Creep Feeder?

[Brigitte]

Anyone use one? So how does it work exactly? It says it has a feed flow adjustment, so it lets food go little by little? The feed opening looks to be small or is it just the picture? Anyway appreciate your input


http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=1&mscssid=D4C5672BS56W9JC5BRWR54DPR6JUBXH9

[CarolU]

Brigette, I don't use one of those. I have seen them take the hair off the colt's face and also seen mares put their feet through the bars trying to get at the feed.

I make a creep feeder for foals. I use two or three portable coral panels and coral off a small section of the pen they're in for them. I use a double V-notched board top and bottom to stablize a small opening, big enough for them, but too narrow and short for anyone else. I then lead them in there with some feed and start feeding them there. I keep hay in there 24/7 and put their foal starter in there so they get their full ration - plus whatever they mooch off mom.

I think I took pictures of Bruiser's. I'll try to find them.

[PasoVicki]

I'd like to see those photos, Carol. I put up a creep feeder for Capri last summer (not the one mentioned here) and it was a total waste of money. It had bars that could be adjusted to make the opening different widths, but it was so deep that Capri would have had the bars all the way up around his eyes in order to reach the feed at the bottom. Danesa managed to get to the feed but Capri efused to eat out of it. The ground squirrels loved it, though.

[Terry Wallace]

Ours was a "creep pen" only a small fry could enter & leave...the adjustable bar feeders are trouble... never had a MARE that would leave them alone!

I'd end up throwing the bars part away and ending up with another small feeder for mature horses' grain...

[CarolU]

Yep, I did the same thing as Terry. Let me see if I can find the pictures.

[motorgypsy]

Ours had T/A hay cubes 24/7 and ate grain with mom and stayed in great condition.

[CarolU]

Brigette, here is a creep feeder, or pen if you prefer. Two coral panels, chained to the coral itself, and then tied (do not use bungie) together with the V notch board. The board was placed high enough and narrow enough that only Bruiser fit inside.

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/23115CrepePenSml.jpg

[cowboy ed]

brigitte, i tried one of those several years ago. it doesnt work well. hard to keep clean, and the big horses wont leave it alone, like others have said.

my solution is to wean the babies at three months, then feed them very well. of course, it helps to have two or more foals, so that i can group them together and they dont have to compete with older horses for food.

[Barbwire]

Hmm, I guess that Standardbred mares are less apt to try to steal their baby's food, because we used the creep feeders with the metal bars for all the mares and foals and never had a problem. Sure, the mares would try to get the feed out at first, but then then would give up once they figured out they couldn't reach it. We never had a mare or a foal get hurt on one of the feeders, either.

[Cindy]

My foals all eat with their mothers. I have never had seperate feeders for any of them and they eat just fine.

[motorgypsy]

Forgot to mention - we wean at 6 months unless there's a reason not to. But after one month apart we put them back with mom until about a year old unless there's a reason not to. If there's good quality hay available 24/7 or hay cubes the grain isn't really a biggy. You don't want the babies growing too fast but you don't want them ribby or gaunt either. Of course if you have pasture it's great too. Our foals wouldn't eat anything from a dish mom wasn't eating from anyway so we just got a big tub to feed in and it worked fine.

[Terry Wallace]

I grain my babies... hay alone will not provide optimum growth....
Moms & babies eat hay side-by-side... but a mare will hog down all the grain if the baby doesn't have a safe place to eat it at it's leisure...
JMO

[CarolU]

Yea, I fed Bruiser seperately to make sure he got his share. I wanted to make sure he'd grow. Boy, was I dumb! :-?

[Brigitte]

OK guys thanks for the input! I guess we'll just stick to making a makeshift pen in their stalls ;-)