# DIY Hay Steamer, is it as simple as a ....



## Horsekaren (12 December 2017)

Bin with a lid and a wall paper steamer?   am i missing a trick? they are sooo expensive to buy does the bin and wall paper stripper method actually do the same job :O 

I take it i just cut a hole in the bin and put the end of the steamer in there? 

Has anyone tried this with a cheap plastic feed bin or would this melt?


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## ester (12 December 2017)

Fairly sure there has been some recent testing to show that no, it really doesn't as if the temperatures and timings are off you can make the hay worse from a spores point of view than not steaming at all.


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## Pearlsasinger (12 December 2017)

We have done it and it worked.  Perhaps it depends how much trouble the hay causes your horse.


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## YorksG (12 December 2017)

The other thing to keep in mind is the quality of the hay to start with, you can't make substandard hay into good enough by steaming it.


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## DabDab (12 December 2017)

When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?


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## Horsekaren (12 December 2017)

FestiveG said:



			The other thing to keep in mind is the quality of the hay to start with, you can't make substandard hay into good enough by steaming it.
		
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Its great quality hay 



DabDab said:



			When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?
		
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This is interesting, did you use to leave the hay in there for long? was one kettle enough? 

I may try that tonight to see if he is interesting in steamed hay, knowing my luck I will build a contraption and he wont like it :/


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## ester (12 December 2017)

I have been instructed to use the kettle method before, I was never sure how it was supposed to work (being a microbiologist/spores person) as the water was cold very quickly. Given the reason you need to do it is medical I would strongly encourage you to consider buying something fit for the job. 

ah handily they did a kettle comparison yes (and yes the research was funded by haygain I think but no one else would have much interest in funding it)
Scroll to experiment 11 and 18

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1144/4268/files/All_Research_papers.pdf?13150131510427622394


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## emfen1305 (12 December 2017)

DabDab said:



			When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?
		
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Someone did this at our yard all summer due to pony developing a cough - no idea if it worked but old school methods are still making the rounds so it seems!


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## cobgoblin (12 December 2017)

Horsekaren said:



			Bin with a lid and a wall paper steamer?   am i missing a trick? they are sooo expensive to buy does the bin and wall paper stripper method actually do the same job :O 

I take it i just cut a hole in the bin and put the end of the steamer in there? 

Has anyone tried this with a cheap plastic feed bin or would this melt?
		
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I tried this with a wheelie bin... It didn't melt and it did work but couldn't cope with very much hay at one time... About one smallish haynet worth or the steam couldn't penetrate. Might just have been a rubbish steamer though.


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## Merlod (12 December 2017)

DabDab said:



			When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?
		
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Worked for me last year  haven't needed to do it this year though. Horse had minor cough and I got sick of wetting his hay so popped 2 slices in an old haylage bag, poured on 1 kettle per slice and covered the top with another haylage bag for about 20-30mins - worked a treat and smelt lovely!


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## paddy555 (12 December 2017)

why not soak instead. All my hay is soaked, whatever the quality, to protect them from dust.


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## Horsekaren (12 December 2017)

Thanks, have just had a read, but as you say its their research trying to promote their own product. 
the cheapest one to buy is this - https://www.steamneasy.co.uk/    now to me that looks like a wheely bin with a steamer attached? 
I can understand why a kettle might not be the best idea as there is nothing to keep it steaming as the water goes cold. 

I suppose you stick horse or equine in front of anything and the price rockets! 
But as you have correctly sad this is for health purposes so I want to do it correctly. but £600 for a Hay Gain steamer seems a bit silly! 




ester said:



			I have been instructed to use the kettle method before, I was never sure how it was supposed to work (being a microbiologist/spores person) as the water was cold very quickly. Given the reason you need to do it is medical I would strongly encourage you to consider buying something fit for the job. 

ah handily they did a kettle comparison yes (and yes the research was funded by haygain I think but no one else would have much interest in funding it)
Scroll to experiment 11 and 18

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1144/4268/files/All_Research_papers.pdf?13150131510427622394

Click to expand...


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## Horsekaren (12 December 2017)

paddy555 said:



			why not soak instead. All my hay is soaked, whatever the quality, to protect them from dust.
		
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I have tried soaking and he isn't a fan... nor am I 
The vet has advised it is best for him to eat of the floor to help his breathing. When I soak it I end up with wet hay everywhere because he walks around. 
 It also seems quiet wasteful, he has half a bale in his stable at night, some nights he eats most of it, others he will leave 1/2. He is on Adlib hay so what ever wasn't eaten would need to be thrown away (I guess steamed hay would be the same?)


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## ester (12 December 2017)

Meh it doesn't seem silly to me if I had a horse with an issue and I knew it would do the job, at least unlike a lot of people they have taken the time to research and prove their product actually works, which gives them brownie points over the alternatives for me.


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## Leo Walker (12 December 2017)

Ulcers affect appetite. You will probably find once they are treated that he eats his hay up.


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## Pearlsasinger (12 December 2017)

paddy555 said:



			why not soak instead. All my hay is soaked, whatever the quality, to protect them from dust.
		
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Because soaking leaches the sugars out of the hay, which some people/horses don't need to lose.


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## Horsekaren (12 December 2017)

Yes true, I need a money tree !!! wonder if Santa would fancy bring me a Haygain ... one can dream!








ester said:



			Meh it doesn't seem silly to me if I had a horse with an issue and I knew it would do the job, at least unlike a lot of people they have taken the time to research and prove their product actually works, which gives them brownie points over the alternatives for me.
		
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## paddy555 (12 December 2017)

Pearlsacarolsinger said:



			Because soaking leaches the sugars out of the hay, which some people/horses don't need to lose.
		
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5% reduction in WSC over a 20 mins soak, not that much of a problem.


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## Antw23uk (12 December 2017)

DabDab said:



			When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?
		
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I was talking about this with a friend the other day funnily enough. I wish i had a spare 60 quid in my bank account let alone a spare 600!!!


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## Tiddlypom (12 December 2017)

I've been a confirmed hay soaker for yonks, however in freezing weather like now it's tricky for obvious reasons , and in hot weather the soaked hay quickly starts fermenting. Plus the effluent plays havoc with my drains.

I am delighted with my 'silly' Black Friday purchase of a Haygain steamer :rolleyes3:. Yes, it cost a lot, but it's easy to use and does the job very well. The steam is evenly distributed even through tightly packed hay. It's been hard in use here since last Friday when we first got the snow, as my normally live out 24/7 neds are currently stabled for much of the time.


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## phizz4 (12 December 2017)

This is my post from several months ago. Buy a large wheelie bin (http://www.britishbins.co.uk/2-wheel-bins/) and a wallpaper steamer from a DIY store. You will also need a metal storage basket, like the ones in a freezer (try your local recycling centre). Add an extension lead and a timer switch. Drill a hole in the bottom side of the wheelie bin of the same diameter as the steamer hose and clamp it into place by attaching the large spreader plate that comes with the steamer. Place the basket upside down in the base of the wheelie bin so that the nets don't interfere with the steam outlet. Use the timer so that you don't boil the steamer dry (you will need to experiment with the timing). Make sure the timer is heavy duty as it can get quite warm. You can then go off and do other jobs without worrying about the water running out. We used this system and, if you by a large enough wheelie bin it will take two hay nets.


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## DabDab (12 December 2017)

ester said:



			I have been instructed to use the kettle method before, I was never sure how it was supposed to work (being a microbiologist/spores person) as the water was cold very quickly. Given the reason you need to do it is medical I would strongly encourage you to consider buying something fit for the job. 

ah handily they did a kettle comparison yes (and yes the research was funded by haygain I think but no one else would have much interest in funding it)
Scroll to experiment 11 and 18

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1144/4268/files/All_Research_papers.pdf?13150131510427622394

Click to expand...

Thank you 
I'm actually quite impressed with that, it's a nice little summary... So kettle trick works, but only half as well as haygain (and I should think depends a lot on method) 

Like you say, if it was necessary for health reasons then half a job is not ideal


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## chocolategirl (12 December 2017)

DabDab said:



			When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?
		
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I do this! Been doing it every winter for years, works a treat. One of mine is very sensitive to dust, so even good quality hay will still give him a cough. I put 2 to 3 slices in a net and pour 2 full kettles all over it, quickly put the lid on and voila! Sorted


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## Orangehorse (12 December 2017)

I have an Easy Steam or whatever they are called.  I don't use it at the moment as our hay is very good this year.
The horses love the steamed hay, it smells so nice, but I did worry about how much electricity it was using, it is boiling a kettle for 40 odd minutes after all.

I also found that  it was hardly large enough for a horse and a pony.  I have often wondered if a "proper" haygain would be worth it but never been able to bring myself to do it due to the cost.

I also know someone who used a couple of kettles of water and a dustbin, but again quantitiy would be a problem.  Mine eats a lot more than a couple of wedges a night.


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## Cecile (12 December 2017)

DabDab said:



			When I was younger we used to pour a kettle of boiling water over  a hay net in a bin and put the lid on. I haven't seen anyone do that for donkeys years but was wondering the other day whether that was because there had been some research to say it didn't work or whether it had just gone out of fashion...?
		
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Oh crickey I used to do that 20++ years ago ^^


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## Tiddlypom (12 December 2017)

A rough costing  on running my baby Haygain is 20p per 60 min cycle, it has a 1.5kw steamer.

Ester, thanks for the link to research on steaming. It may have been wiser for me to read it before I shelled out on my new toy, but luckily it confirms my vote of confidence in it, phew :eek3:.


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## Cecile (12 December 2017)

I am also quite impressed with the Haygain although I'm not that taken with the drain hole in the bottom, not really that much water to drain but when I first used it I thought it had sprung a leak so it was dragged out of my tack room 

What part of the country are you in HorseKaren as I have a haygain you could use for a month if your vet is recommending this - although its too big to put in the back of a small car

Other than that Horsehage make a pretty good product, it is in the blue bag


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## ester (12 December 2017)

what a lovely offer cecile . 

I do think the penetration is probably part of the issue if you are having to pull hay off a round bale by the handful it is a lot less compressed than slices off a small bale. 

Is haylage not an option?


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## chocolategirl (12 December 2017)

Orangehorse said:



			I have an Easy Steam or whatever they are called.  I don't use it at the moment as our hay is very good this year.
The horses love the steamed hay, it smells so nice, but I did worry about how much electricity it was using, it is boiling a kettle for 40 odd minutes after all.

I also found that  it was hardly large enough for a horse and a pony.  I have often wondered if a "proper" haygain would be worth it but never been able to bring myself to do it due to the cost.

I also know someone who used a couple of kettles of water and a dustbin, but again quantitiy would be a problem.  Mine eats a lot more than a couple of wedges a night.
		
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Well just to be clear I only have 1 of 6 who has an issue and he has 2 nets every night steamed in this way, 1 when he comes in around 3.30 then another net at 9.30 so total depending on how cold it is (he is a good doer) is 4-6 slices per night. If I had to do this for more than 1 it might be a bit of a pain as I already have 2 kettles on the boil which seem to take ages! Luckily the others can be fed haylage, the dust sensitive one can&#8217;t. :-(


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## case895 (12 December 2017)

I had one wallpaper steamer for two years and have recently going through 3 in a month. The latest is going back to B&Q when I can get out of the house.


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## claret09 (12 December 2017)

a friend made one for me . it works brilliantly - the only problem is that I find the steamer gives up the ghost after a few months. you will need to either buy a professional steamer or be prepared to replace it. they do usually have a twelve month guarantee so keep your receipt and take it back. Screwfix are excellent with returns


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## Horsekaren (13 December 2017)

That is really kind of you, i am based in South Essex  
i will check out Horsehage now 
i attempted the kettle and bin method yesterday but he wasn't to sure about it, gave it a good sniff and then walked away   I was sure it was going to be a hit, it smelt wonderful! like a fresh cup of good tea! 
He isn't a fan of soaked hay, i thought steaming was going to be my answer! ... mind you i did give him mainly steamed but when i noticed him not eating it i added a few sections of dry hay as i think with him tummy issues not eating any hay would be worse. He seemed to eat all of the dry and then had no choice with the steamed and had half, i suppose i have to try just offering steamed. 





Cecile said:



			I am also quite impressed with the Haygain although I'm not that taken with the drain hole in the bottom, not really that much water to drain but when I first used it I thought it had sprung a leak so it was dragged out of my tack room 

What part of the country are you in HorseKaren as I have a haygain you could use for a month if your vet is recommending this - although its too big to put in the back of a small car

Other than that Horsehage make a pretty good product, it is in the blue bag
		
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## LeannePip (13 December 2017)

I've used a DIY set up on multiple yards.  for my own horses my dad made us a deluxe wheelie bin version  it took 2 big haynets and both were perfectly steamed to the core.  We had a timer on the steamer (after we killed the first one on the first day!) and after that it was fab.

I also worked on a yard with a DIY one, it was a big storage box which fit almost a whole standard bale of hay in.  Again we had a timer on it and it was set to finish 20mins before i got to the yard in the morning so they all had fresh steamed hay for breakfast - lush in weather like this!

Just makes sure you buy a good quality steamer and don't put the hay directly ontop of the steamer plate as it wont circulate as well - this would be my ideal steaming vessel: http://www.solentplastics.co.uk/tan...-plastic-storage-tank-mobile-container-truck/


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## Cecile (13 December 2017)

Horsekaren said:



			That is really kind of you, i am based in South Essex  
i will check out Horsehage now 
i attempted the kettle and bin method yesterday but he wasn't to sure about it, gave it a good sniff and then walked away   I was sure it was going to be a hit, it smelt wonderful! like a fresh cup of good tea! 
He isn't a fan of soaked hay, i thought steaming was going to be my answer! ... mind you i did give him mainly steamed but when i noticed him not eating it i added a few sections of dry hay as i think with him tummy issues not eating any hay would be worse. He seemed to eat all of the dry and then had no choice with the steamed and had half, i suppose i have to try just offering steamed.
		
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This is the one I thought of for your horse, it also keeps really well at this time of year if you only have one to feed

http://www.horsehageforage.co.uk/WP/?page_id=22

I like to do one thing at a time when one of mine is confusing me with a health problem so I know what is working best or worse, mine look at me as if I am trying to poison them with soaked hay and one gets the squits, not good at this time of year so I gave up soaking years ago as became fed up with hay nets full of lovingly soaked hay being ignored and no-where sensible to throw it out


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## paddy555 (13 December 2017)

how long are you soaking for? Mine is only soaked for 15 mins to deal with dust. That way the hay stays very fresh and they prefer it to dry hay. In fact they won't eat the dry if they have the choice of the wet. If it is soaked for a long time it becomes disgusting and mine wouldn't like it either. Some sorts of hay soak badly if soaked for too long. 
Do you feed your hay after the hard feed? I have found doing so makes them immediately walk over to the hay and start eating.


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## Cecile (13 December 2017)

Horsekaren said:



			That is really kind of you, i am based in South Essex  
i will check out Horsehage now 
i attempted the kettle and bin method yesterday but he wasn't to sure about it, gave it a good sniff and then walked away   I was sure it was going to be a hit, it smelt wonderful! like a fresh cup of good tea! 
He isn't a fan of soaked hay, i thought steaming was going to be my answer! ... mind you i did give him mainly steamed but when i noticed him not eating it i added a few sections of dry hay as i think with him tummy issues not eating any hay would be worse. He seemed to eat all of the dry and then had no choice with the steamed and had half, i suppose i have to try just offering steamed.
		
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I have just checked out South Essex, I am near Newbury so I am sure between us we can work something out to get it to you if steaming is the way to go. It comes with all the instructions and is very easy to use
I'm not so hot on PM's but send me one if steaming is the way forward and I will work out how to reply and we can get a plan of action sorted to get it to you


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