another hay question....

[undergunfire]

I was told by Mallory and Morgan's foster mom that I can go to my local feed store and get free hay from off the ground or buy a whole bale (which I really don't have a place to store it).

Then on another forum I am on that has a little section for rabbits....people said NOT to even go to the grain store for hay because of bugs, pesticides, and dusty hay. They told me to order Oxbow hay or else I better have a huge vet fund (because grain store hay is going to cause problems?).

If I was to order Oxbow from oxbowhay.com it would cost this (including shipping)....

15oz of Timothy = $14.15
40oz of Timothy = $19.08
9lbs of Timothy = $27.53

My local grain store sells 85lbs bales of Colorado timothy hay for $13.00.

If I was to order Oxbow hay, I would want the 9lbs so I feel I have enough, but at that price I can buy two 85lbs bales of hay from the grain store.


What is your opinions on this?


- Amy

 

[binkies]

I don't anything about your specific farm store, but a lot of members here do buy from theirs. It doesn't seem like an issue. I don't buy from mine because the rabbits and guinea pigs wont eat it. But I think you should go ahead and get some from your store and see if they will eat it first. It may save you a lot of money in the long run if they like it. You can obviously tell if it is good hay or not. And rabbits wont eat it if it is bad. They know these things.

Edit: Kleenmama has the best hay I have ever seen, you are close enough to her to get her good shipping prices. If you are still uncomfortable with the farm store, try her. www<WBR>.kmshayloft.com[/url</a>]

 

[undergunfire]

I am going to go by there tomorrow and check it out to see if it looks good. I just don&#39;t understand why the people on the other forum were telling me I better have a big vet fund....like the hay from the grain store was going to kill them or something.

The people on that forum can be pretty stuck up and snobby anyway.


- Amy

 

[Haley]

I just put an order with Kleenmama and I think it came to around40 dollars for about 20 lbs of hay with shipping. I&#39;ll let you know how it is!

I would go to the feed store though and check out the hay. You&#39;ll be able to tell if its bad or not. I cant buy from any local farmers around here because they all mix in alfalfa with the timothy hay, but I wish I could buy fresh hay.

Everyone here who buys it fresh says their bunnies love it and its soo much cheaper!

I would give it a try. Your bunnies will let you know if they dont like it

 

[undergunfire]

Thank you Haley! I spent 8 years of my life around horses and loading hay bale by bale into the loft....so I should know what good hay looks like, hehe.

I heard it was fine if there is some alfalfa mixed into mine since my boys are only 6 months old. I had emailed my grain store and they said it was a Timothy/orchard mix from Colorado....so I hope that is okay?

I was checking Mallory over yesterday, and he feels a little skinny to me. Do you think I should try to get some alfalfa as well? If so, maybe they can sell me half a bale of each.

- Amy

 

[Haley]

A timothy/orchard blend sounds great! I think as long as he has access to hay all the time, timothy should be fine.

 

[JimD]

Hi Amy,

If I had a feed store around by me that sold hay I&#39;d buy it there.

I started buying from Oxbow a couple of months ago.

I buy the #50 boxes. With the shipping from Nebraska to New Jersey included, I&#39;m paying $60.

~Jim

 

[canela_2004]

Well, I buy my hay from a feestore (after months of buying little bags at Petsmart and other pet speciality shops) and I have to say that the bale i bought was WAY fresher and more fragrant than anything in a bag. I saw where they store their hay and it is clean and dry and I am not worried about contamination. If i were you, I would go check out the store and if you feel comfortable, buy your hay there. If not, order online. But honestly, give your feedstore a chance, they are made to help people with their livestock and I am sure they know that no one wants to feed their animals dirty, contaminated hay.

 

[NZminilops]

I&#39;ve always found hay from feed/grain stores to be beautiful. It always smells heavenly and lasts for a long time, plus the rabbits devour it and it&#39;s cheap.

 

[rubysmom]

If the feed store near you is reputable and have friendly, informed clerks, I wouldn&#39;t hesitate to buy from them. My very good friends own a feed store and I purchase my hay from them. They get it from a local farmer about 20 minutes away and it is WAY fresher than the store bought. I can get about a 50 pound bale for $5.00 - $10.00. Plus I like that they support local farmers. I have never found bugs, inordinate dust or other bad stuff in my hay. I did however find a caterpillar in a bale of Oxbow once. I don&#39;t blame them though...it happens and they have a great product. Just a little pricey. Environmentally, your local hay is likely to have less of an impact because of transportation/fuel usage. Mine is a straight tim bale but you can get a tim/alf blend. Just check it out because you are likely to be very pleased with it.

 

[undergunfire]

Thank you! I will definitely go check that hay out tomorrow. I think it will be nice hay too, since it is our local feed store and they are what everyone relies on for hay for their hay-eating animals. I just didn&#39;t want to "waste" money on shipping hay to my house when I might be able to find the same quality hay closer to me for a reasonable price.

I really like this forum. All of you people are very nice and informative! On the other forum that I am on everyone likes to bash and attack my topics, even when I only post a picture showing off my bunnies. The are the kind of people who think that if you spend alot of money on the things for your pets, then it must be very good quality, and anything cheap is...well...going to send you pet straight to the hospital.:disgust:


- Amy

 

[Haley]

Thats sweet of you to say Amy. :hug:

Thats what I love about this forum. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help, based on their own experiences. We&#39;re glad to have you.

 

[Crystalballl]

Anyone know a good place or somewhere that will ship to Canada? I&#39;m not loving the Hay that I&#39;ve been getting for the bunnies lately.

I was wondering if anyone has ordered from Canadianpetconnection.com before? I&#39;ve been checking it out. Just wondering if it is worth my while or not?!

 

[Haley]

Have you tried checking around to see if any local farmers or horse stables carry hay bales? Thats usually the best hay!

 

[Runestonez]

We have 5 bunns and it was getting too expensiveto keep going to the petstore for hay...so I phoned around and found astable that was willing to sell me bales of hay for $3 each. (I thinkthey are 25 lbs or so, they are 4 feet by 2 feet) The womanat the stables saves the really grassy ones for me and the bunns gowild for it! They are no dustier than the stuff we weregetting at the petstore...and at least these we know arefresh! And it is cheap cheap cheap!!

 

[theevenstarlight]

I have been getting my hay from Tractor SupplyCompany. They carry the mini bales of the brand LM AnimalFarms. I just bought a new bag and my bunny can't getenough! It is the freshest greenest hay I've seen in person.





PS - They also have a 20 lb bag of Aspen litter for $9.22! I love TSC.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

theevenstarlight wrote:

I have been getting my hay from Tractor SupplyCompany. They carry the mini bales of the brand LM AnimalFarms. I just bought a new bag and my bunny can't getenough! It is the freshest greenest hay I've seen in person.

Where is this hay usually located in the store? I haven't seen it in our stores. I'd love to try it - sounds nice.

We've had some good barn hay lately - not a lot of dust or littleflakes falling off. I have brought some home for the bunnersbut Bo isn't as fond - it's alfalfa mix. Clover inhalesit.

 

[naturestee]

Just adding that I buy hay from a local farmerand I love it! So do the bunnies. I do have to pickout the rare weed, but so far it's been stuff that's probably safeanyway- asters, clover, etc. Although I am jealous that youcan get a timothy/orchard grass mix. Nobody grows orchardgrass here, but my buns love it.

Oxbow has great hay and is a good alternative if you can't get good hayfrom a farmer or feed store. Sometimes it's hard to findstuff locally that isn't loaded with alfalfa. My suggestionif you're going to order from Oxbow or another online hay supplier,order in bulk. It's so much cheaper per pound! WhenI used to buy Oxbow it was always in 20 lb or 50 lb boxes.

But you're rabbits will definately not die if you feed them hay that comes from a feed store.

 

[theevenstarlight]

At TSC, the hay is located with the small animalsupplies. You could ask a sales associate to show you wherethat section is. The hay is usually towards the bottom of theshelves. Good luck!

 

[undergunfire]

Well, I went to my Olsen's grain in town...andthe hay was UGLY. The Orchard looked okay....but it was a 3 string85lbs bail....I don't know where to store it. It was alsoraining/snowing (Yes, in Arizona!) and very wet outside...so I didn'twant to get hay that day.

My other option is my fiance's mother has a friend who has an Angorapair that she occasionally breeds and uses their hair forspinning....aaaaand she is getting me some flakes from her today. Ihaven't seen the hay or know what kind it is. I hope it looks okay.

It will have to do until Wednesday when I can make the 45 minute driveto a feed store that a breeder reccommended to me. She breeds and showsHolland Lops...so you'd think she is getting good hay (let's hope).


To add: I might get another bunny from my fiance's mother's friend whenshe breeds her Angora's again! My fiance's mother wants the bun's hairfor spinning....but I get the bun to love! I better stay away fromthe local fair in September...on the last day the breeders are alwaysgiving away free gorgeous bunnies to clear up some space at home. Themini rex babies &lt;3. Maybe a Flemish:bunnydance:. hehe.



- Amy