Freedom Feeder Single Day Slow Feeder Hay Net
Overview
The Freedom Feeder Single Day Slow Feeder Hay Net creates pasture in a net!
Designed to help bring horses back to their original foraging style of feeding, the Freedom Feeder is the original slow-feed hay system made in the USA! Freedom Feeders pioneered the slow feed movement in 2007 and have transitioned thousands of horses back to grazing all day. Horses are designed to graze 20 hours a day and are constantly producing digestive acid – when their stomachs are empty of food they are stressed.
This amazing product provides freedom for both you and your horse. You = no more racing home to feed or asking neighbors if you are delayed elsewhere. Your horse = calm and happy - no more banging and pacing.
Horses need to use their lips and teeth while eating – when fed meals they gulp and wear back teeth versus incisors which can become overgrown when not using them to tear the grass. The holes in the Freedom Feeder net mimic eating grass off the ground and the horses use their lips and front teeth to eat.
Slower feeding is beneficial for all horses, especially those prone to certain conditions such as foundering, laminitis, or ulcers and is a great way to keep a bored horse busy.
Smaller openings not only ensure safety by reducing the chance of your horse getting caught up in them, but they also help reduce waste. Can be used with any type of hay. In general, the broader the leaf the slower it is able to go through the net. Generally, low-calorie and high-fiber grass hay is recommended.
Key Features
- Smaller Hole Netting Keeps Horses Eating Longer
- Increases feeding time, but reduces waste
- Generous size allows you to fit up to 35 lbs of hay
- Excellent to use in wet or windy weather!
- Provides Freedom for Both You and your Horse!
- 3' 3" x 2½'
Product Details
Directions for Use:
Fill the generous Full Day Feeder with hay and lace securely shut with the string and carabiner clips that are included. These nets can be hung on fences, box stalls, placed on the ground like a pillow, and the list goes on. They are made of 1/8″ (3mm) nylon mesh woven into squares. This material has 275 lb. per strand of tensile strength!
From the Manufacturer:
Horses are designed to consume forage pretty much all day and night and their digestive systems are constantly producing digestive acids. When their sensitive stomachs are empty of food they are stressed, prone to colic, ulcers, and boredom leading to destructive stall vices just to mention a few of the consequences. Horses should have access to low calorie, high fiber forage at all times.
Featured in EQUUS, Nov 2011 issue. Sizing Up Slow Feeders – Devices that stop your horse from eating hay too fast can save you time and money, and they may even help make him happier and healthier. – “We are learning that intermittent feeding may be at least partly responsible for stable vices…wood chewing, wind-sucking, weaving and so on.” – “The horses always have hay in front of them, and you can just see how much more content they are. No more wood or tree chewing, their weight is good, and no more anxiety around feeding time.” – “When horses go for a long time without eating and then get fed a big meal of hay, this causes insulin ‘spikes’.”
Please Note: Manufacturer recommends using a Freedom Feeder with 1.5" or 2" holes before transitioning to a freedom feeder with 1" holes.
Previous Feedback
Comments: I have been on the hunt for a great hay net that is easy to fill and carries more than one flake of hay. This bag is hands down my favorite. The material is soft yet durable. The dark drawstring makes it easy to find the opening in low lighting. It holds 2+ large flakes with ease. Caribeaner clips are also well made. This keeps my hungry-hippo of a mare busy. I started with the 1.5" opening and it's plenty big to allow horses to eat without a struggle. Best hay bag I've used. Definitely recommend this one!
From: Allie - Santa Rosa, California, USA
Comments: When I first learned about slow feeders, I envisioned happy horses leisurely fishing the hay out of the openings in the net. Out mare isn't like that. She likes her food, and she likes it now. She grabs the bag in her teeth, shakes it, and bangs it against the welded wire, until enough loose pieces have accumulated on the ground to be worth her while. Then she gobbles them up and starts over. This net takes that abuse, and for the most part shrugs it off. We've had it for almost a year. There are no holes in it. I had to re-string the drawstring one row of openings lower, because of some breakage (chewage?) on the top row. I went through several aluminum carabiner clips until I decided to use the steel clip of the type used to secure cross-tie chains. And that's it. How many items do you know that can be tested to destruction by a hungry 800 lb. mare and still function? These nets are great, I highly recommend them, but unless she ups her game, I may not be buying another one.
From: Curtis - Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA