Bulk Hay?

An idealist possibility arose that if it happened it would see me living pretty far off the normal path and pretty far away from main stores and what not.

So it got me thinking about my chins hay. Hay and litter and the only main two things i go to stores to buy now. Litter obviously has a long shelf life, but it got me wondering about hay. Is there a way to buy hay in bulk amounts (maybe a months worth at a time or such for my 5 chins) and still maintain its freshness and nutrients?

Ive always just bought two 40 oz bags of oxbow western timothy hay at a time these last many years. (i don't like the consistency of there larger bag. Often it seems more like grass then hay; therefor i stuck to two 40z instead) I currently don't know of any pet stores out in the area being looked at, and im not eager to drive 1-1.5 hours to a store. And that's one way, and that's not even including my disability which makes it implausible.

If properly stored, (off the ground, dry, away from light, allowed to breath) hay is good for about 6 months to a year after being cut before it starts loosing it's nutrients. Even after a year it's only starting to loose nutrients, if I buy a bale of local hay it lasts me about a year (I've gone back to store bought for variety though). Even if properly stored though after about 2 years it's no longer that good.

I understand wanting to stock up due to a long drive, the nearest pet store to me is about 1.5-2 hours away, even the nearest town (so any store at all) is about half and hour, lol.

I only order hay three times a year. I just store it in big cardboard boxes with holes punched in them.

I buy a bale from TSC and store it in cardboard boxes with holes in them or Rubbermaid bins with holes drilled in them.
I've only bought 1 bale so far, as they didn't carry it before, so I'm not sure how many times a year I'll have to buy hay yet. They are working their way through the last of the bale now and it's still good.

I buy my hay by the bale and just store it on a shelf in my garage. I bring in a couple flakes at a time in a feed bag. As long as it is kept away from the elements, it stores well and is good for many months.

Agreed, I buy several bales at a time and store it in a dry clean basement, on a shelf with air holes punched in shrink wrap (the way it is baled), haven't had a problem with this method in over 5 years.

I get it straight from a local farm. I talked with my Chins vet and they said as long as there are no chemicals or pesticides this is fine. I have been doing this for months and all my babies are perfectly healthy. they love it. I leave the bail in the playroom on the floor and they love pulling it out of the bail.
Plus for six chins I'm not even half done with one bail and its been 3 or 4 months. I also only paid $5 for it too. A lot less than the pet store.
Another thing i found they like, in addition to regular hay, is hay pellets from my local fleet farm.

Ive always bought oxbow timothy hay from the pet store. (One of the last few items i get from a petstore since i try to avoid them) But it does make me wonder how you can tell anything about a bale of hay from else where? What kind it is? How healthy it is? How fresh it is? If its been treated? etc...

Godofgods said:

Ive always bought oxbow timothy hay from the pet store. (One of the last few items i get from a petstore since i try to avoid them) But it does make me wonder how you can tell anything about a bale of hay from else where? What kind it is? How healthy it is? How fresh it is? If its been treated? etc...

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I know the farmer where i get mine from and they will tell you if its treated or not.

When I did buy local hay for my chins I got horse hay, the same stuff my horse eats but in square bale form rather then round bale. The same rules apply for what a horse needs as what a chin does (no odd plants, no pesticides, etc). You do want to make sure it's horse hay though, hay for cattle does not need to meet the same standards since cows can digest more icky stuff like mold without getting sick. I got timothy hay directly from the farm, can't get much fresher then that and farmers specifically plant that type(s) of grass so you know what you are getting, just like any other crop. Otherwise to see if the bale is fresh simple observations work, how does it look and smell, also if they let you, break a bale open and check for dust and mold too.

I also buy standlee Timothy hay bales from tractor supply, keeps well for me.

ive never seen bales at TS before..

I buy mine in bulk. It comes in huge bags, it is cheap and stays fresh for a long time. Only problem is that I use meadow hay and some chins dont like it. Some days mine loves it. Others he cant bear to be near it lol

Godofgods said:

ive never seen bales at TS before..

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Some have it, ask someone if they can order it in, that's what I did. It comes in a green bag and has ties bundling it.

jbcstratton said:

Some have it, ask someone if they can order it in, that's what I did. It comes in a green bag and has ties bundling it.

Click to expand...

whats the size of these bales? j/w

I was looking on tractor supplies site just now to see if anything was listed on there. I have to go out tomorrow to get hay and litter anyway. So figured id look. Rather buy from them then petsmart if they had something useful. I already knew they didnt have oxbow timothy hay that i use.

I did find this product tho.

I was wondering if its suitable at all?



Copied form the webpage:

Purina Hydration Hay ORIGINAL Horse Hay Block is a premium blend of quality grass and alfalfa hay that has been compressed into a convenient, lightweight block. Simply drop the block into a bucket of water and it will quickly expand into palatable, moist hay. Recommended for all horses at all life stages.

Promotes Water Intake for Proper Hydration
Convenient, Lightweight and Easy to Use
Quickly Expands in a Bucket of Water into Moist, Palatable Hay

Ingredients:
Sun-cured Chopped Grass Hay (Timothy and Orchardgrass), Sun-cured Chopped Alfalfa, Vegetable Oil.



Brand - Purina®

Animal Type - Horse

Life Stage - Any

Type - Block

Manufacturer Part Number - 3000724-640

maybe not..

Purina® Hydration Hay™ ORIGINAL Horse Hay Block is a premium blend of quality grass and alfalfa hay that has been compressed into a convenient, lightweight block. Simply drop the block into a bucket of water and it will quickly expand into about one flake of palatable, moist hay. Recommended for all horses at all life stages.

Found this one when i was at tractor supply today to get feed and liter.





Overview

Grass forage featuring a moderate to low protein and high fiber content. Timothy Grass is highly palatable. Standlee Premium Western Timothy Grass has lower levels of protein and an abundance of high quality fiber. Timothy is typically moderate in sugar content.

Nutrition Info
Crude Protein - Min 8%
Crude Fat - Min 1.5%
Crude Fiber - Max 35%
Moisture - Max 12%

BALES

Standlee Premium Western Forage® Premium Timothy Bales are available in 50 lb compressed bales (premium or certified noxious weed free) or 50 lb compressed and shrink-wrapped bales (Grab & Go® compressed bales) that are easy to handle and store.

at $17.99 for 50lbs im kinda hoping it is good'

I've never bought the Standlee bales (our TSC only carries alfalfa bales) but I've heard good reviews from others. Just take it out of the plastic packaging and store it in something that allows good air circulation.