What hays can and cannot be fed?

[bchins]

I'm wondering what exact hays can and cannot be fed to chinchillas? Also, after that question is answered I'm wondering what the nutritional value is of each?

 

[caiti]

The only hays I've heard of being fed are: alfalfa, timothy, meadow, orchardgrass, oat, and recently bromegrass. The most popular hays are timothy, orchard and alfalfa I'd say. I give a mix of timothy, orchard, meadow and sometimes alfalfa as a treat. I just bought all those because I wanted to find out what hays my chin likes so it's not like you have to feed them multiple kinds.

I have no idea what the nutritional requirements are and why certain hays are fed more often. The hays I feed are available to me and widely available to others. I don't know which hays are unsafe to feed.

I have attached a pdf of one of my labs in class on forages. It has timothy, alfalfa, orchard, brome, meadow and oat hay partial nutritional content (on average). The nutritional analysis is on the first two pages. I honestly don't know where these data came from but I'd assume they are correct, since my teacher gave them to us.

DM= dry matter (nutrients are listed on 100% DMB and hay is about 90% DM), CP= crude protein, NDF and ADF are both components of fiber, but the lab has the crude fiber listed, and calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A of each hay. The CTTL TDN is just the total digestible energy of the hays for cattle, so ignore that column as well.

 

[bchins]

thanks, I'll take a peek at all that info That should help alot. Another safe hay/grass to add to your list would be Bluegrass Hay. One of the members told me that they feed it to their chinnies and they love it, and no problems with it either. Yeah, alfalfa is very rich, so I only feed it as a treat/supplement.
Thanks again for the info!

 

[bchins]

Ugh, my laptop has some encrypting problem so I can't open it

 

[Spoof]

http://www.guinealynx.info/hay_chart.html Here's a chart of the different hays grown in the US and their relative nutritional value. That site is excellent for helping you understand the basics, even though it is for guinea pigs.

I've fed everything on that list except the clovers and quackgrass? I've also fed some local stuff not on that list.

 

[bchins]

Okay, cool thank you very much! Could you tell me what "local" things you have fed? Thanks!

 

[Spoof]

Whatever local grass was baled at the feed store. Down here it's a mix of heat tolerant grasses. Sometimes a mix of brome/bermuda/whatever

 

[bchins]

Oh, okay I see. Alot different from up here then, cuz I'm in Wisconsin. Is it alright to buy alfalfa and timothy hay from local farmers?

 

[Sesame]

If you can get a good deal and it's fresh (not moldy/wet), I see why not. Ask if you could get a small handful as a sample to see if your chins would like it. Some are just extremely picky about hay (sigh).

If you're feeding an alfalfa-based pellet, it would probably be best not to give a steady diet of loose alfalfa hay. I believe it has to do with the overall amount of protein in the chin's diet; aka too much protein in the chin's diet. This is why most people recommend giving timothy hay/orchard/oat/botantical/bluegrass/etc.

 

[kathiva]

I thought that alfalfa wasn't good to give too much to adults because it has a high content of protein and calcium and that chins can get like calcium crystals, kidney stones, and stuff like that.

 

[bchins]

Okay good to know, because that would be a really cheap way. Our farmers around here sell alfalfa hay for like $5 a small square bale I believe. But I didn't know if pesticide wise was different if I bought it from Keenmama's Hayloft vs buying it from a local farmer?
Thanks for all the responses!

 

[KissThis]

If it is baled for horses, it is likely fine for chinchillas, both quality wise and nutrition wise.

 

[momenteller]

I have bought hay slices off the bale grown locally. I'd say the price is great, but the drawback is it can vary in quality. I switched back to paying more for Oxbow, because I waste less of it. Our local stuff had many more weeds. I even found tufts of fur from some animal in the hay-- which is when I made the switch! Not meant to discourage you, just to say inspect it closely the first few times you buy.

 

[bchins]

Okay, yeah, I will definetely do that before feeding it to my chinchillas

 

[Spoof]

Yea, just when you go out to pick it up out of the field, tell the person you want it for small animals and want to learn how to pick out quality hay. They'll help you. Feed store too.

I always ask for the ones with the least amount of thistle - never fails you get a handful when you least expect it... lol

 

[bchins]

Oh haha yeah, hopefully that doesn't happen to me I have a co-op feed store right down the road, and they might possibly carry hay and such? I also have a farmer right across the road who has many horses and grows some sort of hay.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Make sure you ask for hay that is fescue free if you are feeding it to pregnant and nursing chins - most of the hay I find around here has fescue in it.

 

[bchins]

Okay, good to know. Just so I know, what is bad about the fescue grass? Thx

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Fescue can carry a toxic fungus that primarily affects reproduction in cattle, horses and other animals including chins.

 

[bchins]

Ooooo yuck, okay that's a good thing to know. Then is that safe to feed to other just adult, non-breeder chinchillas? Thx