Does Hay Quality Vary With Quantity?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 5:51 pm


Hay and straw are two different things, here.

Straw is just a stalk after the grain has been removed, usually left over from wheat. Hay is a grass or a legume, still has the grain, and has nutritional value that straw doesn't have.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:13 pm


Okay, that makes sense. So do you think the mixture of oat, barley and wheat hay would be good for them? Will it give them the nutrients they need in enough quantities without putting their health at risk?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:16 pm


Without reading back, what was the problem with timothy hay?

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:44 pm


Nothing wrong with Timothy hay. I was looking at getting a better value. It's anywhere from $9-$11 for a 48 oz bag that lasts 5-6 days. I can get a whole bale for about $20 and that's a 4-6 month supply. Since I have the storage space to keep it warm and dry, I wanted to go that route. Since my wife is allergic to the orchard grass I can't use it. She is ok with Timothy hay and be ok with wheat, oat and barley hay, but I don't want to compromise the piggie's diet.

Harmony

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:54 am


bpatters, so to make the oat or wheat straw do they harvest the crop at an immature stage - before the ripe grain is present? That would mean less pesticide use too i should think, unlike with the crops grown for grain. I know mine love the wild barley and oats when I find it for them, so I'm imagining that is more what the oat hay would be like??

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:18 am


This article from one of the house rabbit websites is interesting and may be helpful.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 10:58 am


From the article Lynx linked to:

"Grasses are harvested before the seed heads have ripened they can also be fed as any other
grass hay.

However, once the grain has ripened and the plant has turned from green to a gold-brown
colour, the stems lose their nutritional value and it becomes straw, which is used for bedding
rather than food."

Harmony

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 2:44 pm


Thanks sef and bpatters, that was very interesting, I had never even heard of bromegrass!
There seems to be a huge variety of every type of livestock feed compared to when i first started feeding them (back when dinosaurs ruled the earth)! The nearest we had to feeding treats to herbivores was a carrot!
I can remember when feeding pelleted food such as pony cubes was considered the height of modern feeding as up until then we had mixed our own feeds from the grains! I used to make my own dog food, (which apparently is now the fashionable way!) and was very happy to discover complete feeds and not have to boil tripe any more! LOL
Apologies for sticking my neck into the thread but I'm always on the look out for feeding info!

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:37 pm


I think I should probably just stick to the Timothy hay. In addition to hay, my piggies do get fresh grass for at least 7 months out of the year. I can always get oat hay as a treat for the times when I can't take them outside or pick enough grass and bring it to them. It would have been nice to get a bulk supply of the best hay, but these little ones are more important.

As a matter of fact I have already purged all of the orchard grass and replaced it with the Timothy hay. My wife's allergies got to the point where it had to be done. The guinea pigs don't seem to care which kind of hay I give them anyway. So what do I do with all of that orchard grass? There's at least 3/4 bale in the garage. We have ranches around here so one of them will take it off my hands, I'm sure.

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RavenShade
Thanks for the Memories

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 10:41 pm


Interesting re: the KMS Hay shipping. For years there was a price comparison re: shipping and overall cost. I never got their hay through Amazon. I wonder if that's why now. When did they start to sell via Amazon? I guess I'll see what I like when it comes time to buy a new box. We have a lot left.

RE: Chewy, I get other things there. Their customer service has always been good.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Apr 14, 2019 11:06 pm


KMS has just recently started selling through Amazon.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Mon Apr 15, 2019 5:51 am


https://www.amazon.com/GrandpaS-Best-Ti ... hy&sr=8-13

How funny is this? There's a bale of Timothy hay on Amazon. Shouldn't a 10 lbs bale last 4 guinea pigs for a month? There's the value I was looking for. That is unless anyone has knowledge of this brand which suggests that it no good. Buying it like this saves about $20.

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