# Certain Hay Rings Dangerous for Calves



## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Today we could have lost on of our best keeper yearling heifers. As I approached the hay ring to put a new round bale in it, I noticed that the hay ring was up on edge and a calf was lying on the ground, half in and half out of the ring. Initially, I thought the calf was dead, but when I slightly elevated the ring with the tractor front end loader, the calf moved.

The heavy duty hay ring is the kind with a circular bar at the top, below which is the hay access area, and below this are three circular bars at the bottom with openings between them. The heifer apparently crawled into the hay ring to feed on the remaining hay, and when it tried to exit the ring, somehow its leg slipped through the upper opening of the bottom three bars, around the outside of the middle bar, and back through the lower opening with its hoof wedged tightly against the inside of the bottom bar. It took my neighbor and myself pushing and pulling together to force the hoof out of its wedged position. The heifer was plenty sore, and highly distressed, but it will survive.

These types of hay rings may be okay for baby calves and adult cattle, but not for yearling calves that still can squeeze through the hay access area into the center of the ring to feed. Tomorrow, I plan on purchasing a new hay ring that has a foot tall shield around the bottom to prevent a calves' leg from getting caught between the bottom bars. From now on, I will use this bottom-shielded hay ring to feed round bale grass hay to yearling calves. I hope none of you have had this problem.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Seen all those problems animals can try things out . Experience problems in headlocks, stanchions, tie stalls,free stalls, slantbar feeders and feeder wagons. Most of the time lucky something to joke about a couple times not. Absolute worst nightmares is when new heifer panics in the milking parlor tries to jump out over the top of the Parlor stalls it only makes it halfway


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## Widairy (Jan 1, 2016)

I've pretty much gone away from rings all together. I wasn't as lucky as you one dead dairy heifer once and the last one was a yearling steer. The steer had gone in, and broke his leg when it got wedged between the lower rings. It never stops amazing me how those cattle can find a way to destroy something or get hurt.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Widairy said:


> It never stops amazing me how those cattle can find a way to destroy something or get hurt.


If you want to be even more amazed, get a couple of horses.

Regards, Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

There is a big difference in hay feeders.The El cheapos have way larger spaceings between the bars and much easier for the cattle to get in to them.Also the skirt is usually lower on the elcheapo,easier for them to step into it.With the larger openings there is also way more hay waste.Went to the cone type hay saver feeders and never had another calf in a feeder.Saved more hay also.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

endrow said:


> Seen all those problems animals can try things out . Experience problems in headlocks, stanchions, tie stalls,free stalls, slantbar feeders and feeder wagons. Most of the time lucky something to joke about a couple times not. Absolute worst nightmares is when new heifer panics in the milking parlor tries to jump out over the top of the Parlor stalls it only makes it halfway


 Been there, done that.

Almost lost a steer awhile back, dumb sum bitch climbed into one of the wheeled feeders I built, even had a pipe running front to back about 3 foot up to keep em from climbing in it, that worked as this is the first one that I ever seen in it after adding the pipe. Dummy got in the feeder and laid down, then managed to get his head under the brace pipe that ran from side to side, then managed to work his way under the brace pipe till he got his shoulders under it as well, had to cut the cross pipe out with a sawzall to get his dumb ass out.


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## BeamFarms (Sep 25, 2016)

I lost a good heifer last year the exact same way. She struggled all night apparently and had nerve damage done, could walk, so sad.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

I've learned that cows will break everything and heifers will destroy everything. Curiosity killed the cat, more like curiosity killed the heifer. Especially jerseys....


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

I recall a recent thread about pvc bale rings. I think I am going to pick one up next week. My metal feeder is in the shop again. On the bright side, thats the reason I learned to weld. On the flip side it doesn't make a couple months without requiring it.

And ends up with some sharp edges when they break it.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I would imagine that the PVC would be junk in a few years once the ultraviolets get a hold of it.....maybe not, but everything I've ever had made out of PVC (except plumbing) has deteriorated rapidly....don't think CPVC is as bad but not sure I haven't had much experience with it....


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

You would think that. But I keep reading they hold up.


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