Different brands of hay

[marshmallow]

Hi, I’m currently using Oxbow’s Timothy and Orchard mix. Wondering what brands of hay do you guys use? What are the recommended brands?

[bear_the_bunny]

I actually use that exact same hay mix.  I know some people get their’s fresh from a farm, but that option isn’t availible for me.  Bear loves the Oxbow, it’s healthy and safe, so that’s what I give him.

[sarahthegemini]

I was feeding Oxbow Orchard but I found the quality to be dreadful. I started using timothy hay from timothyhay.co.uk. Lovely green hay, looks yummy and has little dust.

[Daisy]

I use meadow hay from the supermarket in the morning and meadow hay with herbs from Barn-i in the evening. The supermarket hay is course and has thicker shorter strands while the Barn-i hay smells great and has long green strands with herbs mixed in. They eat both hay fine and since Barn-i is expensive (2,50 euros for 500 grams of hay) I like this method.

[tobyluv]

I use Oxbow timothy, orchard grass, meadow grass and botanical hay. I also use American Pet Diner Timothy Gold, a second cutting of timothy.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I like Oxbow. My girl gets both Orchard and Timothy.

[marshmallow]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I recently switched to Oxbow Orchard as they didn’t have the mix in stock. I realised that my rabbit’s poo was really black (and I heard from somewhere that they are supposed to look golden?). Does this indicate anything?

[Bam]

Dark poop can mean insufficient dietary fiber – but you also have to weigh in consistency and size. If size and consistency are fine, color is of less importance. Dark color can be due to fresh greens. If a bunny eats lots of hay and only little vegs, the poop becomes more golden-ish, but there are variations between buns. Even wild buns have dark poo in the summer because they eat fresh grass with a higher moisture-content than the wilted grass they eat during winter.

I have Oxbow hay plus a local horse hay that’s a mix of grasses. Horse hay that doesn’t have alfalfa or clover is good for buns – horses are hind gut fermenters just like buns and have very similar dietary needs.

[LittlePuffyTail]

With all my bunnies: More Timothy Hay = light brown poops, More Orchard Hay = dark brown to black poops

[Author]

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