Share a bale of hay?

[maherwoman]

Hey guys...

I have a bit of a problem on my hands. We bought a bale of hay I don't know how long ago, and it is now dry enough that we should consider getting a new one. The main problem is that about 3/4 of the bale has gone unused!! I can't stand to waste things like that, so I'm wondering if anyone in the Southern California area (around the San Fernando Valley) would like to split the cost of a $20 bale of Timothy hay with me.

Also, anyone have any idea how to go about posting some sort of ad about it somewhere?

Thanks, guys!!

I would like to do the purchase within the next couple weeks. Also, I'll bump this topic every couple days so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Hugs!!

Rosie and her bunny-poos (literally and as a pet name, mind you) Maisie and Flower

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

What do you mean it's gone dry enough the you should buy another one? If hay is stored in a cool dry place it will last a year or longer. I still have hay from last year that is very fresh and good still and it will be good for at least another 6 months because it's stored off the ground in a shed and out of direct sun light.

P.S.- WOW! $20 for a bale?! I pay $4.50 at the most.:shock:

 

[maherwoman]

We bought the hay in late May, so it's been about two months that we've had it.

It's a combination of the fact that Maisie's starting to shun it a bit (instead of eating two large handfuls a day, she's gone down to one, and I'm slightly concerned because she won't eat much hay if it's dryer than she'd like), and the fact that we've seen a couple cockroaches run through our quite clean house, and are wondering if it's the hay that's sitting here.

So, let me instead ask this: does hay attract cockroaches or other bugs? I've heard that it does, and in seeing a couple and knowing they didn't come here because food's left out or some such, I immediately thought that maybe I should maybe considering having less hay in the household.

We are keeping it in a dry, cool place, so it's really in an ideal spot, but it's also sitting on the wall that connects to our neighbors, and I'm wondering if our neighbors have roaches, and they are coming over to check out the hay?

The only other reason I could think that cockroaches would be interested in our home is maybe because we keep it quite a bit cooler than the outside temp? (Outside being about 95F, inside being no more than 75F.) Could the cooler temp be causing their interest in our home?

Oh, also, the bale was approx 60lbs. Hehe...for two bunnies...lol!! Now that's what I call bunny love!! LOL!!

 

[maherwoman]

Another thought: maybe I'm not familiar enough with hay that is too dry...

I'm trying to figure out how to tell if hay is too dry, or if it's still considered fresh...anyone have any sites or pointers to tell me so I can figure it out?

Thanks!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

If hay isn't dry it can combust. That's what causes a lot of barn fires. Dry is good for hay. What I suggest is that you get a spray bottle and "mist" her hay before giving it to her. We have a couple of horses who "dunk" their hay before eating it. Quite funny actually, but very messy! :?

Hay should last at least a year. We are feeding 2 year old hay right now in the barn. It's been in the loft that long.

If you see white dust when you tap two flakes together (2 of the separation areas) then there could be a mold problem. Hay molds when 1 - it's been wet when it was baled, 2 - it gets wet in bale and then dries out again. Mold can also look just like any other mold. You can smell for freshness also. If you have a good sniffer

As far as cost - I believe it's higher because there isn't as much agriculture there. We can get hay as cheap as $2.50/bale here to $6 for the super good alfalfa bales.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Oh, and my daughter got Champion for her division of "hay" at the county fair this year. My son got Blue with Honors (considered for champion). We have good hay! I wish you were close to me. I'd hook you up every couple of weeks!

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Hay is supposed to be dry. If it's not dry when it's baled, it will go mouldy. Do not try to tell if it's too dry (2 months is fine) but instead be more concerned about mould. You can smell for mould because more often than not, you can't see mould unless the hay is really bad. Since the inside of hay stalks is hollow, it goes mouldy inside first and the hay will smell musty and old. Good hay will smell fresh and sweet. It's hard to tell the difference unless you've had to smell mouldy hay before but I bet the hay is fine.

Is this your first bale of farm hay? Is it a different kind than you were buying before (AKA Timothy/Brome mix)? Were you buying petstore hay? If any of this is true, Maisie may seem to be shunning it now not because there is something wrong with the hay but because she's used to it. She might have just been eating so much before because it was different to her and she liked it better than what she was on before. Think of it this way, if you were to eat the same thing day after day and one day you ate something new and liked it, you'd probably eat it more often but eventually the novelty will wear off and you wont want to eat it as much, right?

I've never heard of hay attracting bugs myself but we don't have cockroaches so I have no idea.

P.S.- I buy three '60 lb' (they vary in weight but the dimensions are consistant) hay bales a year. So between my 3, they consume 60 lbs every 4 months.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

As far as cost - I believe it's higher because there isn't as much agriculture there. We can get hay as cheap as $2.50/bale here to $6 for the super good alfalfa bales.

I figured that, I think that California ships in a lot of hay too. I know some of their Timothy actually comes from Canada.

And here, super good Alfalfa costs $3.00, LOL. Alfalfa is dirt cheap around here, Timothy is a little more expensive but I mean $4.50 for some very nice pureTimothy (hard to find pure Timothy around here) is extremely reasonable.

 

[Bassetluv]

I recall reading years ago that if you stick your hand in the center of a bale of hay and it feels hot, then you could have problems (combustion, mould, etc.). Could be wrong though...it's just something I recall from many years ago. I had some hay for my bunnies that I bought last year...purchased 3 bales, which turned out to be too much for them. I did lose two of the bales, as they went dry, lost the green color and generally didn't look good. Now I buy one at a time and store it. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of access to places that sell hay bales,and the quality of the ones offered at the feed store here isn't always the best. However, I tried the hay that is sold at PetSmart and other pet stores (danged expensive!!) and they turn their noses up at that. Around here a small bag of hay runs @ $7.00, and an entirebale of hay is the same price.

I don'tbelieve hay attracts cockroaches...they tend to head for scrap food sources, esp. kitchen areas. Cockroaches tend to come into houses via grocery bags from food stores, or into apartment buildings via people moving in who were already infested in another place. They will follow the pipes in a building and get into the units that way. (I had the unfortunate experience of living with cockroaches a couple of times when I was renting an apartment...soon learned that roaches do not equate filth...some of the cleanest places can have them.) Mice and rats could be attracted if the hay is in an accessible area, as they will nest in it.

Afraid that's about all I know...:?

Oh, p.s....if you want to get rid of the roaches, many companies no longer spray to exterminate them now. They use a much more effective method in the form of a gel. It is placed around baseboards, in cupboards, etc., and, as opposed to sprays that would repel the bugs (only to have them return once the spray wore off), the gel actually attracts them. They eat it, and they take it back to the nest with them, and it winds up killing the entire colony. Works wonderfully...

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

You're right about the inside feeling hot, it's a sign of bad hay -- normally an indicator of mould. And it CAN start itself on fire but I've never heard of it actually happening.

How long did you have the hay Bassetluv? As I said, I keep hay 1.5 years without a problem. That's why I say store it in a cool, dry place and out of the sun. Sun will cause it to turn yellowish/brown instead of the green color it should be. Keep in mind that the leafy parts look brown a lot of the times but it doesn't mean it's bad.

And although rabbit don't eat straw (ok, well mine nibble on it) I still have a bale that's 3 years old. It's still fresh, clean, and not a sign of mould at all. I wouldn't keep hay that long because it will eventually lose it's nutritional value.

 

[Bassetluv]

I had my hay for almost a year, and had it stored in the basement. However, the basement can get a bit damp (it's uninsulated), so I suspect it's not an ideal place for storage. That's the only reason I can come up with for the bales getting 'washed out' (losing color, looking yellow and generally not appetizing). Unfortunately I don't have very many options for storing hay, my place is small. I have old shed outside, but it leaks, the door doesn't close properly and cats get in there and urinate (I kept straw in there for a small while, wasnt' a good idea). Ideally, I'd love to just get a half-bale at a time too, because of storage issues. However, with the price of a bale being so cheap compared to pet store hay, I don't mind if I lose some...just have to keep an eye on it so the bunnies only get healthy hay.

 

[Runestonez]

We put our bale in a HUGE garbage bag and then cut slits in it all up and down the bag for ventilation. Keeps the hay from getting all over the place and it doesn't get mouldy! Since our bunns have their own bedroom we store it in their closet on a shelf so it is off the floor. We have the big container of Woody Pet in there too so it is nice and keeps things organized!

 

[pamnock]

Wow! I can't imagine paying $20 for a bale of hay. (When we had horses, we had to buy hundreds of bales of hay). I just paid $1.00 for a bale of hay fresh off the field last week.

It's normal for new hay to be hot in the center as it cures (sweats out)which can take up to 6 weeks (it is during this curing time when hay fires generally occur). In very humid or rainy weather, the hay will spoil if it stays too moist and cannot cure in 4-6 weeks (some farmers use chemicals to keep the hay from spoiling). New hay should be stored in a well ventilated area and be allowed to cure. New bales of hay can also be broken open to hasten the curing process.



Pam

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

pamnock wrote:

It's normal for new hay to be hot in the center as it cures (sweats out)which can take up to 6 weeks (it is during this curing time when hay fires generally occur). In very humid or rainy weather, the hay will spoil if it stays too moist and cannot cure in 4-6 weeks (some farmers use chemicals to keep the hay from spoiling). New hay should be stored in a well ventilated area and be allowed to cure. New bales of hay can also be broken open to hasten the curing process.

I did not know that, but then again I've never actually cut and baled hay. I only know how to properly store and ensure it's still good.

 

[maherwoman]

Thanks so much for all the info, guys!! Now reading this, and the fact that it might just be the novelty wearing off for Maisie, I think I might find some way to make it new for her again...will misting it with a vanilla/water mixture (same amounts as their water) help? Or would that make it mold?

About the cockroaches, I have figured that they must be coming over from the neighbor's (or somewhere in the building). We don't live in the most glamorous place, but we keep it clean, so I know for a fact it's not OUR place that's generating/encouraging them! Lol...

It may be our next door neighbors, as they have a stack of boxes and some grocery bags of trash sitting outside their door...good sign it may be them, not to mention that one of them came through that particular wall. The other came through our heater, which is tied to other heaters in our place (I assume). We don't have a downstairs neighbor, so it had to be one of our next-door neighbors (or someone akin).

That gel idea is fabulous! What an innovative (and much less stinky) way to handle them!! I'll see what we can do about getting someone to come out and handle doing that for us. Thanks for the idea!

From what you guys have said, our hay is perfectly fine. We're on the second floor, so I think that keeps us from having many of the problems we COULD have with storing hay in our home. It's still quite green, loads of tops, smells WONDERFUL...like a beautiful, fresh meadow (I LOVE the smell!). So, we're fine on it's quality.

Thanks so much!! I feel much better knowing things are fine...whew!! *sigh of relief*

 

[Runestonez]

The one apartment I used to live in had roaches! I finally had enuff when one jumped/fell on me while I was in the shower!

When I finally had a fit the super thought I was being paranoid! He was convinced they were really earwigs! I am not a dolt I know what earwigs look like! I finally caught a few and stuck them in a Ziploc and tacked it to his apartment door! The exterminator came the next day! It turned out that the guy that lived downstairs didn't believe in putting his garbage out! It was all piled in his apartment. The super took the opportunity to check all the apartments surrounding mine and it resulted in the guy downstairs getting evicted! He was a really well kept, polite and nice guy too! Goes to show you you really never know your neighbours!:? But after the guy was gone we never saw another roach!

 

[maherwoman]

Oh, wow, Runestones!! That's incredible!! I hope I don't have a neighbor like that!!

I'll keep an eye out, but so far I've only seen two, one of which was bookin' it across our livingroom floor. He looked quite panicked because he'd just come across the cats (quite a scare, even for an almost two-inch-long bug!). He didn't look like he was comfy here AT ALL...just picked the wrong place to go into. Lol...we got him, but it was quite disturbing. The second one was in the kitchen, and I saw him so quickly, I can't honestly say he was even a cockroach!

Regardless, that first one got me kinda worried...even though I seriously don't think they're camping out in our home. Lol...nothing like seeing a HUGE bug go scurrying across your floor when you didn't know there were any to begin with!! YUCK!!

 

[Runestonez]

I know this probably sounds gross...but I actually like cockroaches more than spiders!:? I am TERRIFIED of spiders! At least whenroach sees you it has the good grace to look just as scared as you and run like heck! Spiders just sit and glare back at you! Nope I think I like scared bugs!

The roaches we have here are more the size of a garden beetle though. They are a rusty brown colour and only get about an inch and a bit big. They really are skinny looking things! Now the ones I saw in the Carribean! WOW!:shock: I like bugs...but even those were a little big! I would love to own a Hissing Cockroach! Hubby says if one comes in the house I have to go out! That's OK in the summer...but Brrr... it'll get awfully cold in the winter!! He doesn't like bugs! And I haven't proved it yet but I am almost certain he is nervous around frogs and toads too!:laugh:Oh my what a wuss!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Imagine - I have access to an entire barn of hay at all times..... and I buy Oxbow. :disgust: Bo can't have the barn hay (alfalfa and dusty) so recently I noticed darker blades in it. I contacted Oxbow and it seems there are some nutrients they don't get from the greener blades. Bo doesn't really care - he tosses them aside. :?

Cockroaches are attracted to moisture. (Just FYI lol)

and

if I restated something someone else said or said anything confusing ........ sorry.... I didn't read it all, I'm tired cause we are in the State Fair Mode right now. I am trying to wind down and go to bed in a few.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

Cockroaches are attracted to moisture. (Just FYI lol)

Didn't know that, then again, we don't have cockroaches here so I don't have to know that. I like Canada -- no dangerous spiders, snakes, and no huge bugs!