Anybody who feeds goats alfalfa hay, knows that if you simply put the bale on the ground, about 25% of the hay goes to waste. OK, maybe not anybody; but nobody told me. I had to learn the hard way!
I decided to make a raised goat feeder out of pallets (what else would I use?). After some quick research, saw what a basic feeder looks like and went to work.
It is important to work with pallets that are all the same size. I can't stress that enough. If one of your pallets is a different size that all the others, your project won't turn out properly. Also, be sure to use heat treated pallets. For more info on this topic, click here.
So I gathered all my pallets, screws and screw gun. I used the pallet with a plywood surface as the "bottom" of the feeder so less hay would fall through. I laid this pallet on it's side on top of one of my "side pallets" and started screwing it together. I then flipped it over and repeated the process. The hard part was getting the pallets to balance as i screwed them together. A spare pallet came in handy. Not only did it brace the pieces for me, but since it was the same size, it was the perfect measurement.
Once I had my "H" shape, I laid it on the side to insert the 2 pallets that would hold the hay in a "V" shape. I used a whole bunch of screws and screwed the whole thing together. The screws I used were the exterior drywall screws and deck screws. This would help ensure that the feeder stays here for a while.
I ran out and got a bale of alfalfa and stuck it in the top. The goats were thrilled. I did have to remove a slat from each side so that they could get to they hay. Once i did that they went to town! I also added a sheet of masonite on the bottom so that less hay would fall through.
