How To Build A Hay Feeder For Goats: A Step By Step Guide
Want to learn how to build a hay feeder for goats? Discover how here. Hay feeders keep hay clean and prevent wasted hay bales. This diy goat feeder is easy to build and very strong.
Learn how to make an easy DIY goat hay feeder with this simple step by step tutorial. And this one is made frugally from old pallets!
When we first started with goats, we only had a handful and feeding them was a breeze. But before long, and as our herd grew, we realized that they were making a huge mess and wasting feed & hay.
This post has been updated from its original publish date of January 1, 2018. It has been updated to provide better photos, additional helpful information and step by step instructions.
Goats are picky and maybe a bit spoiled, they usually won’t eat feed off the ground. And once it lands on the ground, it becomes a target for their potty breaks.
Then they definitely won’t eat that. So it leads to lots of waste!
My ever so crafty husband planned a simple fix. He came up with a perfect solution to wasted hay with this homemade goat feeder.
This feeder also works great for sheep and other smaller livestock.
DIY Hay Feeder For Goats
This DIY project is very easy and frugal. We made two feeders to accommodate our herd and only used 4 pallets for each feeder, plus some scrap pieces of an extra pallet.
We also used pieces of a water line board, approximately 4 feet long for reinforcement.
Of course there are many designs available for feeding hay to your livestock, but I love that this one is simple and cheap to make!
It’s really great for feeding a small livestock herd. If you have a larger herd, you may want to consider round bale feeders if you have enough space.
My husband makes round bales every year for the cattle, and one of those large feeders will be a nice upgrade someday. But for now, I love this frugal option!
Extra pallets are pretty easy to source for free so you won’t need to purchase any. Depending on your location, check with your local farmers or markets for pallets that are no longer needed.
Farmers and ranchers usually have bulk pallets leftover from feed and grain shipments.
Goat feeder supply list
- 4 pallets, plus one more for scrap pieces, if needed
- 4 pieces of water line board, approximately 4 feet long. 4 foot pieces of 2×4 will also work.
- 1 inch and 2 inch screws
- An awesome drill. This is the one we always recommend.
- nails & hammer
How we put this goat feeder together
Start by taking two pallets and remove boards from the side that already has less (usually about 3 boards). This makes it easier for the goats to eat out of small openings of the feeder when you’re done.
Next, hold two of the pallets together in an upside down “V”. This may take two people to hold and flip the feeder upside down.
While one person is holding it, take one pallet as a side and use the 1 inch screws to hold in place.
Repeat on the other side until you have two “walls” and a “V” in the middle once its turned right side up.
Once you finish securing it all in place, flip it back over. It will look something like this…
And here’s a view of the inside of the goat feeder.
This project is very easy to put together and will save you money on your feed and hay bill! Plus its extremely frugal. You can find extra pallets for free just about anywhere these days.
And the goats will love using it!
More farm DIY projects
Here’s a few of our favorite diy farm projects that we think you’ll love too!
- vertical gardening (using old cattle panels)
- DIY goat shelter with old pallets
- how to build a greenhouse
- creative upcycled planters (using and old feed tub & more!)
FAQ (frequently asked questions)
There are a few solutions to eliminate wasted hay. First, make sure that you’re feeding the goats to meet their needs instead of over feeding and wasting hay. Next, use a feeder that will help prevent the hay from spilling on the ground.
Goats do not need grain and can graze pastures and hay.
If the goats are not grazing in the pasture, they will need some sort of feeder to prevent wasted hay. Goats become picky and will not eat hay that they’ve stepped on or that has been on the ground.
Goats will not overeat hay and will just graze based off of their needs. They will eat what they need and do prefer browsing pastures.
This has been a very useful feeder for us. I will continue to watch, and read from this site to learn more.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂 We have some more fun homestead projects in the works, coming soon!
Will this work for horses?
We were using round bale feeders for our goats. We lost 3 of the flock as they were still able to get on top of the bale.
When the bales were partially eaten they would collapse on themselves trapping any goats on them and suffocating them.
So be very careful how you use them