🐴 Vet-Recommended Hay Feeder Tips for Horses in 2025 💡🌾

By Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

With hay prices climbing again in 2025, wasting forage isn’t just frustrating—it’s expensive. The good news? Strategic use of hay feeders can make a big difference. 🛑💸

📊 Hay Waste: What the Research Shows

A study from the University of Minnesota, published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, compared multiple hay feeding methods and found staggering differences in hay waste: 😮

• 🚫 No feeder: 13% hay wasted
• 🔲 Basket feeder: 3% hay wasted
• 📥 Hayrack feeder: 5% hay wasted
• ⬛ Slat feeder: Only 1% hay wasted

So, if you’re just tossing hay on the stall floor or pasture, you’re throwing away up to 13% of what you paid for! 😬💰

📉 What Type of Feeder is Best?

Here’s the kicker: while slat feeders minimize hay loss, they also limit how much your horse can eat. Horses using slat feeders—or no feeder at all—lost weight due to reduced hay intake. 😕

In contrast, horses using basket or hayrack feeders:

• 🆙 Consumed more hay
• ⚖️ Maintained or slightly increased body weight
• ♻️ Wasted significantly less hay than ground feeding

💡 Dr Duncan’s Hay Feeder Tips

✅ Choose the right feeder for your horse’s condition and feeding schedule:

• 🏋️‍♂️ Want weight gain? ➡️ Use a basket feeder or hayrack
• ⚖️ Need weight control? ➡️ Try a slat feeder or a slow-feed hay net
• 🚫 Never feed hay directly on stall or barn floors—too much waste!

Pro Tip: Keep feeders clean and off the ground to avoid spoilage, mold, and unnecessary waste. 🧼🛑

🔍 Feeder vs. Floor: The Real Cost

Let’s say you feed 30 lbs of hay per day per horse. At 13% waste, that’s 3.9 lbs lost daily—over 1,400 lbs a year per horse. That’s nearly $300–$600 in hay waste annually depending on hay cost. 📉💸

📲 Still Not Sure? Ask A Vet Can Help!

Need help choosing a feeder or evaluating your feeding setup? Visit AskAVet.com to consult with me, Dr Duncan Houston, for tailored feeding and equipment recommendations. 🧠🐴💬

🔚 Final Thoughts

Using a hay feeder isn’t just cleaner—it’s smarter. Choose the right design, monitor your horse’s weight, and save money in 2025 by keeping hay where it belongs—in your horse’s belly, not on the ground. 🌾🐎💚