Does hay expire?

[skibunny8503]

I have almost a full bale of Timothy hay.  That would last us a few months between 2 rabbits but now we only have Sandy and she never took to timothy hay like Archie did (and he didn’t take to Orchard like Sandy did….figures!).  Can hay start to go bad after awhile?  I’m hoping the next time we get hay and switch to orchard she’ll eat it faster but until then I didn’t want the hay to go bad on her.  If she doesn’t eat it quick enough I might split the bale and donate it to the shelter we go her from just down the street from they hay place….no sense throwing hay out and no sense spending lots of money on a little thing of hay at the store.  We get our bales at about $7.

[litheandgraphic]

A few of the vitamins and nutrients can begin to break down after the first few months, but that’s not a huge issue since the real place they’re getting their vitamins and nutrients are veggies and pellets. But, after about a year, the fiber can actually start to break down, and longer than that you may be risking molding, depending on where you keep the hay. Obviously you want to keep it in a cool, dry spot with lots of air flow.

I’ve been generally told to keep hay for about 6 months – 1 year maximum from when it was cut (or when the expiration date advises in the case of store bought hay), and otherwise watch for signs of expiration — severe browning or bleaching, dust, foul / musky smells, etc.

[JackRabbit]

I’ve always heard that hay can last up to two years *if properly stored*, and depending on how fresh the hay is to begin with. Hay must breath, and hay stored in a closed plastic bag doesn’t breathe. With store bought hay, you don’t know when it was bagged, how it was stored before it got to the store, etc., so any time I’ve gotten hay from a store, I try to use it up. But, like FLR said, smell is a pretty good indicator.

If and how quickly hay will mold will depend on the moisture content of the hay (all hay has some moisture, some more so than others) as well as the humidity of the air. Light will cause nutrients to diminish and the hay to “fade”.

[Flopsie]

I think if properly stored, hay can have a long shelf life but in general you shouldn’t buy too much that your rabbits cannot consume within a good period of time.

Also, if you think about it, food generally will break down and expire and would you really want to eat food that has been stored for years and years? probably not, id imagine the same for bunnies as well

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