Farm hay is not always better and rabbits don’t always like it more. Mites can lurk in all hay. Hay is actually a rather complicated subject. Good hay should be green and smell good and not crumble and – obviously – not be wet. But some things you cant see or smell, for example aspergillus mold spores. In principle, you can buy farm hay from conscientious growers. Harvesting and drying and storage must be properly performed. Hay for race horses must be of the utmost quality, or the horses can’t race. Cow’s hay is practically always too rich (cows need extra protein to produce calves and milk).

It doesn’t necessarily have to be timothy hay, orchard, oat or mixes commonly sold as meadow hay will do excellently. Alfalafa isn’t good for adult bunnies though, otherwise they can eat all types of hay that horses can eat. Horses and rabbits are very much alike when it comes to nutritional needs and the way they digest their food.

You could ask around for good hay suitable for rabbits, for example in local Facebook rabbit groups. A hay bale is pretty big, so if you only have one or two buns, you could perhaps buy a bale together with other bun owners and split it between you. Some farmers sell mini-bales or flakes of bales for small pets.

Everything Bam said…. I haven’t had success with Farm hay here for my bunnies – and I live in the country *shakes head* as they all have alfalfa mixed in with the Timothy and grass hay… ** Note: Every farmer I asked said “Oh ya, its great for bunny’s… I have lots of bunny owners that use it”… I think asked what exact hay was in it and EVERY one of them also listed alfalfa in it. Most Farmers don’t know that Alfalfa is not good for adult bunnies. Plus keep in mind that a lot of farmers do use it fatten up the bunny’s that they sell for meat

you also want to make sure its been stored inside by the farmer and not just stacked up out in the field.

And mold is super serious. A friend lost all 3 of her bunnies and her two guinee pigs because some of the hay had tiny spots of mold that she didn’t even see and they died from it.

And then things like rocks, bugs and watch for non hay items in it… weeds and things.

Just do your research on the farmer and inspect each small handful of hay you give your bunny from it.