Timothy hay blend vs coarse cut

[JohhnyBishop]

Hi All,
What is the % of timothy hay waste you get from chinchillas.
I have noticed that males are quite wasteful.
I order timothy hay from HayBox.club

Timothy Hay Box 'Blend'

Hay Box Blend - Harvested in peak season and bursting with nutrients to make this a highly palatable and Ultra Premium Timothy Hay that your rabbit will love.

haybox.club

I go for Blend but they also have Coarse Cut:

Timothy Hay Box 'Coarse Cut'

Coarse Cut Timothy Hay Box - Harvested in peak season and bursting with nutrients to make this a highly palatable and Ultra Premium Timothy Hay that your rabbit will love.

haybox.club

Is this good or should I switch to Coarse Cut?

 

[ChinsForLife]

Mine waste at least 60% of their hay.(Chinchillas are very picky, lol) It's a common concern but it's completely normal.

I would stay with the box blend. It sounds like the "coarse cut" is basically just the stalky pieces. Most chins(including mine) are happier if they have both kinds. The soft cut is easier to chew when they just want the taste of it and the stalky pieces help with wearing down the incisors.

 

[JohhnyBishop]

Yes, 60% matches to what my males throw away.
In general females are conservative with hay. They go through a lot less of hey.
I think it's down to general activity. Males are on testosterone and have more appetite.

Thank you

 

[ChinsForLife]

Yes, 60% matches to what my males throw away.
In general females are conservative with hay. They go through a lot less of hey.
I think it's down to general activity. Males are on testosterone and have more appetite.

Thank you

I agree completely! My female wastes alot less than my male.

 

[Amethyst]

I don't currently have any females to compare to, but my male eats over 50% of the hay I am giving right now, I would say waste is only about 25-50%. Maybe he just really likes the hay I give him? (it's local hay I got at a livestock feed store) It does depend on the hay though, some brands he eats more then other others, and some he does waste a good bit. For example he eats almost 100% of the hay I grow and harvest from my property, but some of the ones I get at the pet store are probably closer to the 50-60% waste you are seeing.

I agree the blend sounds like "second cut" hay which is the preferred feeding hay for animals, it has the best nutrient to fiber ratio. The course cut is likely 1st cut, which is good for tooth wear, if your chin will eat it, but not all chins like it. It does depend on the chin though, some actually prefer the crunchier stocks of the hay.

 

[ChinsForLife]

I honestly have too much hay for my two to eat before it goes bad anyway (2 lbs of alfalfa, timothy, and meadow grass hay) so I don't mind them tossing some/most of it. As long as they are eating SOME hay, I'm happy. Lol.

 

[B&E Chins]

My males also waste around the same percentage, 60%.

 

[chinchoo]

My male eats about a quarter of his hay and ignores the rest. He is also extremely picky with hay brands we have used. Small Pet Select is usually a popular choice recommended by the chin community and he sticks his snooty little nose up at it. Right now we get our 2nd cut timothy hay from High Dessert.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Yes, I get mine from my local feed store (Tractor supply/DUMOR brand) and they love it. Considering switching to oxbow though.

Speaking of which, for anyone who currently uses Oxbow, I bought alfalfa for my girl and she loves it but its very leafy and short cut. I have a wire hay feeder for my male so I would prefer later nger strands so it doesn't all just fall out. Is their Timothy hay like this or just their alfalfa? If so, can anyone recommend another brand that would be better for what I'm needing?

 

[Amethyst]

Yes, I get mine from my local feed store (Tractor supply/DUMOR brand) and they love it. Considering switching to oxbow though.

Speaking of which, for anyone who currently uses Oxbow, I bought alfalfa for my girl and she loves it but its very leafy and short cut. I have a wire hay feeder for my male so I would prefer later nger strands so it doesn't all just fall out. Is their Timothy hay like this or just their alfalfa? If so, can anyone recommend another brand that would be better for what I'm needing?

Alfalfa is a legume not a grass, so it's going to be leafy with chopped up bits of stems, it's not long strands like grass. The Oxbow timothy was just like any other bag of timothy I've bought, the only time I got shorter chopped timothy is when I bought the compressed hay stacks. One thing with switching hay is chins are picky so if you find a hay they like you may need to stick with it unless you can't get it anymore, your chins may be fine with it but be prepared for the possibility they aren't, so for example don't buy a huge bag right away. Also Oxbow did have a bad year last year, I know a lot of people, myself included, had to switch to a different hay because chins refused to eat it even though they ate it fine before.




Incase you are curious, here is a photo of alfalfa growing on my properly, it's the leafy plants growing up in the grass.