05/05/2026
Please give this a read if you are using Hay Chix nets. I use them for some of my own horses and many clients are using them as well. Thank you, Hay Chix, for your transparency!
We did send this update in an email to our customers who may be potentially affected and we wanted to share the facts on here as well.
We appreciate your patience while we’ve been working to get you answers.
First, I want you to understand that safety and quality are our number one priority. This is why we have paused all shipments as we try to get the answers, we need to feel confident in providing you with products we can stand behind. So, I want to provide you all with facts. I have been in meetings all weekend with our suppliers to try to rectify this situation.
Let’s start from the top.
We have had the same netting supplier for 16 years. We have always provided the best quality available in terms of safety and durability for our products.
Last week, we were made aware of an issue with the dye coming out of one of our nets after it was soaked. We had one report of excess dye noticed on a concrete floor after the net was soaked. As far as we know, this is a cosmetic issue, but we are confirming with further testing.
We had never experienced this, nor did we know there was a possibility of this being a problem. We chose our netting due to its traditional usage of being used in commercial fishing, going in and out of seawater and elements, so we had no idea this could happen.
After this was brought to our attention, we immediately tested out the same size netting at our facility. It, in fact, did do the same thing described. We then proceeded to test all other netting we have in-house and started finding more netting sizes that were responding the same way.
We next called our vendor, and it was then that we were made aware of a change in the way they were processing the netting due to supply chain issues, which they had failed to tell us about. I did what you all are doing and started trying to get to the bottom of what was wrong.
Our netting is made here in the USA, so please know there are certain standards it must meet. I have been collecting data and getting it to the correct sources. While no time would ever be a good time for this type of problem, we were in the middle of shipping out products from our annual Spring Sale, so this has made things even more challenging. We then started to reach out to all of you about a possible problem, as there are many factors we need to identify, but we do not want to put out anything but the quality products we are known for.
At this time, we cannot confirm how much netting has been affected, as the problem is not consistent throughout our testing. We have had an extremely large volume of netting come through our facility in the last 7 months, which is when they started switching their process. So, this is not going to be the easiest or quickest problem to fix.
After receiving the MSDS “material safety data sheet” on the new colorant product they used, we sent it and the actual nets out to be evaluated. We are currently still waiting for those results, and while I wish I could make this process go faster, I know these things take time. I’m not sure whether the answer is to rinse the nets or to return and replace them. So, while we wait for answers, we have been working on solutions and a clear path forward to take care of all of you in the same way we would expect to be taken care of.
As of now, our supplier is 100 percent committed to working with us to make sure we can do what is right and offer you options.
As far as past orders go, we will offer full refunds or replacements to anyone with netting purchased between Oct 1 2025 to April 28th 2026 who believes they have an issue with their nets. We believe the issue is that the dye is not properly adhering to the netting due to the change in process leading to the dye coming out when left in water.
To ensure this will never happen again, we are switching over to a different type of color-stay nylon netting that is safe and has a different process for how it’s manufactured, so we will never have this problem again.
To say I’m sad, embarrassed, and beyond disappointed is an understatement. We truly love and care about you all and your animals, just like our own family. I would have never intentionally allowed this to happen, and I’m extremely sorry it did. We are going to work twice as hard as we have done in the past to ensure we never have to write a letter like this again. However, this is going to take time to fix. We are the largest hay net manufacturer in the USA, so that means we have a lot of amazing customers. We have a solid team here, and we are committed to doing the very best work we can as fast as we can without sacrificing quality. Our town of Mineral Wells was also hit by a tornado last week, so we are hoping to be able to provide jobs to those who may have temporarily lost theirs as we move forward with production.
To us, nothing but the best quality and safety will do. We will always be known as the company that is built on Trust, Truth & Transparency.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns. But understand we are receiving large volumes of calls and emails, and we will get back to you all ASAP.
Below, we will once again clearly lay out how to move forward with your next steps.
1. If you believe your net may have been affected, please test it by running water over it or placing it in a bucket. If it’s affected, it will produce a light black to dark black water. If it’s brown, that is likely just dirt. Rinse your net and repeat the process to check for any discoloration.
2. We will be providing a form for you to fill out with the appropriate information we need to move forward with your request.
3. We will replace, refund, or work through this process with you, so trust us, you will be taken care of.
4. Because we will be limited on the amount of product we can produce. We will bring back to market our most popular nets and sizes as quickly as possible, but this will take time. We are currently waiting on our supplier to get the new netting into production. While we have already received some and have it in use, we do not have what it’s going to take to get us back up and running, so please give us some grace, as I can assure you we will be trying our hardest to make this process happen as quickly as possible.
I thank you for being the reason we do what we do. Your support during this time is greatly appreciated! We will be back in business as usual in His time.
