Cria feeder

This weekend we put in a cria pen or creep feeder (which ever you choose to call it). This is for cria who are starting to wean and need extra food, so we want them to have access to grain and the best hay, but we don't want the older heavier girls getting it (they all always have access to hay, but this way the babies don't have to worry about the older ones pushing them away). So we made a pen that only the little ones can get in.

We had a pen previously, but since we moved the girls to another barn, the feeder was left behind. This weekend when we moved it, we also made it a bit bigger. It's made with all materials we had on hand, so no out of pocket costs. But that is why it a piecework of wood. Here's a picture of it in the middle of building it:


Once finished, we put a bowl of grain and some hay inside:


And we put Cavalier in there, hoping he'd get the idea that he can get grain and hay anytime he wants:





If you are wondering if he likes it, the answer is no. He refused to eat at all while in there, and ran out as soon as we let him past the door. I can only hope he'll go back in another time.

Our bigger problem is that Spot loves alpaca grain and we can't seem to keep him out of there. We had to lock the alpacas in the paddock, and Spot in the pasture, to keep him out.