I've also added rudimentary counter weights to the lid to make it easier to lift. In the end I've modified the design of the hay feeder to utilize these attractive, durable (so far) pre-assembled parts as the primary hay racks inside the feeder, and added calf panel pieces on the exterior to prevent unwanted occupants. Suddenly before my eyes I saw the interior of a new hay feeder, with the slatted frame to hold the hay already pre-assembled.
One day I was walking through my local Home Depot when I spotted some pre-assembled PVC railings intended for use in building outdoor decks. I tried adding wooden cross pieces to the outside, with the result that all of my goats developed bare patches at the base of their necks where they rubbed on the horizontal slats. Since the whole purpose of the feeder is to keep the uneaten hay clean so that it will all be eaten.well, you see the problem. But there was one really vexing problem with the design I had been using: the vertical slats on the outside permit the smaller members of the herd to climb in and settle down for a nice long chow with no need to get up for bathroom breaks. With their large number of pieces, these hay feeders are a bit laborious to put together, but are far far superior to putting hay in racks or on the ground. A similar design, but smaller and one sided, has been produced for sale by Wyl Smith in Maine for local pickup.
We added to this a 2nd layer of slats set on a slant on both long open sides, to help prevent animals pulling their heads back out while eating and dropping hay on the ground. The basic design I used was to start with a v-feeder like that shown in plans published by the Saskatchewan Agriculture Family Farm Improvement Branch. I had several low waste hay feeders that I had built along the general lines of others I had seen in use and on the internet.
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