Make a hay feeder to keep your farm animals from wasting their hay.
Hay is an essential part of the diet of many farm animals, including cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Animals that eat hay graze during the day, so many people feed hay directly on the ground. However, hay can become contaminated by manure and dirt, or with worms that will harm your animals if ingested. Animals will waste hay by trampling on it. A hay feeder keeps hay off the ground while still giving farm animals easy access to it. Making your own hay feeder is relatively simple. It will save you money by preventing waste, and will benefit your animals' health by keeping their food clean.
Instructions
1. Measure and mark the plywood pieces to be cut. Cut two 40-by-18-inch pieces, two 22-by-18-inch pieces and one 40-by-22-inch piece from the sheet of plywood. Set these pieces aside.
2. Place the two 40-inch pieces of 2-by-4 wood on your work table so they are parallel to each other. Place the two 14-inch pieces of 2-by-4 wood between them at each end, creating a rectangular frame.
3. Place the 40-by-22-inch piece of plywood on top of the rectangular frame you just made. Nail each corner, and then hammer in nails along each side about six inches apart. This forms the hay feeder floor, so that the frame you made with the 2-by-4 pieces will elevate the completed hay feeder off the ground.
4. Place the hay feeder base in front of you on the worktable, with the 2-by-4 frame resting face down on the table surface. Place the first plywood side piece against the outside of the floor frame. It should be low enough so that there is space to nail or screw it to the 2-by-4 frame near the bottom of the plywood piece. Use nails or wood screws to attach the plywood to the 2-by-4 frame. Do this on all four sides. Attach the plywood sides of the hay feeder one at a time.
5. Attach metal L-brackets to each corner using wood screws to reinforce the corners.
6. Find a place for your hay feeder. It should be in a location that is safe for both you and the animals, and convenient for you to fill. Fill your completed hay feeder with hay.
Tags: 2-by-4 frame, farm animals, 2-by-4 wood, 40-by-22-inch piece, completed feeder