The solution to wasted hay?

Aviodont · Jul 24, 2024

Has anyone found it?

I am exasperated by the amount of hay my rabbits waste. The rifle through it looking for that choice piece of grass. I kid you not… easily 90% end up below the hutches.

I was thinking of buying some 1/4x1/4 hardware cloth and putting a 4x6 inch section of it right under the area where the hay falls through. Either right under their cage or make a “bowl” of it a few inches under.

Or maybe switch from free hay to the 100% Timothy hay pellets by Standlee (they have 100% hay cubes as well). This would be in addition to their regular pelleted feed.

Thoughts?

olhippityhop · Jul 24, 2024

I use a hay rack from kwcages. It hasn't eliminated waste, but it's a lot better than laying the hay on the cage floor. I have just accepted that there's going to be waste

jani · Jul 25, 2024

I use hay racks but still 90% of the top quality hay with premium pricetag ends up on the floor. Makes the barn look a total mess too. I'm curious if there is a solution

LaddaFanto · Jul 25, 2024

Only "solution" I've found was to put the rabbits in the chicken run, so that "wasted" hay becomes something for the chickens to scratch in, keeps them busy and they spread it out throughout the run so that it doesn't get nearly as muddy. The rabbits still waste the hay but at least it finds an immediate second use (and I don't have to shovel anything out).

leighscky · Jul 25, 2024

I grow my own hay (coastal), so the loss is not quite so financial but I still am considering an alternative to placing it in the cage. Hay racks would be more convenient but still wasteful. I tried timothy pellets but my rabbits just toss them out of the feeder. I just allow the hay to mix with the wood shavings and poop under the cage and use it as mulch in my veggie garden.

jaxmarblebuns · Jul 25, 2024

I have seen some people use hay cubes instead of loose hay, not sure if it would actually be cheaper in the long run though.
Hay feeders can also help (easy to make out of 1" X 2" wire as well), but wont eliminate waist.

Personally, I just don't feed hay (not often at least.) Very controversial topic I know, but I have found with my own rabbits and the pellets I feed (x-cel 18%) that they do just fine with no hay (this can heavily vary from breed to breed/rabbit to rabbit.) In 10ish years I have had one incident of what I believed to be GI stasis, which was a doe that had a 3 week old litter, when autopsied she seemed to have a fur blockage, (she also had access to fresh hay, as i give all my nursing does). Other than that they have all done just fine, they are active, condition is good, they get good marks at shows, etc. If you are really concerned about the money waist, I would look into some good quality, balanced, complete pellet brands and try going hay free.

eco2pia · Jul 25, 2024

I also went with the chickens-under-rabbits method, and I feed a mostly pellet diet. They get weeds and garden scraps when I have them (or have time to collect them, more accurately) and I have hay racks on the ends of the cages that I fill once in a while. They will hold a small flake of hay, so it is a lot. The entire purpose of my rabbits was originally to make manure for the garden, with meat, and now fiber, being secondary products, as I am cursed with incredibly sandy soil. I look at the hay waste philosophically as just more grist for the garden.

If I were going to make the racks again I might use smaller mesh wire, to prevent digging, but that is just play--rabbits need enrichment toys too. So the whole point here is to give them good lives, hay is cheap compared to some things, and makes them happy. I would rather they dig hay than pellets for instance...

Aviodont · Jul 25, 2024

eco2pia said:
I also went with the chickens-under-rabbits method, and I feed a mostly pellet diet. They get weeds and garden scraps when I have them (or have time to collect them, more accurately) and I have hay racks on the ends of the cages that I fill once in a while. They will hold a small flake of hay, so it is a lot. The entire purpose of my rabbits was originally to make manure for the garden, with meat, and now fiber, being secondary products, as I am cursed with incredibly sandy soil. I look at the hay waste philosophically as just more grist for the garden.

If I were going to make the racks again I might use smaller mesh wire, to prevent digging, but that is just play--rabbits need enrichment toys too. So the whole point here is to give them good lives, hay is cheap compared to some things, and makes them happy. I would rather they dig hay than pellets for instance...

That’s interesting. I never thought of it as playing. I always thought of it as being picky or that some bunnies were “hay snobs”, and would waste all that hay looking for the choicest piece.

eco2pia · Jul 26, 2024

Aviodont said:
That’s interesting. I never thought of it as playing. I always thought of it as being picky or that some bunnies were “hay snobs”, and would waste all that hay looking for the choicest piece.

I notice they will also throw crocks and sticks around in the cage, and digging is instinct. I have not seen mine seeking anything in particular, and they are very interested in eating at first...then they get fuller and start messing around.

TamiPac · Jul 27, 2024

My rabbits have baby stacking cups to play with. I wait til they're on a lightening deal on Amazon and buy 10 sets. They throw them around, scoot them all over and some even stack them inside eachother. I haven'y yet had any problem with them chewing them but they have blocks of wood for that and I imagine they find that more comfortable. They waste a ton of hay but like the previous poster, mine all overhang the chicken run so it's double use.

Preitler · Jul 27, 2024

The bars of my hay racks are pretty wide spaced, adding some horizontal bars did help to reduce waste.

Now im summer I feed forage, and the grass and weeds are harder to get out of the rack, so I removed most of the horizontal bars for the time being.

Skai · Jul 28, 2024

LaddaFanto said:
Only "solution" I've found was to put the rabbits in the chicken run, so that "wasted" hay becomes something for the chickens to scratch in, keeps them busy and they spread it out throughout the run so that it doesn't get nearly as muddy. The rabbits still waste the hay but at least it finds an immediate second use (and I don't have to shovel anything out).

I actually did the opposite. About four months ago I put my chickens in the rabbit house and then added a run for them. It has worked out really well. I keep fairly deep shavings under the rabbit cages and daily throw a little scratch on it. The chickens keep it turned over really well. No wasted hay or pellets, no urine smell (even in 95° heat) and no shoveling poop. In fact, I rarely even see any poop. I imagine the composted waste probably brings in worms and provides a protein treat for the chickens. Cleaning out from under the rabbit cages used to be a stinky, weekly chore. Based on what I'm seeing now, I'll probably want to shovel the compost once each spring. It's a win-win for everybody.

eco2pia · Jul 29, 2024

Skai said:
I actually did the opposite. About four months ago I put my chickens in the rabbit house and then added a run for them. It has worked out really well. I keep fairly deep shavings under the rabbit cages and daily throw a little scratch on it. The chickens keep it turned over really well. No wasted hay or pellets, no urine smell (even in 95° heat) and no shoveling poop. In fact, I rarely even see any poop. I imagine the composted waste probably brings in worms and provides a protein treat for the chickens. Cleaning out from under the rabbit cages used to be a stinky, weekly chore. Based on what I'm seeing now, I'll probably want to shovel the compost once each spring. It's a win-win for everybody.

agreed, I can do annual or twice annual cleaning if I want, and it doesn't smell. I generally take it out more often as it makes less of a long day and I have immediate need for fertilizer, always.

dlynn · Jul 30, 2024

eco2pia said:
I also went with the chickens-under-rabbits method, and I feed a mostly pellet diet. They get weeds and garden scraps when I have them (or have time to collect them, more accurately) and I have hay racks on the ends of the cages that I fill once in a while. They will hold a small flake of hay, so it is a lot. The entire purpose of my rabbits was originally to make manure for the garden, with meat, and now fiber, being secondary products, as I am cursed with incredibly sandy soil. I look at the hay waste philosophically as just more grist for the garden.

If I were going to make the racks again I might use smaller mesh wire, to prevent digging, but that is just play--rabbits need enrichment toys too. So the whole point here is to give them good lives, hay is cheap compared to some things, and makes them happy. I would rather they dig hay than pellets for instance...

Yes! I get hay from a horse farm. She saves the edge of field that's full of raspberries and weeds for rabbits and goats. My buns love digging to see what's in the pile. Colony shelters with solid floors, hay strewn on top. Softest stuff is put in permanent den boxes, sticks and raspberry canes tossed under the raised shelters to stay dry. With free yard accessories They munch it and spend hours digging and exploring the piles. Used bedding goes in garden or muddy spots in their yards. The seeds that may sprout from it gives a variety of fresh greens that get fed too. The "wasted" sunflower seeds growing in the garden are impressive. A favorite treat. Been thinning all summer, now pulling bottom leaves. Later those allowed to mature get pulled up and thrown in their yards. They chew roots and all. Full circle gardening! Keeps life interesting for all. The powdery pellet waste gets dumped in quail aviary. They think it's a treat and in 20 minutes the pile is gone...

The solution to wasted hay?

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