Chaffhaye Alfalfa

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SDGrabbitry

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I feed Chaffhaye alfalfa (haylage) to my dairy goat herd as our alfalfa source. It's a great product and I've found a few folks out there feeding Chaffhaye to their rabbits with good results- is anyone here feeding it? I'd love to hear some of the details about how it works into your program from folks who do.
 
I don't think anyone here uses it- so I guess you get to be the official tester! :p

Last year I sold a pony to a lady who fed her horses and goats Chaffhaye, and they loved it. I sold her a couple rabbits too- she might be feeding it to them too. If I find out, I will let you know. :)
 
The official tester I will be, then. :) I do know there are folks out there feeding it- I have tracked down a couple, though not on this forum. It is a product I really stand behind where my dairy goats are concerned. We purchase it by the ton and it has solved for us several challenges we have here in the South with alfalfa hay- namely supply chain issues, prices, quality degradation, and storage issues. I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes for us!
 
Don't lots of folks here feed alfalfa hay? Chaffhaye is supreme quality alfalfa haylage. I purchase my Chaffhaye by the pallet from my local sales representative. The company is in Texas. It's not something you can find in feed stores typically, but their website has a list of distributors.
 
A lot of us feed alfalfa hay - dried and baled like regular hay. Here it is about $3.50 a square bale so it is a good buy for my small rabbitry. But if you are already using Chaffhaye for other animals, I can see why it is an attractive idea to feed it to rabbits as well. Let us know how it goes! I do suggest you introduce it slowly to give the rabbits time to adjust to it. Sudden changes can cause big problems.
 
Yes, same with goats. New feeds are introduced gradually. Those prices would be a dream come true- here in the South alfalfa and even alfalfa blend is $13-$18/50 lb square bale. I will definitely keep everyone posted. I don't use commercial rations for my dairy herd and I'd like to avoid it as much as possible with the rabbits. Most rabbit pellets I see are alfalfa based, so it seems like someone with a good working knowledge of nutrition could keep the use of pelleted rations to a minimum. For those who feed a natural diet, what type/brand of minerals do you use?
 
Here is what worries me..... Ruminants, having multiple stomaches and regurging of their food, can handle the fermented feeds. We fed our cows hay silage but never the horses. Are you sure that rabbits can eat fermented feed?
 
tm_bunnyloft":28ywh227 said:
Here is what worries me..... Ruminants, having multiple stomaches and regurging of their food, can handle the fermented feeds. We fed our cows hay silage but never the horses. Are you sure that rabbits can eat fermented feed?
Click to expand...

That is my question...I thought they were not supposed to have fermented foods... :hmm:
 
I know there are folks feeding it in some quantity without issue, I think the question is what percentage of their diet. Chaffhaye is used extensively for horses, so it's not necessarily just for ruminants.
 
I recall reading to NOT let fresh cut grass ferment if feeding it- but that question concerned lawn clippings
 
I have a quick question regarding storage. I understand it comes in vacuum packed bags, and should be used within a couple of weeks after opening the bag for optimum nutrient value- but the site also mentioned that there is the possibility of mold.

Are the bags incredibly sturdy? We have so many barn cats that I know the bags would get punctured, and what about those that have rodent problems? It seems to me that if the vacuum seal is broken you could lose an awful lot of feed.
 
The plastic is quite thick. I've even had goats get into where it's stored and jump onto the bags with sharp hooves and still not puncture it. Not something I want them doing, but it's happened. We've never opened a bag that was spoiled, but my dealer will replace any bags that are bad when opened. You do find yeast colonies, which are fantastic natural probiotics, but it is very obvious that it is not mold. It smells a little like yogurt. There is more info about it on their website. The way Chaffhaye smells it would be virtually impossible not to know if it has spoiled, IMO. It is a very distinctive, sweet, and pleasant smell. As far as using it in a reasonable amount of time- my goats go through it too fast to worry about it not being fresh. I've had bags open for as long as 10 days even in the heat and humidity of Summer without spoilage though.<br /><br />__________ Sun Dec 16, 2012 10:40 am __________<br /><br />So far so good! They certainly enjoy it.
 
I tried the Chaffhaye Alfalfa for my rabbits & only 1 or 2 out of 19 liked it. The rest would kick their bedding to cover it up. So we don't feed it anymore & just offer timothy hay with their different veggies. They seem to like that much better! :bunnyhop:
 
Both of mine are really enjoying it! :)

__________ Sat Jan 26, 2013 8:53 am __________

Just an update! They've been eating it for over a month and everything is going well. They're essentially getting it free choice at this point. They're growing really nicely. When we have our first litter in the Spring I'll be tracking weights on them (these are meat rabbits) and post the information.<br /><br />__________ Sun Feb 24, 2013 7:44 am __________<br /><br />Another update! The rabbits are still eating it(we have 6 rabbits total, one with a litter) and haven't had any issues with it so far. They all seem to like it, though some more than others. They're still getting a pelleted ration along with their Chaffhaye, but we will start working some of them off the commercial feed entirely and see how it goes.
 

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