on the v shaped one which might dirty the hay?

early_riser

Need to get 2 new ones myself this year. Would the v shaped one be suitable for chopped silage and could you fill them with bale rake on 3 point linkage or would they need to be filled using loader?

Runswithfeet

cuff92 wrote: »

I think id go with the v shaped.
I think the bottom a the bale would go sour in the ring feeder from piss settling down through the bedding.

Although I think they might stand up on the v shaped one which might dirty the hay?

If you put a pallet in underneath the hay found bale wouldn’t it avoid that possibility?

Runswithfeet

Round for found.