I live on a farm, we raise cattle and have a ton of hay (two fields, that we row 3ish times a year) I have checked every where in my town for some hay for my baby rabbit..and I cant find any at all..every store and person I have asked has looked at me like I was stupid and said they just have rolled hay just like we do (its a REALLY small country town) so I wont be able to get any until my next trip to our neighboring town which is an hour away...would it be ok to feed him some hay from our field just until I make a trip? There are always wild rabbits in the fields eating it..so would it be safe to substitute until I can get something different?
Question about hay?
- Thread starter ashtonns
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It really depends on the quality of the hay (That baled hay you buy specifically for bunnys comes from the same place, its just cut into small sections and shoved in a plastic bag)
Cattle hay is often much lower in quality then that of horse/rabbit hay.
Do you know what type of grass it is?
Can you take a good quality picture that shows its colour and texture for us?
Cattle hay is often much lower in quality then that of horse/rabbit hay.
Do you know what type of grass it is?
Can you take a good quality picture that shows its colour and texture for us?
I cant take a picture right now because it is dark outside and raining.. but its green and brown/golden looking (depending on where you are at in the field) our back field is where we see the most wild rabbits, its farther out and there arent any roads near it. I might have a picture of it rolled from earlier this summer after our first cut...but I'm not sure. I will check though.
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No rush on the picture.
Its not really a concern about wild bunnys being near it.
That stuff you pay way to much for in pet stores, was grown in a field just like yours. Outside and in the big open scary germ infested world.
If you can find out the type of hay it is, that would help too (General types are ... Grass, Legume, Grain?). Alfalfa? Fescue? Orchard? Timothy? Bermuda? Blue? Brome? Oat?
What type of cows do you have? Typically dairy cows require higher quality hay over say beef cows, so that might point in the direction of you having better hay.
The biggest question is just the quality of the hay. You don't want something almost straw like for bunnys, while a cow would do just fine on that.
Its not really a concern about wild bunnys being near it.
That stuff you pay way to much for in pet stores, was grown in a field just like yours. Outside and in the big open scary germ infested world.
If you can find out the type of hay it is, that would help too (General types are ... Grass, Legume, Grain?). Alfalfa? Fescue? Orchard? Timothy? Bermuda? Blue? Brome? Oat?
What type of cows do you have? Typically dairy cows require higher quality hay over say beef cows, so that might point in the direction of you having better hay.
The biggest question is just the quality of the hay. You don't want something almost straw like for bunnys, while a cow would do just fine on that.
Korr_and_Sophie
Well-Known Member
Rabbits do best on a grass hay such as timothy, orchard grass or brome hay. Alfalfa should be limited to babies, pregnant or nursing does, and rabbits that may need some extra nutrition.
Rabbits are quite similar to horses as far as their digestive tract is concerned. Hay that would not be suitable for horses due to mold or other issues is not suitable for rabbits. Cattle can eat hay that horses can't, so you may need to be careful. I have heard of rabbits dying from bad hay, so it is important that it is safe.
If your hay is dry, stored well and of good quality and type, it should be fine for your rabbit. If you feel that it might not be good, look into horse hay in your area.
Rabbits are quite similar to horses as far as their digestive tract is concerned. Hay that would not be suitable for horses due to mold or other issues is not suitable for rabbits. Cattle can eat hay that horses can't, so you may need to be careful. I have heard of rabbits dying from bad hay, so it is important that it is safe.
If your hay is dry, stored well and of good quality and type, it should be fine for your rabbit. If you feel that it might not be good, look into horse hay in your area.
we had horses in our back field at one time, they weren't ours but the owners seemed to think it was "great grazing" for them... for all i know, just the fact that we allowed them to keep their horses on our land made it "great".. there are horse fields on each side of ours (same land just separated by a fence) , and im pretty sure its the same kind of hay because we borrow hay from them and they borrow from us during dry spells...
A photo would help when you get the opportunity and its light out 
Have you ever had the hay from your field tested? That would tell you about the quality and what, if any, nutrients are in it. We feed ours horse quality coastal hay because that's about all they grow around us.
