Second Cut Timothy Hay

[osprey]

As part of the foster site setup package that Auntie Heather gave us when we took in Marilyn, she included a big box of American Pet Diner second cut Timothy.  I offered some to my guys to see if they’d like it.  WOW!  They eat every last morsel.  My poor buns are used to getting the cheaper baled horse hays, and this stuff is like candy for them.  This might be an option for those fussy buns out there that disapprove of hay.

 

[Sarita]

That’s what I give my buns too and it is great stuff when it’s good – sometimes just like any hay, it’s not so good. So far though for the past 8 months it’s been all very good.

[AlexT]

Be careful with that, though, esp. if your bun doesn’t get a lot in the way of high-fiber pellets. The listed max fiber on APD Timothy Gold is just 18% or so, compared to 30% or more on the “high fiber”, mountain grass, and various Oxbow blends. We had our buns on that for a while, and our little boy Benjamin developed poopy butt and nearly went into GI stasis. It took a couple of weeks for it to develop. Like your bun, they loved the stuff, and ate a lot of it when they finished their pellet rations. We switched back to a higher fiber hay and, with some meds from the vet, he was back to normal in 24 hours. It may be fine for you, but just keep an eye on your bun.

Alex

[osprey]

Right now I am using it as a treat hay, they are still getting their usual orchard grass hay for the bulk of their hay ration.  Thanks for the heads up, I suspected that it was lower in fiber because it is so much softer and less stemmy thatn the usual timothy.

 

[MooBunnay]

My bunnies go pretty nuts for any timothy I give them. The interesting thing was once the timothy was a bit brown and I thought they would snub their noses at it – and it was their absolute favorite! Perhaps it was a second cut timothy that had just dried a bit more than normal.

[Gravehearted]

ooo wait until they try third cut – that’s like hay from the gods! it’s soo soft!

blame Auntie Linda, she turned us onto it and now I order 25 pound boxes from Washington of it 😉

[babybunsmum]

what ‘cut’ of hay are timothy bales from horse farms usually?  i’ve been buying oxbow 40 oz bags of timothy and am trying to find a farm where i can buy a whole bale.  is there anything in particular i need to ask for or specifiy?  for some reason i thought i’d all be the same stuff… gees… what a city girl i am!

[Gravehearted]

I thought standard for bunnies is 2nd cut, since the 1st is very course.

the site I buy hay from has a nice descriptions of the different cuts of timmy hay:

http://www.kmshayloft.com/hay.html

[yoko916]

I’m confused :0(

So, Lush is better than Crunchy?

[Gravehearted]

the greener and lusher the timothy hay the tastier it is

[babybunsmum]

thanks gravehearted!  that was an informative link

[Scarlet_Rose]

Don’t forget the smell too! The greener and sweeter it smells the better and stay away from mold and bales that have a lot of weeds or cow dung in them (a lot of farmers let their cows roam the field).

[babybunsmum]

good tips… thanks   i had a guy reply to my hay inquiry who sells timothy in 800 lb bales!   how many years do you think 800lbs would last for one bunny?  lol

[Scarlet_Rose]

Wow, I bet that is the big roll of hay in those huge round bales you see in fields. Well I woudl tend to think it would go bad before your bunnies ever ate it all. LOL Maybe you can hollow it out and make a bunny home out of it? ; )

[MooBunnay]

Hahahha, my bunnies would be in heaven with an 800 pound bale! I’ll ask Bri if he thinks he could roll one of those up the stairs…I however, would be a complete mess of sneezing & itchy throatness!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Moobunnay LOL!

[babybunsmum]

lol.  i was picturing trying to strap it to my vw golf roof to haul it home.  it’d look like that ikea commercial.

[Author]

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