HayPlay Slow-Feed Zip Bag

Some folks loved the HayPlay XL Zip bag, but wanted a version about half as big. Others loved the smaller HayPlay Tie Bags, but wanted one with zip closure. The HayPlay Zip Medium meets both needs!

Depending on the size and volume of your hay, the HayPlay Zip Medium hold 3-5 flakes of hay.

This video gives you a full rundown of the features and makeup of the HayPlay Zip Medium.

Hanging it: Use the heavy-duty mounting loops 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 Zip Bag 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.

When you say the HayPlay Zip 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.

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.

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)

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.

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 Zip Bag XL about 20 hours.

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 Zip 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.

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 Zip Bag XL.

We have a full video tutorial on best practices for cleaning the HayPlay Bag Slow Feeders.

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 Zip Bags 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.