# Hay Cradle vs. Hay Ring?



## dvcochran (Oct 1, 2017)

Hoping to get opinions on each. A neighbor has a ring and a cradle in the same feed area and the cradle always get emptied first and fast. I am not certain how to gauge this.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I like the cradle.....


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## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

less waste with a cradle at lest the ones we used when we fed cattle


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

A ring feeder with a cone has less waste by far.

Ring feeders vary a lot.One with wider spacings will waste more feed.One with a higher bottom ring will waste less also.

After seeing a cradle feeder in a pen at a sale barn and the pen was literally bedded with hay they pulled out of the feeder you couldnt give me one.It was fine grass hay so it came threw the bars easier but it was a eye opener.

I did see a test the U did on the waste of each type of feeder a few yrs back and what I recal the cone type hay saver feeder was lowest by far.

cone type 2%

ring type 5%

cradle type 12%


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

I don't see how there's less waste in a hay cradle. Obviously if you're seeing a side by side comparison of a cradle emptied fast and a ring still have hay, that would tell me there's a lot of trampled hay with the cradle.

I've watch my animals pull their head out of a ring and watch hay fall on the ground and not consumed due to being trampled compared to keeping their heads in a hay saver skirt ring.

Something to back up my claim:

https://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/newsletter-archive/livestock/aps-03_02/aps-195.html

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/236/58549/HayFeederDesign.pdf

https://www.asi.k-state.edu/doc/agent-update/effectsofroundbalefeedingmethodsonhay.pdf

Something to note is I don't put out more than what they can clean up in two days.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

https://www.beefmagazine.com/feed/hay-waste-get-most-out-your-harvested-forage


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## pettibone (Jul 18, 2015)

How about a test to see the difference between hay that was baled with a crop cutter baler against hay that wasn't. I'd be interested in seeing that.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

I hate rings and cradles. Can't wait for the cone feeder, but damn they are expensive. Got a good deal on a cradle and decided to try it and have modified it twice. Glad I got it cause it allows me to put a bale in it in the barn for the micro dairy.

The amount of waste was disgusting














Before moving into barn installed cattle panels to limit waste








Even then still unhappy with waste so installed cattle panels on ends. Very little waste now. To be fair if I had a processor on the baler there would be even less.


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## KS John (Aug 6, 2018)

Interesting read.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Well after reading BW's second article (even from my local ag school  ), with just 20 cows, the 'savings' would pay for a cone feeder, with some change left over in one year, when compared to a trailer or cradle type feeder.

Now presently, I use just the ring feeder, but I can see where the cone would be about a 2 year pay back. Might just have to put one or two of them on my wish list.

All this info is using $100 a ton hay, too. If I 'reduce' the amount of hay my cows eat, I can increase the amount of idiot bricks, that I sell at over $200 a ton. I don't need to do any more math to change my opinion. 

Thanks BW and Cy, for some eye opening info. Gotta' love this site.

Larry


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

I bought a chain type cone feeder last year. You're right, they are expensive. It cost $1050, almost 3 times as much as a ring feeder. But, besides saving hay, it's also built much heavier. A typical hay ring from the fleet supply will only last 3 years. By the looks of this new cone feeder, it might last me 10 years.

There are several local fab shops all around here in Minnesota, probably in your state too. They build a variety of small ag related products. From what I've seen, they build things heavier and sell for less then a big name brand. And I prefer to buy local too. My feeder was made only 50 miles from me.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

PaulN said:


> I bought a chain type cone feeder last year. You're right, they are expensive. It cost $1050, almost 3 times as much as a ring feeder. But, besides saving hay, it's also built much heavier. A typical hay ring from the fleet supply will only last 3 years. By the looks of this new cone feeder, it might last me 10 years.
> 
> There are several local fab shops all around here in Minnesota, probably in your state too. They build a variety of small ag related products. From what I've seen, they build things heavier and sell for less then a big name brand. And I prefer to buy local too. My feeder was made only 50 miles from me.


Do you mind if I ask the brand? I found the same thing at my coop. My first thought when researching was, it's chains can't be much more than a regular one. Nope $1xxx and the ring feeder that looked identical minus chains was $3xx. Very tempted in the future to purchase ring and have local fab shop strengthen and add the cone.


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

IH 1586, the brand is Spanier. https://spanierwelding.com/feeders Everything about it is heavier gauge, bigger diameter pipes, better welds. My thinking is that chains give it the ability to flex, whereas rigid pipe will eventually get stress cracks.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I sold a couple cone type that i bought 10 yrs from a local machine shop.Pd $800 at that time and sold them for 600 now.They are well built but probably cost quite a bit more today.They saved me alot of hay plus I got 3/4 of my money back after 10 yrs.The ell cheapo hay rings are lucky to get 2 yrs out of them.

HUGE difference in quality of hay feeders!


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

swmnhay said:


> I sold a couple cone type that i bought 10 yrs from a local machine shop.Pd $800 at that time and sold them for 600 now.They are well built but probably cost quite a bit more today.They saved me alot of hay plus I got 3/4 of my money back after 10 yrs.The ell cheapo hay rings are lucky to get 2 yrs out of them.
> 
> HUGE difference in quality of hay feeders!


You are absolutely right Cy. That's why I stress buying from a local welding/fab shop instead of the big box fleet stores.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

PaulN said:


> You are absolutely right Cy. That's why I stress buying from a local welding/fab shop instead of the big box fleet stores.


There are some brands that are at least regional though so there are cone feeders to be had on some dealer lots, and as far as I can tell there isn't necessarily a big markup compared to buying at the factory. 
*unless you live as close to the J&L factory as I do and can drop in and buy a blem feeder for $500. Then it's definitely worth it to be local!!

They do barely depreciate so that is definitely a big plus too.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I like Steinway equipment. Very little hay lost if you put good feed in it. Last one I bought slightly used, got 11 years out of it, made some weld repair to it and sold it for $300 less than I paid for it.

http://steinwayequipment.com/feeders/square-bale/


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

PaMike said:


> I like Steinway equipment. Very little hay lost if you put good feed in it. Last one I bought slightly used, got 11 years out of it, made some weld repair to it and sold it for $300 less than I paid for it.
> 
> http://steinwayequipment.com/feeders/square-bale/


Nice feeder, confusing name.....


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

It was or is their last name..


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

PaMike said:


> I like Steinway equipment. Very little hay lost if you put good feed in it. Last one I bought slightly used, got 11 years out of it, made some weld repair to it and sold it for $300 less than I paid for it.
> 
> http://steinwayequipment.com/feeders/square-bale/


I like theirs a lot because of the rectangular shape. The round shape is the biggest knock on the J&L for me as square or rectangle is far more conducive to using it along a fence line.


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## cjsr8595 (Jul 7, 2014)

I feed out of a bunk style in a barn and there is very little waste.

I also free choice in the pasture on both an old wagon with no deck-just the runners and a cradle feeder. I always see a cow up in the craddle crapping on good hay, not a big fan of a cradle. My wagon set up seems to waste less hay as they can't stand in it, they have to eat and it falls down as they eat. Just my 2 cents. Never tried a cone feeder.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

We put 4x5 round bales in the neighbors feeders for his beef cows .At one time he bought a cradle feeder . Just imagine yourself putting a bale in one of those cradle feeders with a bale that does not want to slides off the spears.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Mar 14, 2015)

I have a few cone style feeders that I use when I have just a few cows to feed in a lot (wintering bulls, retained heifers, etc). There is very little waste with the cone style and they are super heavy duty. I've bought 3 of them over the years and figure they paid for themselves in saved hay within 2 years over a normal ring.

The main herd gets hay unrolled on pasture to eliminate any sort of manure handling.


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## DaveCampbell (Jan 3, 2021)

Hay Ring...


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