Out of my usual hay, what to get?

[skysthelimit]

My feed store says it is out of my regular timothy/clover/ grass mix, and doesn't know when they will get more. I have a friend that has grass hay. What is the difference? I am more concerned about the kits, who eat most of the hay, I suppose I could wet down some pellets for the new borns expected. If I buy the grass bale, it's gonna last me for at least two months, so I don't want to buy it if it has a significantly lower nutritional value.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

You need to find out what type of grass. Coastal bermuda? Orchard grass? Then google for nutritional value. I'd say any forage is better than none (for rabbits also receiving pellets) , just for gut motility and the rabbits' amusement alone.

 

[skysthelimit]

You need to find out what type of grass. Coastal bermuda? Orchard grass? Then google for nutritional value. I'd say any forage is better than none (for rabbits also receiving pellets) , just for gut motility and the rabbits' amusement alone.

I believe she said it's timothy.

 

[akane]

Type of grass doesn't really matter that much. All grass hay is so close nutritionally that it depends more on the land it's grown on, when it's cut, and how it's stored than the species planted. However some do go brown easier than others (bermuda) which is less desirable to some picky animals like rabbits. Otherwise any grass hay will do just look for something as fresh, green, and soft as possible. Rabbits will not eat stemmy brown hay very well. Although lacking anything else they will eat some since they'll even eat straw. Grass hay is actually usually the preferred hay for rabbits over legumes like clover and alfalfa which can be too high in some nutrients causing health problems for some categories of rabbits. For fast growth though, which can also be one of those problems, and good coats legume hay will always have a large benefit over grass hay. It depends on your goals.

 

[skysthelimit]

It's mostly for the babies that are eating more hay than pellets, and because it's less expensive than the pellets, it helps me stretch the pellets.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

My feed store says it is out of my regular timothy/clover/ grass mix, and doesn't know when they will get more. I have a friend that has grass hay.

You need to find out what type of grass. Coastal bermuda? Orchard grass? Then google for nutritional value. I'd say any forage is better than none (for rabbits also receiving pellets) , just for gut motility and the rabbits' amusement alone.

I believe she said it's timothy.

:lol: I thought for a moment you went all "first person" on me! :shock: Sheesh... anyway, it is just lacking the clover and grass, so at least it wont be a huge gut-disturbing change.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Just make sure it was not sprayed with anything....insecticide, chemical fertilizer...etc.

 

[skysthelimit]

My feed store says it is out of my regular timothy/clover/ grass mix, and doesn't know when they will get more. I have a friend that has grass hay.

You need to find out what type of grass. Coastal bermuda? Orchard grass? Then google for nutritional value. I'd say any forage is better than none (for rabbits also receiving pellets) , just for gut motility and the rabbits' amusement alone.

I believe she said it's timothy.

:lol: I thought for a moment you went all "first person" on me! :shock: Sheesh... anyway, it is just lacking the clover and grass, so at least it wont be a huge gut-disturbing change.

Hehe...<br /><br />__________ Thu Feb 09, 2012 4:02 pm __________<br /><br />

Just make sure it was not sprayed with anything....insecticide, chemical fertilizer...etc.

I don't think so, she feeds it to her sheep, and she's into the natural stuff like me, raw diet, things like that.

 

[MaggieJ]

It should be fine. Your main goal is to provide roughage so the youngsters do not develop digestive problems. It is likely slightly lower in protein than the usual hay you give them which had clover in it, but not enough to matter when they are also getting pellets.