Buying Hay from Farmers

[candykittten]

Hey
I've noticed that many farmers sell bales of hay for fairly cheap, and I was just wondering what sort of experiences anyone has had buying hay off farmers.

I know I should ask if it's first or second cut, or if it is stored outdoors, but what else should I be concerned about?

Is there a risk of transmitting parasites to my rabbits?

Does freezing hay work for killing bugs the same way freezing bedding does?

Thanks

 

[Watermelons]

I presonally prefer 2nd cut (less fertalizer... even though its natural fertalizer haha)

You want to make sure its pure _____ and isnt mixed with alfalfa, alot of grasses are mixes. Especially since 1 bale will last you ALONG time even if you have a baby bun, you will have lots of that alfalfa mixed left over.

Smell it, it should smell like yummy yummy hay, it shouldn't smell too dusty and should NOT smell musty or damp, you should be able to see nice long strands of hay.

Stick your hand into the bale, it should be dry dry dry. Make sure its barn stored and hasn't been rained on.

The hay should be nice and green, there are varying shades depending if youre getting alfalfa, timothy, orchard, oat, botanicle, etc....

Theres the same risk of "parasites" from your baled hay as there is bagged pet store hay. If its good quality hay, you dont need to worry about it too much Big one is to look for blister beetles with alfalfa (if the alfalfa has flowered) You should deworm your bunny on a regular basis anyway, so nothing to be worried about

I dont know what local stuff there is like, but around here I find the local stuff to be a little lower in quality compared to stuff I can get from alberta or washington. So i buy my hay from a business that brings in hays from other places. What horses and cattle eat isnt exactly the same as what picky pet bunnys eat.

Some places will actually send some hay in and get it tested so you can get the nutrition break down on what youre feeding your livestock.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I buy hay from farmers and don't have issues.
I am not really sure about 1st vs 2nd cut. My bunnies don't seem to care either way. I think there can be some differences with the texture of the hay, some is more stalky and some can be softer. There may be a few nutritional differences, but not any that should make a huge difference.

It is important to look at the bale. There is good hay and bad hay. Good hay will smell good, sort of like fresh cut grass and it should smell sweat. It should be green, especially this time of year, some yellowing on the outside is ok though, but it should be green on the inside. Avoid hay that is yellow all the way through, dusty, smells off, has mould or just doesn't look good.

There is always a risk of parasites with hay. Most of the time it is not an issue though. Just keep in eye on the poops and maybe talk with your vet if you are concerned about it.

Freezing is not really a good idea. Moisture could get into the hay and cause mould when it thaws. You would have trouble freezing a bale of hay in your house anyway.

 

[gmas rabbit]

Hey - you all talk about worming. How often and with what. Benjamin is an inside bunny, no contact with other rabbits, but pick his greens from yard and am sure that we have cats, deer etc wandering through.

 

[Watermelons]

I try and worm my turds monthly if I remember, otherwise they get it done 4x yearly. I use panacur granuals (fenbendazole) mix that up so it can be dosed properly ( i use hairbal remedy to mix it with and a little hot water, i turn 1g of granuals into 10ml) and they get it for 3 days. Super easy to get from your vet.

 

[plasticbunny]

I looked into getting a bale frome my local livestock feed store, and decided against it. The man said that they couldn't guarentee if it was infested with bugs or even mice. :shock: Gus isn't a huge hay eater anyway, so it takes him awhile to get through a bag from the store.

 

[DelightfulEccentricity]

I'm still very new to rabbits but I bought my hay locally. Good price, and quality stuff. Just shop around some. Like someone else said, make sure it is dry and smells good; if you have ANY doubts, walk away.

 

[Stone_family3]

I got a bale of hay from feed store for $3 (owner said it came off her farm).

I agree with the others should smell nice, not musty or moldy, should be dry. The mix is really up to you my rabbit will not eat it if it does not have alfalfa in it. However she does not eat a lot of pellets either, she's a fresh produce kinda gal.

My rabbit would not eat it (probably because I'm feeding a lot of fresh stuff). So I ended up using it in my chicken coop. She'll occasionally eat a bite but mostly uses it as bedding. Even as bedding it's still really cheap so I'll continue to buy it.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I buy from a horse farm locally. It is very green and smells like a fresh field of mown grass. I get pure Timothy and my buns love it! They won't eat store bought any more. I got a bag thinking it would be a treat and ended up giving it to the gerbils as bedding. I pay $7.50 for a 60 pound bale.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I don't have any preferences on what number of cut it is, as long as it's GREEN, LEAFY, and my rabbits eat it!

My most recent 2 bales were awful! It was like they baled blackberry bushes and weeds...2 of my rabbits won't eat it...at least it's not everyone that isn't. I try to pay $4 to $6 per bale of hay - that's the better quality stuff. The cheaper you go the worse quality it is going to be, like my blackberry bales - they were $3. I didn't get those, my sister did...lol.

Emily

 

[golfdiva]

Second cut tends to have more weeds in it than first cut. For rabbits that's a good thing! There is more variety, and more "leafy" kinda stuff that picky buns might like better. Around here, we can often get 3rd cut. That's very nice!

 

[sorraia]

I have horses, and their hay gets shared with my rabbits. Fortunately the horses' needs and the rabbits' needs are pretty similar, where the hay is concerned, both nutritionally and in quality.

Buying horse hay, you just need to observe and be careful sometimes. Horse hay tends to be better quality than cow hay, because horses are more susceptible to mold, weeds, trash, etc than cows. Make sure the bale isn't wet inside - this can cause mold. Make sure it has a fresh, grassy smell, anything else can be mold. If it makes you sneeze violently and you aren't allergic to hay, it may have mold in it even if you can't see the mold (sometimes mold can dry out, the spores will look like dust and cause many people to have allergic reactions, ranging from sneezing to asthma or worse sometimes). Look for dirt, mud, bugs, trash, and carcasses too.

 

[Sweetie]

I get my hay from kleenmammas. They have 45 pound bales for $27. Which is a good price, with the total that it comes to, the hay would cost a little over $1 a pound. It lasts my bunnies about 10-11 months.

I would stay clear of farm stores, because some of them don't have hay that is green. Farmland here has hay that is yellow.

I buy the 3rd cut timothy hay for my rabbits, and they love it.