We have a cradle feeder for our horse and goats and I love that it keeps the round bale up off the ground. I cut a cattle panel to fit and laid it down in the cradle to help keep flakes of hay from falling off, but we still have a fair amount of hay slide out. So today I’m adding a round bale hay net, and I hope it will be the answer...

I highly discourage anyone from using the cradle style round bale feeder. I had two vet visits within 6 months of using it in 2020. The first was a laceration requiring stitches and the second the horse impaled itself on it on the gate section of the feeder. The plastic pipe end protectors were not effective. We didn't know if the horse was going to make it or be usable again. After a lengthy recovery and several vet visits the horse made an amazing recovery. The bale feeder was manufactured by Tarter and we bought it from Tractor supply. I contacted the manufacturer and recommend a design change for safety. They didn't believe it was necessary. We no longer use that feeder.

great video

I'm looking at a hay ring by Century made of fiber glass. They are a little more expensive than the metal ones but they don't rust and from the reviews last a lot longer.

So, which style do you prefer? We did a video a while back on hay ring comparison. Is interested in the concept of just unrolling the bales, but that looks wasteful as well. It’s a tough question.

@LazyAcresTexas

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So far I think i get a little less waste from the rings. Its tough to tell as our cows rip it out to lay on anyway but it does seem like they eat a bit more with the rings. The cradle style is nice for ease of loading and with the bales on their side they seem to shed water better when it rains. They also don't get moldy on the bottom from wicking the water from the ground. I think it comes down to waste though so I am going to stick with the rings for a bit and see how that goes.

Could a person add some horizontal bars across the bottom of the feeder too keep the bale of the ground?

Round bails are a huge issue it seems. How did the old folks do this feeding of horses and cattle? I personally dislike round bales so much that I hate the sight of them. I saw a guy that had a trailer full of hay and they were square bails. He had a feeder an the back of the trailer where the big doors are and when it was time to feed he simply tossed the hay down into a feed crate. It’s an alternative to a hay loft I guess. I thought that was fairly brilliant as long as there is enough air flow. I don’t know if he used the same trailer to pick the hay up but I wouldn’t be surprised. Where my horse is boarded they will not feed anything but round bails. I see my mare poking the solid mass with her nose and boring in with her teeth and it makes me cringe. As she gets down into the bail her head is buried in it. Soon I will have her on my own property and things will be very different.