Timothy hay?

[UK-backyardbunnies]

Silly question alert

I see mention of "timothy hay" all over, but when I google it I just get sites selling expensive small bags of hay for small pets.
How/why is this type supposed to be so much better?
I just have "hay" - which as far as I know is a mixture of whatever grasses were growing in the field at the time!

Or is timothy hay an American name to distinguish from barley hay/oat hay - both of which I would call straw?

 

[Rexisbest]

No, Timothy is a type of hay commonly mixed with alfalfa for horses but straight Timothy is lower in protein than alfalfa or peanut hay. Not straw or straw like at all.

 

[Dood]

Timothy is a grass species used to make hay for horses. It is higher in fibre and has lower nutrition value than alfalfa which can be too 'rich'. Rabbit pellets are mostly alfalfa so to add fiber and help avoid wool block and other intestinal issues we feed a 'roughage' type hay and Timothy is readily available in 50lb bales for $5.

 

[UK-backyardbunnies]

Okaaay, so how does it differ from bog standard hay in terms of nutrition then?

 

[Peach]

Timothy hay helps push hair and what not along. I believer it's stalkier than most hays. I stink at describing things lol but other grass hays and such are good to give them too. Timothy is good too have, but I'm not going to pay an arm and a leg to get it.

 

[Dood]

Nutrition is about the same, it is a grass after all.

It is popular over here because it is matures later and is ready to cut just in time for our dry season, it has a stiff stalk making it easier to cut and this stiffness also helps it dry better than other grasses so mold is less of a concern.

 

[Miss M]

I don't know what "bog standard hay" is, but this is basically the hay breakdown over here:

Alfalfa: basically could be a complete diet all by itself, but is often supplemented with other hay or grains.

Timothy: the Mercedes of regular grass hays, as it has (if I remember correctly) a slightly higher nutritional value than most other hays, and most rabbits love the stuff. Unfortunately, most places, it's expensive! Dood is lucky!

Oat/wheat/barley hay: cut and dried when still green, before the heads mature.

Other hays: from Bermuda grass hays to Bahia grass hays, almost all are grasses cut and dried while green. You do have clover "hay", which is not grass, but cut and dried while green.

Straw: Grain crop (oat/wheat/barley/etc.) stems cut after the dried heads are harvested, and baled. Straw has almost no nutritional value, and most rabbits don't eat it.

Most hays do not have much nutritional value. The greener the hay, the higher the nutritional value, though. Nutritional value (and green color) will decrease over storage time, but can decrease pretty slowly if stored well. The big values of hay for rabbits are:

Fiber. Rabbit pellets are a complete diet, but supplying hay helps prevent wool block.
Entertainment. Rabbits like to chew, hay is good for chewing, and doesn't make the rabbit fat or anything.

Hope this helps!

 

[UK-backyardbunnies]

My main experience of hay(!) is from meadows - so cut in around June, a mixture of grass and wildflower species, the more herbs the greener/richer the hay.
Commercial pastures have a lot more perennial ryegrass in, but the REALLY commercial pastures get cut for silage rather than hay.

 

[Miss M]

cut in around June, a mixture of grass and wildflower species, the more herbs the greener/richer the hay

I bet the bunnies love that stuff! You see Timothy/wildflower mixes in tiny little bags for shocking amounts of money here. :shock:

 

[Maxine]

Do you think storing hay in a giant cooler is a good place? We don't have much space, so that was our solution during these very wet months.

 

[Miss M]

Do you think storing hay in a giant cooler is a good place? We don't have much space, so that was our solution during these very wet months.

If that's the only way to keep it dry... you just have to watch it, that it doesn't start to mold. Some keep their pellets in old freezers, so I guess you could do it with the hay as well. Just be careful that it doesn't get dampness trapped in there.