Buying Feedbarn Hay

[mitchellfoster]

I just found a local feed barn that sells hay by the bale for $7. He described it as "mainly grass with a little bit of alfalfa." Is this a good Timothy alternative?

 

[mitchellfoster]

Picked it up. They told me it's a mix of orchard, alfalfa, timothy, and some other mixed grasses. We'll have to see how this goes.

 

[majorv]

I'd be interested to hear how it goes, too. My rabbits likeorchard grass, timothy and alfalfa. A bale of timothy around here is $29, which is expensive considering I can get a bale of coastal hay for $8.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

It's a great alternative if you have more than one bun. I have 4 buns and I buy a bale of timothy hay for $8.

 

[Kipcha]

It is an excellent alternative, we get our bales from a great barn for $10 each.

Just make sure there is no mold and that it isn't too dusty.

 

[mitchellfoster]

So far, Tobias loves it. Balthazar hasn't really shown any interest in it, yet. It smells great and both my girlfriend and step-dad (both have raised horses and have dealt with hay a great deal) said that it is good quality. I can't pin-point what the types of hay are that are in the bale, though. I see orchard and what I believe to be timothy, and I know there's alfalfa in it because of the smell.

I guess my next question is this: even though they are approaching a year-old now, is it okay to feed them a mix of timothy, orchard, and alfalfa after they are a year old? I've read that alfalfa is high in fat and isn't really recommended for rabbits over a year old...or is that just nonsense?

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Feed Timothy as the main source of hay. Bunnies love variety too, so Timothy, Oat, and Orchard would be good. Alfalfa can be given as a treat only because of the fat content. Hope that helps.

 

[mitchellfoster]

The only problem is that the entire bale is a mix of orchard, timothy, and alfalfa. I can't really avoid feeding them the alfalfa.