Hay

[Jill of Beans]

I called the feed store that I bought Mazuri from and asked about Hay. They have bales of Timothy Hay/Orchard Grass (mix) for 8.00/bale.

She said they also have Alfalfa (1lb 8oz bag ) for $4.50 and said I could feed that to my chins.....I would rather feed Timothy Hay.


Can someone tell me the difference in Timothy Hay vs. Orchard Grass - and is this mix ok to feed my boys?

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Timothy and Orchard grass are both grass hays (as opposed to legume hays like Oat, Barley, etc.) so a mix of those would be fine to feed. The nutritional difference is probably negligible (I have researched it before but can't remember off the top of my head) but I think in general timothy hay is a little coarser. That difference is probably very slight and would also depend on the cut of the timothy (1st is coarser than 3rd). If they like it and eat copious amounts of it then I would go for it ).

 

[alli713]

Both are fine, but like stated, in my experience orchard grass tends to be softer, so a mix with timothy is great.
I would go check out the hay, I buy my hay in bales and it's so much cheaper.

 

[Sierrasmom97]

How about alfalfa/timothy mixed? I was on CL earlier and there are some local farms that advertise hay for sale, but all that I have contacted have it mixed. I have noticed that my chins don't care for the loose alfalfa but they will nibble on the cubes occasionally. They definitely prefer the orchard grass or timothy hay.

 

[alli713]

I would not get an alfalfa/timothy mix. We have that here and I won't get it. Chins don't need alfalfa in their hay since most pellets are alfalfa based.

 

[Essentia]

I would love to find a great bale of Timothy/Orchard Grass.

 

[Sheri]

$8.00 a bale is a great price. My hay this last year that I got locally is an alfalfa / orchard grass mix. I checked it carefully as it was from a feild that they are replanting this year into something else. It is about 15-20% alfalfa and 80-85% orchard grass. It works ok for my pairs with kists but still getting timothy and such from Kleanmamas. This year I have a guy who is putting in Timothy here so we will see.

 

[iayla]

(as opposed to legume hays like Oat, Barley, etc.)

Those are grain hays - Alfalfa is a legume. Most chins need grass hay such as Timothy, Orchard grass, Brome, Bermuda Coastal. While timothy is the most common & highly recommended, all grass hays are essentially interchangable. If your chins are picky about timmy hay, but really chow down on orchard grass, then give them orchard grass.

When buying from a feed store - ask them if it is suitable for show/performance horses. You want something that has the appearance of dried grass... green, smells like grass (orchard is kinda sweet smelling), dry but not overly dusty.

Nothing damp, moldy/mildew looking, extremely dusty, or with lots of yellow/brown. A little bit of brown is to be expected, but remember that brown = dead = worthless to your chins. Look for clean, dry, green, grass smell and you'll be fine

I buy Timothy bales locally for about $5/bale, but I'm out in the sticks where everything is cheaper
~Barb~