Hay question.

[daisyandoliver]

I want to start buying hay by the bales because my buns go through it so quickly and the little bags you buy at the pet stores for an overpriced amount go by too quickly. I have a few questions though.

1. Is Timothy Hay okay? Or should I get a different kind?
2. Will it stay fresh long enough to feed them it? (The place I was going to buy from locally they sell it by 55lb bales.)
3. Is there any way to preserve it, say if I wanted to buy multiple bales just to have it?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Timothy hay is fine. Some also have bales of alfalfa or an alfalfa/timothy mix. Make sure to get just timothy or a mix with other grass hay like orchard grass, brome hay or something else similar.

If stored well, hay should still be good after a year. Hay is usually harvested in the summer or early fall and has to last through the winter and even until the next year.

Store the hay in a cool, dry place. Keep the bale off the floor (use wood or something to raise it off the floor). Don't let it get wet as they will lead to mold. Also don't open a bale until you start to use it, this way on the edges will get yellow (normal) and not the whole bale. The bales do need some airflow, so don't wrap them up in anything like plastic.

You will probably only need 2-3 bales to last a year. To see how long it might last, figure out how long a bag lasts you then calculate that to what a bale weights. If a 5 pound bag lasts 1 week, then a 55 pound bale should last around 11 weeks.

 

[daisyandoliver]

Alright, thank you! I think we only get 1 pound bags twice a week or so. But they are expensive. I can get 55lbs for $5 rather than 1lb for $5.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

daisyandoliver wrote:

I want to start buying hay by the bales because my buns go through it so quickly and the little bags you buy at the pet stores for an overpriced amount go by too quickly. I have a few questions though.

1. Is Timothy Hay okay? Or should I get a different kind?
2. Will it stay fresh long enough to feed them it? (The place I was going to buy from locally they sell it by 55lb bales.)
3. Is there any way to preserve it, say if I wanted to buy multiple bales just to have it?

-- economize-use a large container for the mini-bale--store out of the sun light,cool dry place,-timothy has a higher fiber content,followed by orchard,etc.-which is great for our little rear gut fermenters,-sincerely james waller

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

Eh. I wont do bales ever again in my life!
I thought the same as you, whole bale $20.. small bags $10.00 WTF right? lol.
Well almost my entire bale went to waste. It got old too fast and where I stored it really sucked. I stopped using it all together and ignored the pile in my yard... It became FULL OF MICE! They had started nesting in it! GROSS! So this weekend we were preparing for TS Isaac and had to remove it.. omg.. snakes and mice and more snakes and mice! SCARED THE CRAP OUTTA ME! NEVER AGAIN!I will admit it was due to my neglegence... will deny it infront of my husband though! LOL

I got a HUGEEEE bag of hay from Petco 2 weeks ago. Small enough to keep in my house, big enough to last 3 or 4 weeks.. perfect for me.. it was like $10, Oxbow Timothy Hay.

 

[ldoerr]

When I breed rabbits I would buy timothy hay by the 100lb bales. 1 bale would last close to or over a year. That was feeding 13-30 rabbits hay at least 2x a week. If I were you I would just get 1 bale. It should last you quite a while.

 

[woahlookitsme]

We use a horse quality coastal hay and it lasts us a while but we only give a handful to each bun (about 20 rabbits) once or twice a week. Babies and moms get more. We store our bale in a container and it stays fresh for quite awhile. Ill try to get the name of it when I can reach my mom

 

[woahlookitsme]

google search patio storage bins

 

[daisyandoliver]

I planned on getting one probably. My dad said we can see how it goes but if it goes bad too quickly that he just will buy the bags.

And thanks Sarah!

 

[missyscove]

I you don't want to store a whole bale, some feedstores will sale loose hay a few flakes at a time. It's typically much cheaper than your pet store bags but obviously easier to store.