Drought Solutions and Ideas
The versatility of our hay nets is something that is highly appreciated, especially as times get tough.
Once we hit a drought, unless you are fortunate enough to have a great hay supply, for many equestrian and livestock owners it can get very tough when you simply don't know where, when, what type of hay, and from whom you will be purchasing your next hay from.
Not only that, it also gets more expensive to purchase the hay. This is another wonderful benefit of using a GutzBusta during these times so that you can save on both hay and wastage. We have had MANY customers report that the net paid for itself very quickly, sometimes in one use when you are talking about large round bales or large square bales.
Droughts can be an extremely stressful period, so we thought we would offer a few ideas that we have worked out ourselves during the last 12 years, or from feedback from customers.đ
Round Bale Hay Nets
In a drought, these can become a godsend by allowing versatility of use with not only round bales, but also small bales of hay. A common question we get asked is 'What size round bale hay net should I purchase?'
One of my first responses to this question, is "What will happen to your hay supply in a drought and do you want a hay net that offers versatility?"
Will you be able to get the size you normally do, or do you need a hay net with more flexibility? For example, if you only ever purchase 4x4 round bales, but you hit a drought situation and your hay can only come from interstate, and these bales might be 5x4's, then you would be better off purchasing a 5x4 net put on both 5x4 and 4x4 bale sizes.
Yes, you will end up with extra netting, however you can easily take up the slack by readingpage 2 of this link.
Large Square 8x4x4 / 8x4x3 & 8x3x3 Bales
If you want a hay net that offers flexibility to fit ALL sizes of round bales PLUS the Large Square 8x4x4 down to 8x3x3 bales of hay, then purchasing one of our Large Square Bales is a great idea. This means you have a net that will fit anything.
Yes, you will potentially have excess netting if the bale is significantly smaller than the net, however, we have simple instructions on how to reduce the size of the net, or 'take up the slack'.
Consideration does need to be made if your horses are shod. In that case, having a metal ring, or low gates, or some sort of physical barrier between the nets and shod hooves is very important. You would also have to make sure that excess netting is able to be dealt with if your hay net is much larger than the hay source being used.
Round Bale nets and small square bales
Another great way to put out a bulk amount of hay in a drought or feed shortage is to use small bales of hay in a round bale hay net.
As a guide only:
- * a 3x4 should take 4 to 5 small bales
- * a 4x4 should take 6 to 8 small bales
- * a 5x4 should take 8 to 10 small bales, and
- * a 6x4 should take 10 to 12+ small bales of hay.
We have done this ourselves in the past on numerous occasions and it has worked very well. Putting out a bulk amount of hay is great for reducing feed times, and ensuring your horses are happy and healthy in mind and body by always having a hay supply available.
Many customers note that their herds are happier when they have a constant supply of hay and are less aggressive to their paddock mates.
Square, not diamond holes
The beauty of our hay nets from a feeding perspective as a square pattern means that no matter how full or empty the net is, the horses can still access the hay. Whereas, the diamond hole pattern hay nets collapse down on themselves as the net empties meaning the net becomes harder to eat from as the net empties⊠which could possibly be frustrating your horses and leading to more aggressive eating and therefore destroying of hay nets quicker than normal life expectancy.
These take a full small bale of hay, however, for the reason mentioned above, if you only put one biscuit of hay in the net, the horses will still be able to eat from the net just fine as the holes don't collapse down on each other.
Parallax Range
Other drought solutions we have are our great range of Parallax products. Both our Hay Savers and our Hay Play Balls are another slow feed option in times of limited feed, boredom and offer environmental enrichment!
