FAQ About Hay Nets
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Hay nets replicate the natural foraging habits of grazing animals, ensuring they can graze throughout the day as nature intended. It is allowing animals to consume a smaller quantity of forage over a more extended period. It benefits animals by improving digestion, reducing colic, ulcers, cribbing, other emotional issues and overall well-being.
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Introducing hay nets properly helps animals adjust to feeding from them. Trickle feeding is natural and preferred over loose hay. Begin with loose hay for a few days alongside the nets to reduce frustration and damage.
Choosing the correct net hole size for your animal is also important ensuring you are matching to their needs and hay type. View our Net Guide for more information. -
Hay nets can be used with shod horses. However, the nets should be placed in a tub, feeder, hay ring, or hung out of the pawing range. We do like to see the net in a lower position, if possible for a more natural foraging position.
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Yes! hay nets can be left loose on non-sandy surfaces for extra movement and entertainment. Nag Bags are designed to be safe loose, wth no looped rope. We recommend trucking the rope into the bag to help keep clean.
IMPORTANT: For safety reasons, do not leave bags loose if horses are shod. If a horse is shod, nets should be placed in a box or feeder. Also, note the large hole sizes, 2" or 2.75”, should not be left loose for minis or young horses as a precaution with smaller hoofed animals.
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Yes, hay nets are one of the best feeding systems for helping metabolic horses by keeping your horse's insulin levels more balanced. Offering forage 24/7 helps reduce stress and provides many physical and mental benefits. Be sure that you are providing your horse with the correct hay type. See our Hay Testing section for more details.
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Hay nets will benefit all equines, especially for the care of ulcers, colic, cribbing, aggression and nervous horses. Small but frequent meals are your best defence against the formation of ulcers and promote ulcers' healing. Veterinary-recommended Nag Bags support healthy digestion.
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Before you start feeding with any hay nets, please check the alignment of your grazing animal's teeth. Some miniatures tend to have poor alignment, as well is not uncommon for older horses to be missing teeth. If your horse has a missing tooth, it’s fine to use a hay net. But if you have an area where there is a gap that the net could hook behind, then we recommend that you seek a veterinarian's dental assistant before use. Nets do help horses with missing teeth, as it slows down the choke percentage as less hay is gathered in the mouth at one time; they just need special attention/caution.
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All hay types can be fed in the hay nets but the key is to fit the right hole size to the hay. In addition, hay should always match the animals’ requirements to provide the best benefits and results. We do not recommend using any hay that contains weeds, mold or dust. Easy keepers do best on 1st cut, lower sugar and starch hays. Hard keepers and elderly horses may require higher protein hay types. We recommended hay testing and research on finding the correct hay for your animals’ needs.
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Rings and clips can be attached to the black rope at the top of any of our hay nets or to the bottom quick link. See our YouTube video for a visual tutorial on attaching hardware
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Hay nets can be attached to a post, rails, stall walls, shelters and pipe fencing either by tying, or a clip onto the net and easily hooking up. We also have nets made for easy throw-through feedings. Check out our Ez Fills or Metal Flip-up Feeders. Many customers use the Ez Fills and Metal Flip-ups for rail fencing and stall windows.
Behaviour
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IMPORTANT: Horses who have never been fed free-choice forage before can tend to over-consume. We highly recommend starting with smaller amounts and slowly keep adding to the nets.
If you want to provide a full bale feeding, you should start with only adding 1/3 of the bale at first and slowly adding more till the whole bale has been achieved. This may take a while, but it helps limit over-indulging. Please use caution when adjusting to free-choice feeding as over-indulging turn can be dangerous and serious.
Slowly they will adjust as they self-regulate; for some horses, it can take days and sometimes up to a month. If you have the correct hay for your horse, they will eventually slow down and regulate themselves. Be patient - it does take time. See our Hay Testing section for more details.
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Yes! It is most beneficial to keep the nets full; it’s ideal to never go over two hours out of forage. Keep in mind; you may go through a bit more hay at the beginning till horses self-regulate. Once a horse has self-regulated, their feeding (grazing) habits change, and consumption slows down.
NOTE: Ensure the hay being fed suits your horse's needs, as this is a significant factor in receiving the best results. If you like to provide 24-hour grazing, we highly recommend finding a hay source that is low in protein, sugar and starch. See the Hay Testing page for more information and advice.
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Yes, you can soak hay in a NAG Bag hay net. We suggest that you soak hay for a maximum of 30 minutes to avoid spores and mold. We recommended that you let the excess water drain out before hanging the nets above a surface that could become slippery (such as in a trailer).
NOTE: Soaking hay in warm water results in removing higher amounts of sugars and starches. When hay is soaked in warm water or cold for 30 minutes, levels decline significantly. Hay must not be over-soaked (45 minutes max), as this can cause excessive mineral loss and bacteria growth in the hay. Soaked hay should be consumed within 6 hours, and any remaining hay should be removed from the net. See more on Hay Testing Info.
Feeding Round and Large Bales
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Absolutely! Our round bale hay nets are designed to be used without a feeder. Simply place the round bale inside the hay net and secure it properly. The hay net will help to slow down your horse's eating, reduce wastage, and promote natural foraging behaviour without the need for an additional feeder.
Although you can use the Round Bale or Large Square Bale bag loose but only if your horse(s) are not shod. Over the year, we have recognized the difference in the longevity of the net with the use of a feeder. We would highly recommend using these nets with a feeder to help prevent damage.Note: nets will stay cleaner and have better longevity when placed into a feeder.
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Absolutely! Round bale hay nets are designed to accommodate multiple horses, making them an excellent option for herd feeding. The nets are spacious enough for three to fours horses to feed simultaneously per bale, promoting a natural and peaceful feeding environment.
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Round bale hay nets come in various sizes to accommodate different bale dimensions. To determine the right size for your needs, measure the diameter and height of your round bale in feet. Then, select a hay net that closely matches these measurements to ensure a proper fit. We always recommend sizing up if you are between sizes.
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No. Once you have tied the round bale net up, you do not have to re-tighten, but be sure to inspect it frequently. When you first introduce a new Nag Bag net, you must ensure that loose hay is fed alongside the net in the morning and evening.
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Cleaning and maintaining our round bale hay nets is simple. Regularly remove any uneaten hay and debris from the net to keep it clean. You can also rinse it with water and let it air dry when needed. The durable materials used in our hay nets ensure they withstand repeated use and require minimal maintenance.
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As the hay is consumed, the round bale hay nets will collapse into a large pillow shape.
Before the net is entirely empty about roughly 10% bale left, shake it out and reload a new round bale. Leaving nets empty can cause horses to chew netting, or become soiled.
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You can use straw or shavings, or tarps underneath your bales in winter to prevent freezing. But the best way to ensure the net never completely empties before refilling is as the hay will help insulate the net and stop them from freezing to the ground.
Please note: If the net does not close on the first fitting, this means that you do not have the correct size for your bale. Promptly remove the bag to keep it clean, and contact us for exchange instructions. If the net is too tight, it can become damaged.
Net Care
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Checking your net for damage regularly and addressing any damages will prolong life. Ensure you sew small holes up right away so that your animal doesn't make it any larger. All Nag Bags nets come with a repair twine, just as a good sweater comes with an extra button.
If you have a large hole, we recommend our Repair Kit, which contains various patches of netting. See our Net Care page to learn more about repairing nets.
Check out our videos library for repair step-by-step videos -
The main reasons behind the stiff nets come from the hot sun and the saliva. We recommend always trying to hang the nets out of the sun if possible. Heavily soiled, dirt and grime can also damage the fibres and cause stiffening. Washing can help loosen up the fibres and dirt.
Some Hays are fertilized, conditioned, or have a high sugar content. The Ph level of a horse's saliva can change. These changes can cause the net to stiffen in the same way it would if the net were exposed to chlorinated water.
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Nets should be washed with non-chlorinated water or soap. We always recommend that nets only be washed in non-chlorinated water. Use vinegar and baking soda for washing. See our Net Care section for washing instructions.