Hay? Haylage? What?

[Kyrkogrimr]

Having tried some timothy hay with the little monster, we’ve ascertained that he thinks it’s the bees knees (he scared the bleep out of me trying to jump into the box when I was getting it out of the packet) and has been munching happily on it since. Since we’re clearly onto a winner here, I was trying to find somewhere where we can buy it in larger quantities for something slightly less expensive than my soul and/or firstborn, and I keep coming across ads for haylage. What is this? Is it the same? Different? Is it bunny safe? Am I being a moron for not knowing the difference?

[Sarita]

I had to look this up – apparently it is those round bales which I don’t think is something you want…

I would contact those people and ask if they sell timothy hay and if they sell it in a bale or flakes. A flake is just a portion of the bale. Keep in mind that a bale is pretty substantial and you will have to store it somewhere.

[Kyrkogrimr]

Lol Yeah, I think we might fit one in the living room…but I don’t think anything else would fit XD Thanks Sarita

[JackRabbit]

Another BBer, Tessie, is in your part of the world. She would be a good one to ask.

[Roberta]

Apparently Haylage, Hay, Silage are all dfferent grades of fodder. Depending on age, moisture content and whether it is chopped short. In the US the terms relate to different crops including grains where as through the UK and parts of Europe it refers to grass feeds only.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Not sure what is considered “haylage” where you are, but here in Canada, its’ something you definitely don’t want to feed to your bunnies. The haylage is cut and wrapped wet which gives it a high moisture content and a very sweet smell. It’s used as the main food for cows. We don’t feed it to horses because it often contains mold, so I would def steer clear of it for bunnies.

[Brandywine]

Haylage is a form of silage, which is fermented grasses. It’s very high energy, and should only be fed to ruminant animals, so like LittlePuffyTail says, not for your bunnies!

[Bam]

In Sweden, haylage is what LPT describes. It’s probably the same in Britain. It’s moist and packed air-tight and once the plastic on the bale is broken, it must be consumed within a week because it goes bad when it comes into contact with oxygen. It’s not a good idea for bunnies. You want proper grassy hay, it has a much lower content of moisture and will keep a very long time if stored drily.

[Author]

Messages