What happens to the netting as the round bale is eaten down?Updated 13 hours ago
This is one of the most common questions we get about using round bale hay nets, especially from customers new to slow feeding. Naturally, people want to know what happens to the netting as the bale gets smaller, whether it drops, bunches up, or becomes unsafe as the hay is eaten down.
The good news is that round bale hay nets are designed to move and collapse with the bale as it’s consumed. When fitted and secured correctly, the netting gradually settles down around the remaining hay, continuing to contain it and reduce wastage right through to the last mouthful.
Below, we explain exactly how the net behaves over time, what to expect as the bale shrinks, and a few simple tips to ensure safe and effective use.
These photos were taken over a 16-day period. We sincerely wish to thank Carri for going to the trouble to take these photos every couple of days. There were 4 horses eating from this net.
Carri used a GutzBusta 6x4 4cm / 1 3/4" Knotless round bale hay net on her HUGE bale of hay that measures roughly 5 feet x 5 1/2 feet. We don't have any bigger than 6x4 round bales of hay in Australia. However our Large Export Square Bales may facilitate these larger sized bales of hay. To be sure, please check our measurement guide and also review our hay net dimensions.
The following sequence of photos shows you what happens to the netting and how the horses use the net as it is grazed down.
If your round bale was in danger of getting wet, then we would certainly recommend throwing a tarpaulin over the top of the bale to keep it dry until the storm passes. You can just leave the bottom showing, so the horses can still graze from the net, however the bulk of the bale won't get wet.
One comment we receive fairly regularly from our customers is that they notice that their herds demeanor towards each other is greatly improved when feeding this way and that there is a general improvement in the happiness of the herd.
As they say, a picture shows a thousand words. These photos are a brilliant illustration of how our hay nets save on hay wastage by keeping the hay within the confines of the netting. This stops horses from scattering the hay about, tossing it around, having it blown away, laid on, used as a toilet, or trampled, and stops them from picking the 'nicest' bits of the bale out.
They, therefore, save massively on wastage!!
For unshod horses, it is fine to have your net like this. For shod horses, you need to have a hay ring or some sort of physical barrier between the feet and the nets to keep shoes and nets separate. See our article HERE about what happens to a hay net when used with a hay ring as the bale is eaten down.
We also have another blog on this same topic that shows some more photos and gives a little more information on this topic of what happens to the netting as the bale is eaten down.