As a novice goat herder, only finding myself in this position this past summer, I wasn't entirely prepared. Sure, I had done lots of reading and research, but the funds to carry it through hadn't completely fallen into my lap before I took the plunge into "goatdom".
This being the case, I had been using a small plastic swimming pool as a hay feeder. I had to use what I had available and this at least, kept it off the ground. It isn't necessarily a good idea to feed your animals in the same place they use the bathroom!
This worked for awhile. Until fall came and it began to rain consistently. Rain and hay don't really mix. Then winter came and with morning temperatures dipping into the teens, I began to dread going out in the mornings to feed the goats. Nor did they relish the idea of leaving the nice cozy barn to eat wet hay out of a plastic pool.
It was time for a change. What to do, what to do...
First things first, take a look and see what I have lying around that can be used for this project. I managed to round up some leftover fencing and some poultry wire. With just a few snips of my wire cutters, I began shaping a basket.
Attaching the poultry wire was the hardest part of the whole process. That stuff isn't so easy on the fingers!
Once this was done, I just had to find a place for it in the barn.
I hung a 2x6 board to attach the feeder to on the barn wall with 3 inch screws.
Then I screwed on a small piece of wood from the front side of the wire to hold it in place.
It still needs to be attached this way at the top. There's only a nail holding it in place in these pictures. I noticed too late that I had dropped my screwdriver bit. Talk about a needle in a haystack! Either way, the girls, Joy and Willow, love it!
I may get busy in the spring and build something a little fancier, but for now, this is working great!
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