Help Me Choose Local Farm Hay?

[Bunbun500]

Currently we buy our hay from a farm supply store, but I’m trying to find a more budget friendly option. I have been exploring buying hay from some local farmers, but it’s difficult to find Timothy hay available.I have seen options for bales of grass/clover mix, alfalfa and alfalfa/orchard mix. Could I go with one of these to replace their current Timothy hay? I have 4 full grown bunnies, I know alfalfa is recommended for under 6 mo. so I’m not sure if that would even be an option. Thanks! 

[Pinkbun]

Alfalfa from what I’ve heard is not for long time use especially in adult rabbits. It causes the rabbit the gain weight and due to excess calcium and protein in the hay this can cause kidney stones in the rabbits. It can also increase the chance of bladder infection. Is the hay yr buying dust extracted ? As you don’t want to buy hay which is very dusty as this can cause allergies and respiratory problems. Also parasites are more common in farm fresh hay from my experience (little mite things)
TBH I wouldn’t recommend alfalfa for your adult buns as you would increase the risk of kidney disease due to high calcium intake. I’d stay with the Timothy hay as rabbits do like it. Or you could try the grass /clover mix. though pet store bought hay in my opinion is probably best as it is usually treated for dust and bugs (well most are). And pet stores usually have the hay u need. U can also order from online shops .
hope this helps

[joea64]

Posted By StarryMoon544 on 8/11/2017 10:45 AM

Currently we buy our hay from a farm supply store, but I’m trying to find a more budget friendly option. I have been exploring buying hay from some local farmers, but it’s difficult to find Timothy hay available.I have seen options for bales of grass/clover mix, alfalfa and alfalfa/orchard mix. Could I go with one of these to replace their current Timothy hay? I have 4 full grown bunnies, I know alfalfa is recommended for under 6 mo. so I’m not sure if that would even be an option. Thanks! 

If there’s a rabbit rescue organization in your area, you might try contacting them. Some of them sell hay; for instance, my local rabbit rescue, Friends of Rabbits, which serves the metropolitan Washington DC area, even sells whole bales of farm hay for a cool $24.  If I had the space to store a whole bale of hay, I’d consider that!  If you’re willing to try pet store hay, Oxbow is a brand that’s well-regarded, though they don’t generally sell hay in big lots (5 pounds is the biggest size bag I’ve seen at my local pet stores). Pet Supplies Plus sells its house-brand timothy hay in 8-pound bags for $18. I’m bringing two small (adult) bunnies home in the near future, and I’m advised by the FoR folks that 8-10 pounds a month will keep two small buns in hay all month long. How much hay do your four rabbits eat per month on average?

Have you heard of Small Pet Select? They’re another hay vendor that has a really good reputation among house rabbit owners, and they sell several varieties of hay including timothy in various weights ranging from 5 pounds on up, with subscription options. I agree you should avoid alfalfa for adult rabbits (though baby bunnies and their nursing mothers, as well as pregnant does, do need the protein contained in alfalfa); not sure about clover but orchard hay is very good, as are oat, brome and Bermuda grass.

[Bam]

Clover is the same type of plant as alfalfa, a legume, and should be avoided for adult individuals. It’s good for lactating animals though, maybe the hays you’ve been looking at are intended for milk cows?
If you can find hay for horses, that’d be a better option. All grass hays are similar in nutritional content. Orchard is just as good as Timothy. So is oat hay. Fescue, brome and Bermuda grass can also be used.

The main thing to be ware of is how the hay smells. It should smell fresh and sweet, like drying grass on a sunny day (scents are rather difficult to describe). There mustn’t be any hint of a moldy smell. The hay should also be dry. Farmers often determine quality of hay roughly by chewing on a little bit.

Here’s a chart with nutritional values of many types of hay, you soon see how much richer alfalfa and clover are compared to the grass hays. The chart is intended for guinea pigs, but the only difference in the nutritional needs between rabbits and guinea pigs are the guinea pigs’ need for vitamin C. Rabbits can synthesize their own vitamin C, but guinea pigs are like us humans and must get it via the food. (This is why guinea pigs can’t live on a hay-only diet).
http://www.guinealynx.info/hay_chart.html

[Bunbun500]

I can find plenty of farmers with horse hay, it sounds like that might be the way to go. Right now we are getting a 50lb. compressed bale of straight Timothy from a local farm supply store for about $18. Another farm supply store we used to get hay from recently stopped stocking the same bale, so I’m starting to get nervous as to where I’ll get my hay for a decent price IF this store ever stops selling the product. Thank you for the chart, very helpful. 

[joea64]

Which store is that – Tractor Supply Co.? I know they sell compressed bales (Standlee brand) for $20 but the manufacturers’ recommendation (fodder for horses and other large animals rather than rabbits and other small animals) and the reviews from users (very good for rabbits, etc.) seem to conflict. In any case, I bought 1/2 bale from Friends of Rabbits today for $12 (a full bale, as I noted earlier, is $24). Pet Supplies Plus is selling 56-oz. bags of timothy for $4.99, but those only last about three days for feeding two rabbits twice daily and I’ve also been sneezing a lot from the dust in those bags.

[Bunbun500]

Yes, the Standlee brand is what I’ve been feeding my bunnies for 3+ years. They have been perfectly healthy and love it! Before that we used Oxbow, but that was getting too expensive. That’s awesome that you have an organization you can get your bales from! I will have to look into that

[Bianca]

I feed horse hay which comes direct from my hay farmer for $10 a bale. My horses love it, as do my rabbits. They absolutely hated the packages, store bought stuff and it made Terry sneeze a lot.

Good quality horse hay should not be overly dusty. If it has any from storage just give it a light mist of water from a spray bottle before feeding.

[BunMum]

Tractor Supply Co. in NC.

TWENTY DOLLAR$ for a tightly bound, bale of horse/small-animal-grade Timothy hay, right off the shelf, but don’t let looks deceive…its HEAVY.

It lasts my 3 rabbits forever.

While I’ve been assured it’s safe/healthy, they weren’t crazy about it at 1st, so I’d do a gradual change over.

**And watch them closely for 12-36 hrs. Going without — or even half — the hay they’re accustomed to, could lead to serious problems.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, BunMum and welcome to Binky Bunny! We ask that members please not reply to old threads (this one is from a year ago) as it can cause confusion. Feel free to start your own thread. Thanks.

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