Bales of Hay

[Slowebot]

I like in Texas and am fairly close to a farmer who sells bales of Coastal hay. Coastal hay is rarely mentioned when people list off hays a rabbit should eat and wanted to see if anyone had any information as to the nutritious value of it compared to other hays. Also I was wondering if buying bales of hay is much of an inconvenience, I am worried about bringing in bugs. Does anyone have any experience with bales that can share any possible negative side effects they found? 

If the hay doesn’t have much nutritional value I really wouldn’t mind supplementing it with oxbow hay and maybe only using the coastal for the litter box and general throwing around but my main concern is bringing bugs into my house.

Thank you ^_^

[Megabunny]

I was incredibly worried about this as well, but decided to bite the bullet and give it a try, and so far I’ve been OK. I’ve gotten different hays from different people and haven’t had an issue. Just be sure you don’t get moldy hay. We had such a wet summer that a lot of farmers couldn’t get 2nd cuts, and the bale I got from a horse person had some mold and I was freaking out, until a friend explained I could pick around the outside of the bale for the good stuff, similar to the way you pick around a moldy piece of bread (if you’re someone who would eat the rest of the piece ha ha) If it’s hay that is fed to horses, it should be quality enough for your rabbit. Just don’t give them any that is too dusty. If it’s mold it will kill them. If it’s not mold, I don’t know, but someone gave me some really really dusty stuff they had loose in a stall, and I just couldn’t feed much of it, as I was worried there had been rodents running through it and I didn’t know if the dust was mold or what. My friend said hay is always dusty and you can shake off the majority of dust, but this bale I got in the fall hasn’t been as dusty.
Hay is just such a big, annoying mess. Oh, I live in NY state. (NOT the city)
Recently I’ve learned that first cut is the best for them, at least fiber-wise, but I don’t know if it has as much nutrition. I just give them some of everything and hope they’re getting what they need. Hope your weather is OK. Heard you’re getting a lot of nasty stuff there. We’re just getting buried in snow and so, so sick of it.

[Slowebot]

Okay I’m thinking I might just try it because it is such a better deal than buying from a pet store. Actually it has been raining pretty frequently lately but I’ll make sure to thoroughly check the place I’m buying hay from and make sure that it is well kept. It was finally around 70 today and I was so tempted to take the bun out for some fresh air.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Like MegaBunny says, the general rule is that if it’s horse quality hay, it is okay for bunnies.

I’ve tried buying bales from my horse’s stable since I can get them for $2 each, WAY cheaper than Oxbow but my buns are so fussy, they don’t really like it, I assume because it was a lot more coarse.

Make sure to store the bale where it can get air, a big bin with no cover is ideal. You want air to circulate all around the sides of the bale to avoid mold. And make sure to check for dust. Some bales look okay on the outside but when you break apart the flakes, they are very dusty inside. Dusty hay is never a good idea for bunnies. I also suggest checking over any chunks of hay before you give to your bun (maybe get a bin and break it apart), to check for things like baler twine, beetles, etc. I’ve found big pieces of baler twine in bales and you would def not want your bun getting that.

If your bun likes the bales, you are lucky. Wish my buns did. They are not big on saving me money, apparently.

[Smudge]

If you get hay you really want to go for second cut. It’s much softer and more nutrient dense. Plus, you don’t realize this unless you are standing next to two bales of the different cuts, but first cut hay is often very tan looking and good second cut hay should be much greener than the other, indicating longer opportunity for the plant to have grown rich and healthy.

As far as I understood it, for horses at least, coastal hay is fine but you want to try to supplement with other kinds too.

[Megabunny]

OK Puffy Tail. Which is it? First cut/second cut/ nutrition/bulk.

I thought for years that second cut was what you wanted, but somewhere read that first cut is better bulk if you can get them to eat it. But now I have this big bale of 2nd cut, so I mix it with a first cut I got elsewhere but that’s almost gone and that was a one-time deal. The person offered me the second cut timothy for $6 but I just gave her a $10 bill in hopes she’d go to the trouble again. The other horse people told me I should feed them the cubes of hay (no way they’ll touch those) or go to the feed store. Who knows what they get, and the usual response from people is, “It’s probably OK for rabbits” as if they’re pigs who can just be fed anything you happen to have around…no offense to pigs. And $10 still felt like a steal compared to bags of hay, when I’ve got 2 giants and 2 others, and I usually feel like I throw away more than they eat, so I don’t really know how much they eat vs how much gets trampled into the litter box and tossed out. I have bought that Western Timothy and add that, too. They had a sale through Pet Smart and I bought 8 bags of it for something like $80 and free shipping (stumbled across a double sale)
Good to read the other info about checking the bale for all those things. I’m going to do that. The deer check out what I throw away. ;Never heard of coastal hay, but would add that to my collection if I could get some.
70 degrees? Oh the glory! I’ve practically felt like sunbathing now that it’s in the 20’s, except it’s STILL cloudy. It’s really getting to everyone this year.

[Beka27]

Bales of hay are awesome if you can get them (and bunny eats it!)

I’m not familiar with the composition of coastal hay, but like LPT said, you want horse quality.

Do you have a garage or basement or shed for hay storage? Bales are big, but if you can store it somewhere dry and just bring in a small amount for daily use, you can look thru it for any unwanted pests…

[Slowebot]

I actually live in an apartment so I’ve been considering splitting the bale with some friends with bunnies. Either that or I’d be storing it in my closet and I’d have to suffer smelling like hay when I venture into the public. I was going to go get a bale this morning but I got lazy and buns still has plenty of hay so I’m going next Friday.

The weather is beautiful, it’s nice to see the sun again. I’m sure I’ve got like 2 maybe 3 weeks until it becomes blistering hot and I’m locked indoors for another couple months though haha.

[balakai]

We have horses, and my SO is an equine vet, so I have LOTS of experience with hay.

Hay color really depends on how much sun bleaching occurs after the hay is cut, then turned (once or twice), then baled. 1st cutting usually has more weeds than second cutting. Texture/coarseness also depends on how long the hay grows before being cut–if it goes to seed it won’t be as leafy as “younger” hay. As far as pests, typically I don’t see any bugs in our horse hay, but sometimes you get some trash/twigs/weeds.

The hay that I feed my horses isn’t appropriate for a bun (coarser grass hay for easy keepers, and an alfalfa mix for my senior stallion), plus our mini lop likes variety so buying by the bale, although MUCH cheaper, doesn’t really work for us since I don’t know where I’d put 3-4 bales of hay in the house!

Recently Lola has dictated that I must give her smaller amounts of hay 2-3 times per day. And she prefers that I alternate types–right now I’m alternating Crazy Tasty Hay from Bingaling Bunnybox (tried a sample at Midwest BunFest last November and had to buy a couple of big bags) and Kaytee Orchard Grass that I buy at Walmart. Yesterday we got a sample of Oxbow Botanical Hay and she LOVED it, so we’ll be adding it to the rotation.

It is more expensive to buy hay this way, but I can’t imagine having multiple 50ish pound bales of hay in my house.

~Kristin

[Megabunny]

Wow! That was such awesome info, I’ve copy/pasted it to save for future ref. Maybe I’ll even share it w/ another person some day on BB.
I’m going to check into those other hays. Thanks for all that wonderful info! My little Gracie has such tummy troubles she needs ALL hay, and I rotate several kinds. But she’s not eating enough to maintain her weight (so I keep giving SOME pellets)and I need all the variety I can to offer her, as she was already underweight when I adopted her. I’d love to get her spayed. I don’t know if she would put on weight just because of being spayed like some animals do, but don’t think she’d survive the procedure. Every time she seems to be getting better I try to increase the pellets, only to have her take a step backward. Ugh! I’m going to compose a letter to my vet and see if she has any other ideas. I figure that’s better than trying to give it all to a receptionist who will filter out much of what I say.

[jerseygirl]

This chart give nutritional values for a variety of hays.
http://www.guinealynx.info/hay_chart.html

I think Coastal is also Bermuda grass??

Anyway, at first glance, Bermuda hay looks like a good choice for rabbits.

You might be able to but smaller amounts if the seller is willing to split a bale. Then you can check out the hay more closely.

My rabbits are less enthusiastic almost each time I start a new bale. Even when it’s from same place. By the time I’m reaching the end of the bale, they’re eating it well. Then it’s time for a new one and upturned noses again. .

So if you find your bun doesn’t take to it right away, offer what you currently use plus the baled hay, gradually reducing the former. Hopefully it’ll come around to eating the coastal eventually.

Another thing I do on occasion is delay their pellet feed. I find they’ll turn to the hay instead and then I give the pellets once i come home.

[Beka27]

Haha! Yeah… A bale in an apartment could be tricky! That sounds like a great idea to split with other people! You can fill a large cardboard box with hay and store that pretty easily….

[LongEaredLions]

I store my hay in a big trash can in a closet. That could work.

[Slowebot]

So for future reference in case anyone else looks at this post, I wanted to follow up!

I went and bought a bale of coastal hay. I way way way underestimated the amount of hay that was in the bale and have it stored in the most ridiculous ways right now. I wanted to store it in laundry bags so it could breath but I only bought 2 large ones and ended up filling up some other luggage, shopping bags, trash bags and shopping bags. I was that weird girl at the apartment complex covered in hay for like an hour.

The hay I picked up wasn’t as green as the hay you buy at pet stores (which I suppose is understandable since it is Texas and we just got out of “winter” so I will be supplementing it with oxbow hay as well but it’s nice to be able to fill the litter box with the really cheap coastal hay and save the good hay for his hay bin. Strangely buns actually really enjoys the hay, he’s spent a good amount of time foraging for the, I presume, tasty pieces of hay.

When I broke open the bale of hay it was to my relief pretty clean, not too dusty, I found only 1 beetle and it was easy to pick out clumps of hay that had dirt in it.

I will definitely be splitting the bale because this is way too much to have in my small apartment but I felt it was worth the investment! Thank you everyone for your input and advice!

[manic_muncher]

lol the mental image is priceless.

[Beka27]

Glad it’s been to your buns liking! If they’re happy with it, I’d probably start using that exclusively, and use the Oxbow you have as a special “treat” hay.

One of the forum leaders, KokaneeandKahlua, I think…. Had a really funny story years ago about a bale explosion… She lived in an apartment and I think she was actually storing hay in her car trunk! Lol!

[MooBunnay]

I live in Texas too! Yay Texas bunny owners I am here in Dallas, and though it took a lot of calling different feed stores, I eventually found one that sells bales of Timothy hay, which I prefer to using the coastal. I don’t feed my bunnies pellets, and I found that they seemed to be getting a little skinny on the coastal, I think because the coastal doesn’t have any seed heads in it like the Timothy does. It is harder to find bales of timothy, and they are a little more expensive than coastal, but as you saw with the bale you just bought, you still get a lot of hay! In my opinion, it is worth calling around to see if you can find the Timothy hay somewhere for affordability, but your idea of putting the coastal in his box and the more expensive hay in his hay rack is also a really good idea.

[Sarita]

I think bales can be a good deal as well but I have to look at it this way if you only have one bunny and limited space – is it worth it for that :~) I think you are almost better off with a 25lb box of hay that is already in a box…yes, it’s probably more expensive but it will last a long time for one small rabbit. But if you do have friends to split the bale with then your problem is solved.

I know that Timothy is not grown in Texas too but as MooBunnay said it might be worth looking for – maybe check on Craigslist?

[Megabunny]

I saw someone post a picture of their rabbit in a pen that had this huge bag (punching bag size or larger) CHOCK FULL of hay, with an opening in the bottom. Now THAT is a hay rack! Tried to figure out how to do that for my big guy, but haven’t. Would have to secure it to the ceiling somehow

[BlueMoods]

Coastal hay is Bermuda grass so:

Energy (Mcal/lb) = 0.7 to 1.0
Protein = 6 to 11%
Calcium = 0.24 to 0.4%
Phosphorous = 0.15 to 0.3%
Total digestible nutrients = 42 to 50 %

So that means it’s roughly 50% fiber, low protein and, suitable when feeding the rabbit alfalfa based pellets. And yes very common in the south, I get it here too. As long as it is clean, no black spots, no white fuzz and, no white or pale gray dust, it’s fine with alfalfa pellets or mixed with alfalfa hay. Any of the things I mentioned are mold and, that is very bad for rabbits and horses, that’s why you want horse quality hay, it wouldn’t have the mold ans will have been stored where it stayed dry at all times.

Bales are usually a very cost effective way to buy hay, but you do need a place to store them that will keep them dry and, of course they are a bit messy when you pull portions out to feed, so in the house is not a good place to store the bales.

As for insects, the only thing I have ever found in square bales is ants and, if they are there, you know it when you pick up the bale – they bite you. Round bales, well those can have anything from ants to snakes to trash to thorns in them – no good for the average home and best left to cattle ranchers.

[Slowebot]

omg megabunny if I put one of the bags of hay in buns’s cage he wouldn’t be able to move lol. So intense. Yes I was going to start looking into traveling for a bale of timothy hay or ordering some online as well. I’m also going to contact local shelters and see if they want some hay because the hay may outlive my bunny at this point.

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