Thursday 7 November 2013

Product Review: Nag Bags

Since we do free range feeding up here, we're always looking to help reduce waste from the round bales.  Even when they're in round bale feeders, the waste is awful.  There is always a ton of waste spread out from the feeder, getting stomped into the mud, peed on, and getting turned into mulch.  A year ago, the BO went down to Equine Affair and bought a few nag bags.  Essentially they are massive small-hole hay bags for round bales, square bales, and individual use.

I absolutely LOVE these bags!!!!  Not only do they reduce the waste, but it helps with dust control too.  The horses can't get their heads into the middle of the bales so they aren't breathing in any dust or possible mold spores.  Even though the nets do develop a hole once and a while, they are extremely simple to fix.  If you can tie a square knot, you can fix these things.  They're not always the easiest to put on by yourself, but if you have a tractor and a rake, it turns into a one-man task pretty quickly.

Case and point:

Round bale with net

Round bale in feeder

Even though the netted bale is a few days newer than the feeder bale, you can tell how the net will hold the bale together a lot better than a feeder.  (Sorry for the bad quality pictures!  Taken after sunset with my phone, the flash can only go so far!).

It's really fun getting up on the bales and watch the horses work the hay through the holes in the net:

Koda says hi!

Work those lips!  The net is about a 1" square.

Koda trying to nibble my boot

As always, I don't have any affiliation with nag bags or slow feed hay bags, I just like their product :)

6 comments:

  1. That is such a cool idea! Definitely something to keep in mind :)

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  2. Awesome! I need to do a post about the slow feeders at Cuna's barn. I hate all the hay waste that comes with feeding on the ground and the slow feeders work a lot like these nets. So great!

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  3. I have been looking for something to help with the hay waste here! I feed square bales and am sooo tired of the hay being tossed all over the place! I will have to look into getting a few of those nets!

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  4. The United States retailer for N.A.G. Bags is www.VenturesVision.com. Ventures Vision carries all types & sizes of Natural Alternative Grazers & can help you select the right product for the needs of your horses. Ventures Vision loves N.A.G. Bags too & our equine professional partners across the country have put their stamp of approval on these, these best slow feeding hay nets on the market!

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  5. This is the solution we've been looking for! Question: is there a way to tighten these "nag bags" as the hay is consumed and the bales gets smaller?

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    Replies
    1. contact the supplier on their website or facebook page. They are very helpful with information of this type. They also have a phone number you can call too.

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