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SterlingSatin

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i have 11 rabbits, soon selling 4, but 2 more litters on the way soon. how many bales should i buy (the small rectangular 18"x20"x undetermined length)? the hay is alfalfa and i'm going to use it to cut back on feed costs a bit.
 
With your numbers, and my experience, if the rabbits are protected from the weather, figure an average of one bale a week. usage will fluctuate as the litters grow out and leave, and new ones hit the ground. Consider getting a grass hay, as well You dont want to be using alfalfa as bedding
 
You're going to see a wide variation about how many bales people suggest. A lot depends on whether you are also feeding pellets. A bale a week sounds on the high side to me. I'm not sure how many bales I went through last year, but I think it was in the neigbourhood of 25 bales. I usually have about six adults plus youngsters, but I admit to being careless with hay... they waste a fair bit. And then the geese and chickens also get some alfalfa hay in winter. All these variables make it hard to calculate.
 
well, i only have a mini van (can you say urban wanna be farmer), so my amount might be limited by how much i can haul. yes i am feeding pellets. i calculated i'll go through a bale in maybe 12 days, but hard to know. i won't be using any of it as bedding, i use shavings in my nest box, and i have wire bottom cages with trays that have newspaper in them. also, i have only three places i can store it. in my rabbit barn, where it is light, a bit humid (depending on outside), and temp fluctuates based on outside temp. i'm guessing this is a really bad place to keep it. i can keep it in the attic of my rabbit barn, where it is very dark, dry, and temp fluctuates based on outside temp, but usually pretty moderate b/cuz of insulation. or i could keep it in my shed, where it is dark, temp exactly the same as outdoors, and not very dry. what do you think? i'm thinking attic is the best place, even though its quite hot right now but it will cool down as our temperature cools down here.
 
I was going to say 1/week seems high too, but I have always had under 6, and fed pellets at the same time. I am miserly with hay, use hay racks, and manage to cut maggie's hay use to less than half...but if you double maggie's number you get almost one a week, don't you?

Currently I have 5 adults, 19 out of the nest box (10 in, but they don't count yet)and my guys are only eating about a flake of hay a day...at this rate I will go through a bale in a little less than a month in winter. In summer it will be longer because somedays (when I have great forage) they don't get hay.

I buy a bale at a time because I don't have storage for more. And I have a Prius that hauls one bale at a time unless I lay down the seats!
 
I guess the big question is whether you can get more later if you start to run low. I agree that the attic of the rabbit barn sounds like the best place for storage. Keeping it dry is very important.
 
more hay isn't going to be easy to get, so i'll err on the larger amount. the attic is HUGE so i'm not limited on storage space, i could get 75 bales in there if i had to.
 
However much you buy, make sure of the quality. Second cutting is usually better. Make sure it hasn't been stored outside, not moldy, dirty, dusty, stored with livestock, etc... Alfalfa is generally at its most nutritious when the flowers just bloom. Second cutting tends to be finer and less woody, as well.
 
yes, i am getting second cutting, and i'll make sure its dry before i buy. seller says its never been rained on.
 
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