50lb bag of hay?

[Chucklebun]

I was just wondering if any of you order the 50lb bags of oxbow timothy hay? I am going to be a student for a year, so am stocking up on expensive things with my last paycheck. It seems well worth the money, as I pay a lot for a 2lb bag at the moment, which lasts about a fortnight. With 2 buns, I see it going down quicker, and having discovered timothy I really don’t want to go back to the cheap stuff. It’s quarter of the price if I buy a small bag at a time, but if I get the big bag, it works out about the same price.

Bit of a no-brainer if I can fit it in a cupboard!

So if anyone can let me know the dimensions of the bag, I’d really appreciate it, ta.

C xxx

[Sarita]

Those 50lb ones come in very big cardboard boxes. They are a very good deal if you can store them. I don’t do Oxbow but the KMS that I order are 45 pounds and they are pretty big boxes and I store them in my closet. You would be well served to order the larger sizes.

[foxtailskies]

I order 25lb bales of Oxbow at a time for my 2, only because I don’t have room for anything larger The 25lb fits perfectly in a big Rubbermaid tote, I *believe* mine is a 35 gallon, and it helps to keep the dust down since I’ve become mildly allergic to timothy. That bale lasts me about 3-4 months.

[Arson]

I’ve bought a 20lb bale of oat hay from a rabbit rescue that is nearby where I live. I was generally surprised with how quickly it expanded once i stored it in a large rubber made container with holes drilled all around it so I can tell you that buying in bulk can greatly save you money in buying rabbit products in the near future.

I typically buy those large brand name hay bags from places like petco or petsmart for around $19 dollars per bag, which eventually costs highly with my two rabbits. $16 dollars for a 20lb bag of fresh 2nd cut hay definitely settled me into buying from the rescue instead of at the store for so little, so high of cost.

[AbbyGirl]

I found a farmer on ebay who is selling Timothy hay for rabbits. It’s $24.99 for 35lbs plus shipping. His shipping is extremely reasonable. For me it was only $22. It ended up being cheaper than Oxbow. The dimensions of the box is 35x19x15. Here’s the link for the hay. Hope that helps you out.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150484908661&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Elrohwen]

I recently bought the 50lb box of Oxbow and am storing it in my garage. Not sure why I waited so long! I think getting a second bun made me realize how expensive those little bags are.

I haven’t actually used it yet, because the shelter gave me some free hay before I left for my new job, but it looks like great quality and I’m interested to see how long it lasts.

[Beka27]

I’ve been using the 50lb box of Orchard hay. It is slightly more expensive than the timothy, but the buns like it more, and it’s a nice alternative for people who may be allergic to timothy. The box is about 4 feet tall, and about 2 feet wide. It won’t fit in a cupboard, but a walk-in closet works well for it (that’s where ours is!) It’s amazing.

You save so much money buying hay in bulk. Farm hay is much cheaper than the big boxes… but I don’t have close access to farms, and I don’t have a dry garage to put a whole bale. (Plus I’m squeamish about what kind of creepy crawlers I might find in a bale.) The box is self-contained and easy to work with. I have a smaller cardboard box that I transfer hay into about twice a month, so I can leave the big box alone until I need a refill.

[Chucklebun]

Thanks for all the help – I’ve put my order in for a 50lb bale of timothy from the hay experts. Amy&Hugo, thanks for the link, but as I’m in the UK I’m not sure how expensive it would be to ship over here. Maybe one to try next time
I definately like the idea of storing it in a big box and just pulling a load out every now and then to stock up. If I were to do that, would it be best to poke holes in the sides of the box to keep the air circulating, especially as it will be stored for a while?
C xxx

[MissKris&Koji]

I have found that 20lb bale is light enough to sit on top of the crate that is hooked up to rabbit’s pen, which is perfect for serving because inevitably when you pull some out of the bale you will have strands fall all over. It’s just messy to serve. So having it on top of the crate, the strands that fall end up in the crate and the litterbox, where I serve it anyways. I can’t imagine having to track it a couple rooms over, I would have to vacuum every day! So, just a thought, store it as close to where you will feed it as you can. I also have some of his other things (a small box with nail clippers, treats, etc) that I need handy and a second bag of hay (9lb of orchard), so I was surprised how much weight the crate could handle. I don’t know what your habitat setup is, but this is working out really well for me.

If you can get good shipping prices, it really is worth it to get the larger sizes. I know my hay comes with some holes in the bag and says hay should be stored so it can breathe some, I don’t know if that helps to prevent mold or what. But that’s what the company that sells it recommends.

[Beka27]

I just leave the box as is. It gets opened frequently enough (once or twice a day) to allow air in and out.

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