Building the Perfect DIY Sheep Feeder for Our Homestead
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Building the Perfect DIY Sheep Feeder for Our Homestead
If you’ve been following our journey here for a while, you know that homesteading is often a series of "trial and error" moments. For six years, I’ve been battling a recurring problem: wasted hay. Every spring, I’ve found myself exhausted from clearing out piles of rotting hay that fell to the ground throughout the winter. But even worse was the impact on our sheep. The beautiful wool they produce was constantly saturated with embedded hay, making it incredibly difficult—and sometimes nearly impossible—to process. When your passion is fiber arts, seeing that precious fleece ruined is heartbreaking.
A Long-Awaited Solution
After years of brainstorming the best way to keep the hay in the feeder and out of the wool, I finally figured out exactly what we needed. I reached out to the same wonderful friends who helped me build our adorable little barn during our very first year here. Their support has always been a blessing, and they jumped right in to help me bring this new feeding system to life.
Lessons from "Round Two"
We did hit one snag! In my initial excitement, I chose the wrong spot for the build. We actually had to take down our early progress and start over. But honestly? It was worth it. Now that it’s in the perfect location, the energy of the space feels right, works perfectly for all 6 sheep and it is going to be adorable when it's finished.
The Results So Far
Even though we aren't completely finished, the results are already like a charm:
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Zero Wasted Hay: Everything stays where it belongs.
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Clean Fleeces: No more hay embedding itself into the wool.
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Happy Sheep: The flock is loving the new setup.
We still have to finish the trusses and get the metal sheeting on the roof, but the hardest part is behind us. This project is going to be an enormous benefit for the health of my sheep and reduce some of the insane amount of work every spring.
Follow along for the finished reveal! I’ll be posting updates here, on our YouTube channel, and across our social media platforms. Stay tuned for the final "deets" as we get the roof on and the system fully operational.
