hay type

[WildWolf]

Is any type of hay good for rabbits? What's the best? I'm feeding on a natural diet, and I have tons of greens and a good amount of grain for them, but I need some hay. I keep seeing adds for fescue hay and orchard grass hay, or mixes thereof. Isn't alfalfa hay the best, because of the protein?

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Isn't alfalfa hay the best, because of the protein?

yes ,if you are not feeding pellets.

 

[WildWolf]

Is it better to have other hay in addition to alfalfa hay?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Is it better to have other hay in addition to alfalfa hay?

Pellets are mainly composed of alfalfa...if you feed pellets, then it is best to use a timothy/orchard/coastal hay.

If you are feeding greens and grains, then alfalfa hay is a good source of protein and they don't really *need* any additional type of hay. What they *do* need, is a salt/mineral lick...the red one...since they are not getting that from the greens/grains like they would from pellets.

 

[WildWolf]

OK, thanks OneAcre! I already have grains, greens, and the mineral lick, and I will try to find some alfalfa hay. I do have seeds, and I'm going to plant an alfalfa patch next fall.

 

[Piper]

this is still a draft - comments and critics welcome
Legume Hay
Legume or lucerne hays include alfalfa, clover, lespedeza, birdsfoot trefoil, vetch, soybean and cowpeas. Legume hays are generally higher in calories, protein, calcium and vitamin A than grass hays. The higher energy content of legume hay is excellent for young, active bunnies and pregnant does, but can lead to obesity in mature rabbits. Legume hay (with a mineral salt spool) can be used when rabbits are fed a "pellet free" diet.

Grass Hay
Commonly sold grass hays include timothy, rye-grass, Kentucky bluegrass, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, brome grass, fescue and canary grass. Oats, a type of grain, are also cut while green to make oat hay. Grass hay is higher in fiber than legume hay, making it a better choice for the dental and intestinal health of an adult rabbit."

General Info
*Some hays are not drought resistant. ie Timothy
*It can be possible to get up to 3 cuts from a field of hay, depending on growing conditions. Other times the farmer may be lucky to get 2 cuts.
*You do 'not' need Timothy for your rabbit. Timothy is a grass hay and you can use any other of the grass hays.
===
still trying to incorporate -
1) Hay is not needed, since it is in the pellets.
2) A rabbit's teeth grow during their whole lives and they need to file them (by chewing) with items like hay and wood.
--- from different sources but - also I need to double check that I have the wording different enough, that it is not plagiarized, even if they might not care.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:56 am __________<br /><br />

 

[SatinsRule]

For whatever reason, I've gotten better results from a bale of mixed native grass hay that I bought from a feed store out of season early this spring than I have with any other hay I've ever used, but there is a risk with using hay of this type in that it can cost you should any hay that is harmful to a rabbit is present in the bale you're using.

I'd use timothy hay regularly and exclusively, but the problem with buying it around here is trying to find it anywhere other than in bags at PetSmart or Wal Mart. As such, I normally buy bermuda when it is available, and around here that is most of the year.

 

[Hazel]

Here are a couple of websites where i was reading about hay recently, might be of intrest. http://www.hayandfeedranch.com/hay_education.htm
http://www.houserabbitga.com/?page_id=82

satin, how does one tell "better results" The only thing i can tell is that my rabbits eat less pellets , the more hay i give them. And I think maybe grow out slower if they have lots of hay than they do if they dont have any hay.

Also i wanted to mention that some brands of rabbit pellets, Nutrena Naturewise being one of them say right on the bag to also give your rabbits a salt mineral block. Ive always provided mineral block for my rabbits ,i think they know when they need it and when they dont and will use it acordingly, I think i paid 59cents for the last ones i got. 3 oz. round ones, i just hang it on side of the cage.

 

[SatinsRule]

The better results I mentioned is that their condition, fur, apettites and everything pretty much across the board improved. Their diets were steady, their fur didn't seem to break into heavy moults as frequently, their body condition improved, and all these factors contributed heavily to a rather successful show season. I had tried alfalfa and timothy hay prior to that, and neither gave the results that the mixed prairie grass hay. I truly wish I knew where they got that particular hay from. Heck, I'd continue to buy it at that feed store (which is considerably out of my way, BTW) if I knew I would be getting that particular product each time. The results I saw were just that good.

As for the Nutrena NatureWise feed, it's what I currently use and have never used a salt spool with it. I refuse to hang salt spools because they cause accelerated rusting of cage wire over a short period of time.

 

[Hazel]

Thats interesting about the hay, I wonder what it had in it that they were lacking. Could it be some minerals? You might find these two web sites interesting. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd12/1/ram121a.htm
http://www.ker.com/library/advances/241.pdf
http://world-rabbit-science.com/WRSA-Pr ... rrouki.pdf

Yeah salt does cause rust, what i do is fasten the round mineral block with a screw in the middle to a piece of plywood and then wire the plywood to the side of the cage over half way up. That way the block doesnt get wet and is not in contact with the wire. That seems to limit the rust problem. I also have a short block of wood in each cage for the rabbits to chew on. Sometimes i think there is a rabbit that will just chew on the mineral block for something to do or to wear its teeth down.

 

[SatinsRule]

Hazel, just about anything I change with my rabbits anymore is done one thing at a time. I don't like to change more than one thing I'm feeding as it is easier to narrow down if something begins to go wrong.

There was nothing special about the hay when I bought it. Native grasses like rye grass, bermuda, etc. I was genuinely concerned going in, but the buns did fantastic on it once they began eating it.

 

[WildWolf]

Has anyone fed their rabbits alfalfa hay that's shredded?
Mine are off pellets for the first time (they had natural diet with free choice pellets, and didn't eat much of the pellets at all) and I was expecting them to eat a fairly large amount of hay... but the rabbits have just nibbled at it. i was thinking maybe it's because it's shredded.