How long should a batch of hay last until it is no longer good? I buy oxbow from the petstore, the smallest bag they have but it is still quite large. I have only one chinchilla so I end up throwing most of the bag out. I store it in a cardboard box, with no lid so there is plenty of air to it. The hay is always nice and hard and dry. But how long is too long to keep the same batch of hay? I usually throw mine out after a few weeks and buy a new bag, but thats getting expensive!
how long do you keep hay for?
- Thread starter Gizmo24
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Little Chinta
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Technically, hay begins to lose its nutrients after 6 months. I don't like to keep mine around for more than 2-3 months, and usually, a single chin will go through the bag by then.
Spoof
Kung Fu Chinny!
Wow!
If stored correctly hay lasts years. So long as it smells good, keep using it.
Edited to say that hay is put up in the fall so throughout the winter you're getting hay that is already older than three months. It doesn't loose enough that you should be worried. Your chin's nutrition should come from pellets, hay is just for amusement.
Most places use hay within two years, I rarely see hay older than that in storage.
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Ditto what spoof said. I can't even imagine throwing my hay out after a couple months. The expense would be tremendous. I get 8 or 10 - 50 pound boxes of hay and use it until it's gone, then get more. I probably use a box every 3 or 4 weeks.
My horses will be eating last year's hay this year and it keeps their weight up and they look great. As far as I've ever known, there is no "shelf life" on hay. As Tara said, it's all about how it's stored and how each individual bale of hay is when you go to use it.
My horses will be eating last year's hay this year and it keeps their weight up and they look great. As far as I've ever known, there is no "shelf life" on hay. As Tara said, it's all about how it's stored and how each individual bale of hay is when you go to use it.
punkybugsy
Active member
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Agreed, I keep my hay for my chins just like I do for my horses. As long as it isn't exposed to moisture and mold is stays great 
starleomach
Dawnna's Keeper
I use it till it is gone. but I also use our horses hay. As long s it doesn't get moldy it really has no shelf life
There is no need to throw away hay after several weeks (pellets should be as fresh as possible and should be used within 4-6 months after the bag is opened simply because they have added vitamins, and anything finely chopped/powdered loses vitamins very fast . F.e powdered rose hips lose almost all vitamin C in just 6 months).
Hay is cut each year, opening a new bag does not mean you get next year hay, it's the same hay. So, it can be kept for a year, as soon as fresh hay is available I throw away the old one.
The main reason to get fresh hay each year is vitamin D. Adequate vitamin D is needed in chin's diet, it assists with calcium absorption. During storage hay looses about 7.5% of vitamin D each month. When choosing hays it's better to get ones that are cut in July, August. Hays cut in September, October have less vitamin D or mix of different cuts can be offered.
My chins favorite hays are from www.americanpetdiner.com but they start selling 2009 hays only in December. So meanwhile my chins get hays from www.sierravalleyhay.com and bluegrass form www.kmshayloft.com, their 2009 hays were available in summer.
Hay is cut each year, opening a new bag does not mean you get next year hay, it's the same hay. So, it can be kept for a year, as soon as fresh hay is available I throw away the old one.
The main reason to get fresh hay each year is vitamin D. Adequate vitamin D is needed in chin's diet, it assists with calcium absorption. During storage hay looses about 7.5% of vitamin D each month. When choosing hays it's better to get ones that are cut in July, August. Hays cut in September, October have less vitamin D or mix of different cuts can be offered.
My chins favorite hays are from www.americanpetdiner.com but they start selling 2009 hays only in December. So meanwhile my chins get hays from www.sierravalleyhay.com and bluegrass form www.kmshayloft.com, their 2009 hays were available in summer.
Spoof
Kung Fu Chinny!
True, but hay is not required in a chin's diet as the pellets provide this. Since loose hay is only provided for amusement in most pet situations, the age doesn't matter so much as them enjoying and eating it.
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
I also agree with Spoof and Tunes. I keep my hay around until it is gone. I usually buy it in the 9lb. bags, so it lasts me about 6 months with 4 chins.
AZChins
Pro Cage Cleaner Champion
I think that hay is fine until it dries out so much that the chins lose interest in it. The problem here is that that never happens because we use everything up so quickly. At the most the hay is here for a month. However, when I go to the hay broker it isn't like it is super fresh or new, it is probably from around the same time as what I got the month before. Now, every three or four months, the hay will be different because it is harvested and baled at different times. The texture tends to be a little different even with second cut hay from the winter to the summer.
