Bunny Bales hay. Why it is so different this time?

[cmh9023]

I've ordered boxes of Bunny Bale hay several times and my bunnies go absolutely crazy over it. After gettingBB, they basically wouldn't eat Oxbow anymore. This time the hay it is quite a bit different than usual and none of them are eatingmuch of it. It's much stiffer and lighter green. When I firsttook it out ofthe box I thought they would love it because it's almost all nice long pieces.

I think it is probably because of being 2nd cut or 3rd cut. I've never really known the difference. So, I think if I ordered a new box right now it would probably be the same because of being the same cutting. Does that sound right? Plusit is a 25 lb boxand I hate to waste it after paying all that shipping :?

I'm getting a little worried because none of them will eat much of it at all. And they need their hay!!

Cara

 

[ra7751]

It's just a different cut. I have had some BB that had stems that were very long and stiff. My buns were a little slow in eating it but did after a day or so. Same thing when I recently ordered KM bluegrass....took a day or so since the texture was different but they ate it well. I would suggest mixing it with other hays to encourage a foraging type feeding event.

Randy

 

[cmh9023]

I'll try to find some other hays to mix with it. I might order from KM too because I've read good things on this forum. Also, there is one called ADP (or something like that) that had good recommendations.

Is it the 3rd cut that is usually stiffer?

 

[Pipp]

The Library has a ton of info about Hay, although I'm not sure if page I had that had pics and nutrients for all the different cuts is still in there somewhere, but check out all the links.

Hay: All About it



sas :bunnydance:

 

[Pipp]

cmh9023 wrote:

I'll try to find some other hays to mix with it. I might order from KM too because I've read good things on this forum. Also, there is one called ADP (or something like that) that had good recommendations.

Is it the 3rd cut that is usually stiffer?

APD: American Pet Diner (although the last thread in the Library member threads has an interesting link about their premium gold label, it would be worth bumping).

First cut is very coarse, stemmy hay, second cut is finer, and third cut, which isn't always available in areas with short growing seasons, is very fine.

However, keep in mind that what seems yummyto us isn't always as yummy to the bunnies. I give a nice, fresh green grass hay to most of my guys, and they'llpick out the brown bits everytime. (Although even in my house, everybunny is different, somebunny else likes the green).

I findthat 2ndcut is more popular than third,and 1st cut seemstasty as well, but some tend tobite it rather than eat it, they cut it into bits to avoid getting poked!

Ican have a bale of local grass hay they love, and then another one they don't. They loved bluegrass, but I've got one here that looksprettyclose and they shove it aside and pee on it. The trick really is to provide variety. I mix three or four kinds of hay. I buy it by the bale and I cram it everywhere.It'sused as bedding, food and a distraction -- piled up in a binky box or stuffed in toiletrolls.

At $5 to $15 for 60 to80 lbsof the stuff (or more), it sure is much cheaper than buying it at a pet store or online order place. I highly recommend finding other bunny lovers in your area and doing a co-op hay run out to a feed store or farm. Even if you can't store a lot of it, you can split a couple of bales among a number of people and still walkaway with a few very large garbage full ofcompressed flakes that will lastaa lot longer than a pet store bag and cost an awful lot less even with the trip costs tallied in.

Another hint: Buy the industrial type of green plastic garbage bags used to line drums and other larger containers, or buy a large rubbermaid-type plastic bin and stash it there to make storageeasier.

sas:bunnydance:

 

[Jenk]

Pipp wrote:

At $5 to $15 for 60 to80 lbsof the stuff (or more), it sure is much cheaper than buying it at a pet store or online order place. I highly recommend finding other bunny lovers in your area and doing a co-op hay run out to a feed store or farm.

I gotta ask: If you're buying hay directly from a farm, how reliable is the quality? (I'm fearful that hay typically sold as horse feed won't be up-to-snuff for bunny feed.)

Byfeed store, do you mean a store that sells food geared toward horses? I've stores nearbythat I callfeed stores, but they still sell pricey pre-packaged hay (up to 50 lbs.).

I haven't a clue as to how such a co-op setup works; but if it can offer fresh, healthy hay at a reasonable price, I'd be willing to try it!

Jenk

 

[theevenstarlight]

That's kinda funny, because my buns have it backwards: they refused to eat Bunny Bales' hay, but LOVE Oxbows!

When I got Bunny Bales' hay it looked like really poor quality, but Oxbow has been wonderful!