First Or Second Cut...Does It Matter?

[whaleyk98]

Hi everyone. I know this has been discused before but I am going to be buying some hay froma local/semi - local farmer and I have the choice between 1st cut hay that he says is good horse hay, oranother person has 2nd cut which is more expensive but Im willing to get. Does it matter which I get? I one more prefered over the other?

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

dear whaleyk98,...first cutting,generally contain a lot of weeds/noxious weeds/dirt etc,.please inspect before buying,..buns may not eat it,..i had this nightmare before,.correct the buns did not like,..i learned the hard way to ask first,second,third cutting,and to inspect the bale i purchase which i expect my buns to eat..ie timothy/orchard grass/hay,..sincerely james waller

 

[Maureen Las]

James is right most buns like 2nd cut and it is good to inspect the bales for any signs of mold or generallynasty hay

 

[whaleyk98]

Ok, so this is the type of hay that this guy has....mostly alfalfa with some clover, timothy, brome grass and orchard grass mixed in. Is this alright to use?

 

[terrellflyer]

second cut and yes thats a good blend,check for weeds,dust,mold and /or rain damage,should be a deep green and have a pleasing odor,not off brown ,should not have a lot of seedheads or steamy from late cutting or protein will be low.:thumbup

 

[slavetoabunny]

My buns definately prefer the 2nd cut. Although I feel 1st cut is better for them, they just don't consume it in the vast quantity that they do with 2nd cut. Quantity rules here. Can you get a sample to see how your bunnies like it?

 

[whaleyk98]

Well, I was just going to get 3 or 4 bales if I liked what I saw. Its $3 for a 40 or 50# bale....so I thought that was good. Its from a local farmer here. Im actually excited to get it for them.

 

[KimberlilyKC]

Hmm, we've not been able to find any deep green timothy hay bales around here. The ones we're getting now are more of a golden yellow color, smell is very sweet and pleasant, some seed heads, and the bunnies love it. The other hay we have is about half timothy and deep green, but unfortunately it's also half alfalfa, and they tend to eat mostly the alfalfa. Their urine got chalky from the extra calcium and they weren't eating some of their cecotropes, so we've been using only the yellow timothy hay. Is yellow hay good? They also eat pellets, lots of veggies, herbs, and a little fruit, so I'm thinking it's probably fine.

 

[Maureen Las]

whaleyk98 wrote:

Ok, so this is the type of hay that this guy has....mostly alfalfa with some clover, timothy, brome grass and orchard grass mixed in. Is this alright to use?

The alfalfa and clover are not great if the rabbits are adults
How old are the rabbits?

 

[whaleyk98]

I have adults and babies. Should I look for something else? I cant seem to find anybody else around here....Ill keep looking if I have to though.

 

[Maureen Las]

The alfalfa, clover, brome grass etc mix is Ok for young rabbits but the alfalfa particularly is too rich for an adult.
try too look forsomeonewho sells to horses ... usually horses usually eat grass hays .
Ask them specifically about the amount of alfalfa in it. you don't want the alfalfa for adults or older buns but only the young ones

 

[Pet_Bunny]

angieluv wrote:

try too look forsomeonewho sells to horses ... usually horses usually eat grass hays .
you don't want the alfalfa for adults or older buns but only the young ones

Angieluv is right. :yeahthat:

There's a hay farm about 20 minutes from my place who sells hayto horses. He has Timothy Hay bales on one side of his barn, and Alfalfa bales on the other side of the barn. He will be doing the first cut in a few more weeks. He charged me $5.00 for 33 Kg. (72 lbs).

 

[whaleyk98]

I found someone else who has timothy/orchard mix. Fresh cut and baled dry...he said green and very nice. Im going to go with him I think. Better mix.

 

[Maureen Las]

That sounds really good .......

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Timothy/orchard mix sounds better. Pretty much any grass hay is fine, but I steer clear of Alfalfa, or even an alfalfa mix. It is too rich in calcium added onto alfalfa-based pellets (most pellets are).

 

[KimberlilyKC]

We feed our bunnies timothy-based pellets, they love them. Just to let anyone know they are available.