How long to keep hay?

[ashley00]

So I went to my local farm store and I bought a compact barrel of timothy hay. I didn't realize how heavy it was because the man carrying it made it look light I figured it was 10-15 pounds. When I pulled it out of my trunk it was super heavy. I weighed it and it was 54 pounds!! :duh: So what is the length of time you guys normally keep hay and is there anything I can do with the the rest of the hay? I could have bought a 2-5 pd (I can't remember the size) commercial bag for 6.99 or this barrel for 13.99!

 

[Sandi]

I know that hay if stored correctly can last a long time, definitely over several months. Maybe you can donate some to a shelter?

 

[ChinnyMom]

i say weigh it out in 1 pound increments and sell whatever you think you won't use up in the next few months or so. then go get another barrel 'o hay and do it all again! lol. there's got to be enough rabbit, chin, etc owners in your area that are looking for smaller amounts of hay and don't want to pay ridiculous pet store prices. i know i hate the store prices!

so 54 pounds for one barrel 'o hay..... i don't see two chins going through even nearly half of that in a few months. heck, sell 27 pounds at a dollar a pound and you've gotten double your money back and still have plenty enough hay for your chins.

 

[ashley00]

Okay, I will see if there are any shelters or people around here that have a need for timothy hay.

 

[AZChins]

What is the hay like? Is it decent hay? Do you know where it was grown?

I hope it works out because having access to copious amounts of good, fresh hay is wonderful. It's just that sometimes those bales of hay can be not so great in quality...I hope that this isn't the case with this hay!! I have bought double compressed bales before that I ended up feeding to the cows because it just wasn't good hay.

Anyway...sorry...that's a downer...it's probably all good!

You can always find bunny people wanting hay. You could just split it with them. If the hay is fresh enough and each chin is eating maybe 3 lbs a month, you will use probably over half of it before it starts getting all dried out and the chins start losing interest in it. I use about 2 lbs a month per chin here, sometimes more if they really enjoy the hay.

 

[ashley00]

I don't know where they got their hay, but there are a lot of farms in the area. It smells like hay I have got before. And my chins liked it. So does that mean it's okay?

 

[ashley00]

It's pretty compact in those containers and it is 2nd cut.

 

[AZChins]

If the chins eat it and it's nice and green, it should be alright! Sorry, I was just playing devil's advocate for a minute there. Sometimes good hay can be hard to come by. Always ask where the hay comes from so you can get a good idea of how fresh the hay is and what animals or purpose it is intended for.

The hay that I get is directly from Nevada. I asked the hay broker where it was from and was able to get into contact with the people, who grew the hay to ask them if the hay was ever sprayed or if it was ever grown in fields with other types of hay. I've had some not so great experiences with hay over the years. I haven't gotten a bad bale that made anyone sick, but I have bought overpriced, dried out bales that the chinnies didn't even want to eat. The compressed bales were not a hit here, but in Arizona there aren't a lot of places that care about quality...they care more about quantity and price.

I'm glad that your chins like the hay you've found! I hope you can find someone to split it with...because that would save you an absolute fortune without any waste.

 

[ashley00]

I can call/e-mail the store tomorrow and see. I was driving home today and decided to stop by and see what they had. My mom has bought baby chickens & ducks there before and she really likes that store. I don't know if anyone has ever heard of Del's Farm Supply, but that's where I bought it.