Hay Question - I Want/Need to Know

[Tauntz]

Okay, I know this is probably one of the dumbest questions asked but I want to know the answer please,

I understand bunnies have a very sensitive digestive tract that requires horse-quality hay. So my question is how do you know the difference when purchasing hay from a feed store, whether it is horse-quality hay or cattle or other hay? Sorry but until I got my bunny girls the closest hay education I've had is hay fever which I am well-versed in. lol

It may be a silly or dumb question for most people but I'm a worry wart. I've learned from experience in many areas just because you go to a store the workers/staff aren't always knowledgeable about what they are selling even if they talk & act like they are! Thanks for your patience with educating this city bumpkin. I just want to learn to be a good bunny parent. So other than asking the salesman/staff for horse-quality hay, how can a hay novice tell horse-quality hay from other non-bunny hays?

 

[Watermelons]

You have to learn what to LOOK, FEEL, and SMELL for.
www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/id146.pdf
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/hay-feeding-14792.aspx

You want the hay to be nice and green, but not as green as grass, obviously its a dry product. It should not be brown like straw.
Finer strands then that of straw. Now depending on the type of hay this will vary but it shouldn't be too stiff, you've seen hay before.
It should smell like... well hay. Good hay has a nice fresh hay smell to it.
Stick your hand in the middle of a bale and pull a few strands out. It should be dry in the middle, and those strands should be mould free. Youll notice little black dots if its mouldy.
Cattle can handle much lower quality hay then horses. And they can digest hay that's been mouldy and what not. Dairy cows get higher quality hay, but not quite like what horses get.
Just look for something better then what you see bagged at the pet store.
Keep in mind, a lot of local farmers will grow mixes. Here you tend to find a lot of alfalfa timothy mixes. And its just listed as "local hay"

 

[Imbrium]

Just ask . Trust me, they're not pet store employees, they KNOW the difference between horse and cow quality hay - it's significant and can be a matter of life-and-death for horses (and fwiw, in my experience it seems like anything that doesn't specifically indicate cow quality is generally horse quality (as in safe for horses to eat)... I dunno if feed stores even typically sell "cow quality" hay by the bale).

Cows can (and often do) eat "horse quality" hay... but hay that's specifically defective in some way that makes it unsafe and/or unsuitable for horses can typically still be fed to cows (as an alternative to having to throw it out). I get the feeling that TRUE cow-quality hay (ie unsafe for horses/bunnies) usually gets fed to a rancher's own cows and the horse hay is the only stuff sold at retail.

Cow quality hay basically means "not good enough for horses"... sometimes, that only means it's very stalky or low-quality - basically, the crummiest bales from of a cutting - but in many cases it means the hay got rained on or something - cow quality hay is allowed to have nasty stuff like mildew in it that would make a horse (or rabbit) VERY sick.

Think of it like veggies - there can sometimes be "icky" parts (soggy or wilted parts or whatever) on veggies that are otherwise fresh enough/of high enough quality to feed to humans. When giving veggies to a bunny, you would remove the "icky" parts and only feed the "human quality" parts to your bunnies. Normally, the "icky" parts would have to be thrown in the trash, where they'd go to waste... but you don't HAVE to throw them away - if you have a compost bin/pile, you could put them in there instead and then they wouldn't technically go to waste. Cows = compost bins for crappy hay .

 

[Tauntz]

Thanks for such a quick, helpful reply! Locally we only seem to have Bermuda. With our sudden & rare wintry weather & various other things going on, I didn't realize the hay I normally order was nearly out. The local pet store was even low & I got the last small bag of hay. So a friend picked up some hay from a nearby feed store for me after I called & enquired. While I appreciate the lower price & more hay, I did want to make sure (from now on) that I know how to tell that I am getting good horse-quality hay that will be good for my bunnies. I would pay a fortune for good, healthy food for my buns, I know I've bought expensive pet store hay! lol My girls have had some wonderful hay I've ordered so they are now spoiled & will stick up those adorable bunny noses to that tiny, thin pet store bagged hay! lol

 

[Tauntz]

Thanks, Imbrium! All our RO members are awesome! Such fast replies & full of info to log into my poor brain's memory bank! lol Well, I feel better now but will continue to educate myself with the fabulous experience & teaching of our RO members!

 

[JBun]

Sometimes it's experience that teaches you about good and bad hay. I've had horses and was pretty used to trying to find good horse hay, but even with my experience I've still managed to buy hay for my rabbits, that I wasn't entirely happy with. I'm even pickier with my rabbits hay, then I ever was with my horse hay, and I was pretty picky with it. So even horse quality hay can vary drastically.

First and most important, is to make sure the hay has never been wet. If the feed store keeps the hay in an outdoor shelter, then you want to check this. If there are any wet spots or dark or black discoloring on the outside of the bale, the hay has been wet. If i's wet inside, it's bad. If it is dry inside but smells musty, has white or dark discoloring, has a very dusty cloud when moved or disturbed, or just doesn't smell right, then it likely has mold. If something just doesn't seem right about it, better to be safe and not feed it.

I also prefer weed free hay. I bought bales with some weeds and found some of my rabbits were getting upset stomachs. I ended up having to sort weeds out of 10 bales of hay last year because of this ullhair:

Then there are different cuttings and the maturity of the hay. Mature stalky hay has more indigestible fiber and lower protein and nutrients. Softer leafier hay is higher in protein and nutrients, but lower in indigestible fiber. Which one you feed may not matter too much with some rabbits, other rabbits may benefit from or need a particular type of hay, and some rabbits may be sensitive to a certain hay. Rabbits that have difficulty keeping their weight on., may do better with a higher nutrient leafy hay. Rabbits with ongoing digestive issues, may do better with a more mature hay. You may not ever need to worry about this, but it's something good to know in case you ever do find a particular cutting of hay might work better for your buns.

Best thing to do is, when you find some hay that seems really nice to you and you and your buns really like, remember what it looks and smells like when selecting new hay.

 

[Imbrium]

Then there are different cuttings and the maturity of the hay.... Which one you feed may not matter too much with some rabbits, other rabbits may benefit from or need a particular type of hay, and some rabbits may be sensitive to a certain hay.

Also, some rabbits are OBNOXIOUSLY picky and will shun certain cuttings or refuse to eat the really stalky parts, etc. >.>

 

[JBun]

I obviously wasn't considering Nala and Gaz when I wrote that

 

[Tauntz]

Thank you, Watermelons, Imbrium & JBun! I've learned so much from your posts & links already! I'm a big worry wart when it comes to my "pets." Even though I've had my bunny girls for just over a year now, I still feel that I have barely scratched the surface of all the things I need to know to be a good bunny mom.