[Catersun]

looking into a cinchchix net... who uses them, how long have you been using them, how have they held up, and do you use any other hay ring with them?

[katarine]

I use a horse style metal ring since my horses are all shod.

They are holding up great. Been using it for two winters and into Spring. Three horses out with it 24/7/365.

[ChocoMare]

Third winter with my CC round bale net and Red River Arena Hay Cradle - perfect combo.

The cradle doesn't need a tractor to load. Gets the hay up out of the mud. And gives the goats a Goat Mountain to hop up on

[morgansnmind]

I've only had my cinchchix bale net since November so I haven't had it all that long. It's been used everyday since I've gotten it and it looks like new. No holes yet.

I'm also using a bale net by purely ponies and while it's a thinner net (not as soft as the chinchix net) it's held up just as well with everyday use since November.

Both of mine are the 1inch holes and are used either on the ground, tied up in the stall, tree, or in a water trough (when my horse has shoes..if she doesn't it's on the ground). My horse and pony would rather eat out of the net than eat hay off the ground and it does slow them down alot.

[reay6790]

catersun- are you looking at the round bale net?

[Catersun]

catersun- are you looking at the round bale net?

Yes, I am.

[reay6790]

I have heard good things about the chix cinch round bale net

[Cindyg]

I don't use anything else with mine, but my horses are barefoot, and it's inside the barn, so I can cinch the extra net up over a rafter when it gets too loose.

Picture here and here and here and here and here.

ETA. To answer your other questions -- I think we've used in in this way for nearly three years. One hole did appear this year. I patched it up with a zip tie. I consider it WELL worth the investment. An excellent way to manage hay.

My feed guy brings the round bale in the back of a pick up truck, which he backs right up to the barn. We net it in the truck and roll it off the back of the truck. Then we cinch it up, and throw the rope over a rafter. It is a hard job and it requires several people. But the system works perfectly.

[Catersun]

would it be easier if the bale was still on the hay spike on the tractor to put the net on? I only have two of us and our round bales are big enough that it takes two of us to move them. 5X5 at least. I pick them up from my hay supplier and we drive them to where we want them and roll them out of the truck. How heavey is the net empty?

PS. Cute Donkey and lovely Fjord

[ChocoMare]

Yes, you can put it on with the bale spiked. Net isn't that heavy. I carry/fling it over the bale all by myself 99% of the time.

[kasjordan]

I use mine with barefoot horses- if you don't use it with some type of feeder, I would definitely recommend that you keep it under roof, somewhere that the ground won't get muddy and gross under it from the weather. I made that mistake the first time, just the net- out in the paddock, It rained alot. I had a big,wet,muddy,soggy mess to get out of the net. I've been putting them in the run in since then and there's no waste at all. I just twist and tie and tuck my extra rope back into the net and flip the bale (or the husband does anyhow lol) so that end is on the bottom. I did cut my rope shorter too, there was just too much extra for me on my mine. I didn't get the Cinchchix but bought from a private seller on FB. You won't believe how much hay you save using one.

[trubandloki]

I have been using mine for two winters now. With out it my horses pulled the hay out and made a mess of it.
Mr. Trub built us a hay gazebo with a floor and roof to help keep the round bale out of the elements a little. It has worked great along with the net.

Linky to photo

[lorilu]

My BO bought them. What a mess - they do not fit the compressed square bales commonly found here in FL. She would up getting the round bale net, but it had lots left over......
IMO, if the company wants to market them nation wide, they need to get the sizes right for whatever bales are common......

(She had them up on raised platforms that look like a table)

[Cindyg]

would it be easier if the bale was still on the hay spike on the tractor to put the net on? How heavey is the net empty?

PS. Cute Donkey and lovely Fjord

Thanks. Love my two guys!

The empty net is not heavy (at all!), but it is cumbersome! It is an astounding amount of netting and rope!

I don't have a tractor, so I've never been able to use the spike. I don't know why that would be a problem though.

What makes our process difficult is --

1) I want it in a particular spot. It's a narrow target -- really just barely big enough for the bale to go through the doorway. If you were just dropping it off into a field, that would be simple.

2) The bale totally FILLS the back of the pick up truck, so there's no where to stand in the truck bed as we're trying to get the net around the bale.

3) Shoving the bale out of the truck. I couldn't do this by myself. Between me, the hay guy, and my son, we get it done; but we're all exhausted.

Hope it works out for you. I love that my guys have hay 24/7, and I don't have to throw hay three times a day.

Oh, and don't forget to pull the nasty brown hay off the roll before you net it!

[katarine]

My BO bought them. What a mess - they do not fit the compressed square bales commonly found here in FL. She would up getting the round bale net, but it had lots left over......
IMO, if the company wants to market them nation wide, they need to get the sizes right for whatever bales are common......

(She had them up on raised platforms that look like a table)

dude, you bought a round bale net to go on what- big squares? You could have tidied it up with zip ties, or whined that a round bag didn't fit a rectangular bale. Well, Umm, duh.

[trubandloki]

My BO bought them. What a mess - they do not fit the compressed square bales commonly found here in FL. She would up getting the round bale net, but it had lots left over......
IMO, if the company wants to market them nation wide, they need to get the sizes right for whatever bales are common......

(She had them up on raised platforms that look like a table)

They have all different sizes and shapes of nets. Have you bothered to look at their site? It sounds like your BO ordered the wrong thing, not the company selling the wrong thing.

Loose netting is very easily secured if you want the net tight on the hay.

[ChocoMare]

My BO bought them. What a mess - they do not fit the compressed square bales commonly found here in FL. She would up getting the round bale net, but it had lots left over......
IMO, if the company wants to market them nation wide, they need to get the sizes right for whatever bales are common......

(She had them up on raised platforms that look like a table)

If you buy the West Coast Bale size (AKA California Bale), they'll fit the giant, compressed, large square bales.

They will also do custom sizes by request

[TBPONY]

I have been using mine for two winters now. With out it my horses pulled the hay out and made a mess of it.
Mr. Trub built us a hay gazebo with a floor and roof to help keep the round bale out of the elements a little. It has worked great along with the net.

Linky to photo

Do you happen to have any other pictures and/or dimensions of your hay gazebo? It looks great and I'd love to build something similar, but the picture is really tiny on my computer and hard to see.

[equislover]

I agree with TBPONY, pictures and dimensions please! We will be building one soon and were trying to figure out the best plan of attack. Love it Thanks!

[2BayPonies]

I'd love more info on the hay gazebo as well please!