HayPlay Zip Slow-Feed Bag XL
- Regular price
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$ 139.95 USD - Regular price
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- Sale price
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$ 139.95 USD
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Non-toxic, ultra-durable, easy fill, slow-feed hay bag that will hold almost a bale of hay. It can be hung in a stall / trailer, be used indoors or out as a ground feeder and enrichment toy, or as part of a track system. Useful for horses, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
Unlike haynets, this bag keeps hay entirely contained and clean, resulting in virtually no hay loss. It also greatly reduces dust and allergies from loose hay that can cause respiratory problems and breathing issues. Triple-reinforced, 3-inch holes were specifically designed to slow intake while allowing the horse to eat naturally, reducing neck and back strain caused by pecking at small-hole nets.
Made of heavy-duty, weatherproof, PVC-coated material, this bag can stand up to the toughest conditions. It will not weaken in extremely cold or hot temperatures. Heavy-duty zipper and velcro closure make it easy to fill. Solid back keeps hay clean when ground feeding, or you can hang it in the stall using the heavy-duty mounting holes.
Sizes:
- XL dimensions: 39 inches (100cm) x 47 inches (120cm)
SHIPPING: FREE standard shipping on all US orders. For shipping costs and details, see our shipping page.
Video
FAQs
How to use
Hanging it: Use the heavy-duty mounting holes to hang it in your stall or turnout area. For safety, we recommend using baling twine so it will breakaway in case of emergency. Position the mounting points so that the bag has some slack and billows out. This will help keep the horse from scraping teeth across the material when the hay level gets low and prolong the life of the bag.
Ground feeding: You can place the HayPlay Bag XL directly on the ground in your pasture or dry lot. The back side of the bag is solid, so it will keep hay from touching the ground. We recommend placing it on a soft surface free of sharp rocks and gravel to prolong the life of the bag.
How Much hay is in a Bale
When you say the HayPlay Bag XL holds a "bale," do you mean an East coast (or "2-string," weighing around 50lb) or West coast (or "3-string," weighing around 120lb) bale?
The HayPlay Bag holds a lot of hay, to be sure, but its capacity is much closer to an East coast / 2-string / 50lb bale.
Our bags vs hay nets
Slow-feed hay nets can cause a lot of neck and back strain because the horse has to peck at the hay. Our bags offer larger holes, which reduce strain and tension.
In fact, the hole size in our bags was rigorously tested and designed specifically to be large enough to allow stress-free eating but small enough to slow them down.
What is the bag made of? Is it durable?
The HayPlay Bag is constructed from a food-grade, non-toxic, heavy-duty, marine-grade, PVC material that remains flexible in extreme conditions. The material does not hold moisture so it will not freeze, crack, or become rigid. Temperature range: -22F to +158F (-30C to +70C)
It is very tough and durable. Here's a video about the materials and construction of the HayPlay Bags!
We offer a 1-year, one-time replacement warranty that covers the following: all hardware parts, the stitching around the holes, and tears in the material larger than 1 inch. Normal wear and tear on the bags, like the outer coating wearing down and minor cracking, is not covered.
We are confident that the bags will maintain their usability for a long time, so please reach out if any minor damage becomes a larger issue that qualifies for a replacement.
Can a 3" hole really slow intake?
There is a big difference in how horses eat from a hay net vs these bags. Even the smallest 1" slow-feed hay nets have more open surface area than our bags. So even though the HayPlay Bags have larger openings, there are fewer of them and hay is less exposed because it is enclosed.
Our experience is that the "snack-size" bag will last a typical horse about 4 hours, the half-bale size about a day or night, and the HayPlay Bag XL about 20 hours.
Is it safe for horses with shoes?
According to the manufacturer, HayPlay Bags are designed to be safe for horses with shoes. The 3-inch hole size makes it challenging for a horse to fit an entire foot. Animals with smaller feet tend to fit in and out easily.
Shod horses that paw at the bag on the ground do run the risk of catching part of the opening between the heel of their shoe and hoof. Should this happen, the HayPlay Bag is designed to tear. This safety feature means your horse is unlikely to get caught or tangled in the same way they might in a traditional hay net.
We do recommend using baling twine (made from fiber, not plastic) when hanging the bags. If a horse were to get caught somehow (they are horses, after all, meaning anything is possible), the twine would break rather than the bag.
Ground-feeding the XL bags? For both the longevity of the bag and the safety of your horse, anchor the bag so it is slumped securely against a wall or fence. This makes
it less likely a horse will stomp on the bag, but also allows them to maintain a lower, more natural, head posture. Learn more about our recommended anchoring technique here.
Can I use it for my mini?
Yes, they are safe for miniature horses and donkeys of all sizes! Even if a mini happens to put a hoof in one of the holes, they will usually just pull their hoof out with ease.
There is nothing for them to get tangled in like with hay nets. Click here for footage of minis interacting with the HayPlay Bag XL.
Care Instructions
Rinse with water or wash with a mild soap. Avoid using abrasive cleaners as this can damage the outer coating.
If you hang the HayPlay Bag XL in a stall, occasionally rotate the direction the bag is hung so that your horse's favorite hole locations are not overused.
Keeping bags relatively full can help decrease stress on the bag from pawing, biting, etc., especially if they are ground fed.
My horse LOVES her XL Hayplay bag. It's great as a slow feeder AND reducing waste. Easy to use.... but durability, particularly of the zipper needs some thought.
I've had the bag for about 5 months. The zipper tab came off around month 2. Not a big deal, I looped a zip-tie through it and it worked fine. The zipper does, however, get clogged with bits of hay etc. so it does get stuck pretty often.
This morning, the loop on top of the zipper came off, so now there's nothing to pull it with at all, and no way to McGiver it with a zip-tie again.
Opting for a full-on, heavy duty velcro closure rather than a zipper may prove a bit more durable, and eliminate the fuss of it getting clogged and stuck.
My horse is pretty quiet and not very hard on the bag, but even so, the stitches on one of the hole reinforcements recently failed....it's the hole in the middle that seems to get used most. It still works, but we'll see how long the material stands up without the reinforcement
Don't get me wrong, I really like the bag. It's a far superior and safer design than others out there... but some additional thought into the closure would be great, and some heavier duty thread for the hole reinforcement would take this product from really good to great !
Beth, this is one of the best reviews we've ever received; we are so grateful for you taking the time and putting so much thought into it! These pros and cons are extremely useful to us. Your comments and observations echo ones we've heard several times over since the XL bag was introduced. We are in close communication with the manufacturer, and are hopeful the next version of the XL bag will improve the durability of the closure and of the hole reinforcement stitching. Thank you so much for being an early adopter; this line of products is still so new, we're ecstatic to have such receptive and considered comments!
I love the bag, easier to fill the other traditional hay bags. I do wish there was more of a pull tab for the zipper but I just use a piece of twine for that. The only issue I have encountered is the extra fabric for reinforcement around the feed holes. If you have come off and I expect the rest to come off shortly. I mainly hang my bag to keep it clean but have fed on the ground as well since I am rotating quite a bit with this wonderful muddy year we've had. However when it got muddy it was easy to hose off and clean. The last bit of hay does settle in the bottom of the bag so you do have to empty that out every once in a while. It does slow down their eating but I don't feel it slows my hungry (and chubby) pony down enough. Initially one bag would last a day to a day and a half. Now it is empty every night since they've figured it out. Still a good bag, needs a few tweaks. Really hoping it will last since those reinforcements came off the bag.
Sarah, thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough review! We pass along all these kinds of construction- and performance-related observations along to the manufacturer. They are very receptive to them, so we hope that future versions / iterations of the XL bag can serve their purpose even better.
This is an awesome haynet alternative for my guy who has eotrh but the zipper handle has broken off after less than 10 uses. Not cool. I guess I’ll figure out something to put on there bc now I cannot open the thing to use it.
Brittany, thank you so much for your review! If you haven't already reached out - or if someone hasn't already reached out to you - please send a note to support@gg-equine.com, and they can send you out a replacement zipper pull. It's an issue we've heard from several customers, and we have passed it along to the manufacturer. We're confident they will address it in a future version / iteration, and we're sorry for the inconvenience!
I love this hay bag! Only thing is, it’s HUGE. I wish it was 2/3 or 1/2 the size as it works best when full, like description says. I didn’t purchase the smaller sizes due to the shape. I liked the pillow shape of this instead of the cylinder shaped smaller options. If I didn’t board and my horse was at home, it would be perfect. But keeping such a large hay bag full when boarding isn’t always practical. I’m going to have the size modified to fit my current needs, as I’m using it for when my horse is in his stall…I did let my horse test it out for a few days and he did well with it until it got lower on hay, then became frustrated so I think the size modification will help. I love the material as my horse is shod, so this is the only hay bag I’ve come across that seems safe enough to try for horses with shoes.
Melanie; we get lots of questions from horse owners asking whether the HayPlay Bags are safe to use with shod horses, so we are super appreciative to read your thoughts on that. We are intrigued to hear how your modification experiments go; please let us know how that works out!
Zipper pull broke off within a month or so. Zipper has been very stiff and hard to pull from the beginning, even before zipper pull broke off. Openings are wearing badly around the edges after only a few months and bag has not been used every day. Grommets are too small to fit a large locking climbing carabiner through. Great idea in theory, not so great in durability.